The adventure continues up the Carolina coast. An informal motto for North Carolina seems to be, “things are better on top”, and we were interested in seeing how different NC is from SC.

Wilmington

Things to see

1. Riverwalk

   

2. Cotton Exchange

   

   If you’re into aromatherapy, essential oils, and such, there’s a great store called Down to Earth Oils nearby. The owner Eva, is friendly, and really helpful. I was on the hunt for some citrusy oils and for a more natural bug repellent and they helped with both.

Nag’s Head/Kitty Hawk

RV/Oversized vehicle parking: Oregon Inlet Campground, located on Cape Hatteras National Seashore, is situated on picturesque sand dunes by the ocean. It’s a clean campground with no hookups, but makes up for it with trails leading from the campground to view of the outer bank beaches (see photos below).

Things to see

1. Outer Banks
   The views from the campground were just how I pictured the outer banks to look like – windswept and eerily beautiful.

   

   

   

2. Bodie Island Lighthouse, Nag’s Head

   

3. Wright Brothers’ National Monument, Kitty Hawk
   A tribute to two brothers’ crazy, impossible dream that changed the world. The monument is on the site where they tested their early models and achieved a short, but successful, takeoff and landing.
   

   A monument to flight!

   

   Proof that you can prove naysayers wrong and achieve the impossible
   
   And, my own tribute to flight in commemoration of the Wright Brothers’ achievements 😁:

   The intro class to hang gliding was a blast! And what better place to try it than on the sand dunes near Kitty Hawk, the birthplace of modern aviation. (The added bonus is the sand dunes at Jockey’s Ridge are a forgiving friend if you don’t hit your landing.)

   As you can see, newbies don’t get to soar very high, as the instructors need to have easy and instant access to the hang glider’s tethers at all times. Nonetheless, the experience is a lot of fun. We signed up for our 3-hour long lessons with Kitty Hawk hang gliding school.