Mile 443

 After our first night in the roof top tent we start easy today as we only have a small trip.  We visit the Ocracoke Lighthouse, the oldest continuously operating lighthouse in the State, (since 1823) and the second oldest in the Nation (oldest is Sandy Hook Light, since June 11, 1764).  

The we continue along the beach to the north end and catch the ferry to Hatteras, NC - OBX.  Here we just have a short drive up to the Oregon Inlet for our next camp stop, and a relaxed afternoon at the beach.

Ferry to Hatteras, NC - OBX, Beaches of OBX

After a stormy night with gusts of 30 mph, we wake up to another sunny day, and some lesser winds.  We check our tent and car, no damages, everything is still at its place.  After breakfast we drive to Nags Head, NC to get a power adapter for the campsite outlet as all the 15 Amp outlets don't work, but it appears the 30 Amp do.  Worth a try, and $15 is a good investment for future campsites as well.  After that we turn around and make a coffee stop in Manteo, NC to take the scenic drive through the Alligator River N.W.R. over the Alligator River / Intracoastal Waterway through the swamplands to Columbia, NC.  Here we pick up SR-94 through the Pocosin Lakes N.W.R. and over Lake Mattamuskeet until we reach Hwy-264 which brings us back to Manns Harbor, NC and on to Manteo to our morning coffee shop (because of the WiFi connection).  Some planning for the next two days ahead with ferry booking and campsite reservations, and we are ready for a quick shopping at the supermarket for the evening.  

Street mural in Columbia, NC

Bald Cypress at Pocosin Lakes N.W.R.

Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge Trail

Bodie Island Lighthouse

This is the third lighthouse built in this area.  The first, built 1848, stood 57 ft tall on an unstable foundations, which became unsafe and was razed.  The second lighthouse, built 1859 and 90 ft tall was destroyed by Confederate troops during the Civil War.  In 1870 construction was started on the lighthouse which stands here today, and completed on October 01, 1872.  This brick lighthouse stand 167.6 ft tall and holds a first-order Fresnel lens, electrically illuminated since 1932.

A very easy day, lots of nice country (swamps), uncountable turtles and pelicans (I like to watch them dive for fish), just what the doctor ordered.

"Buy me coffee and take me on a road trip." - unknown