Day 64
Dec. 14
Outer Banks, North Carolina
Dear Miss Smith,
On December 14 I
woke up with a feeling of great excitement and anticipation. Today would be the
first day of our week in North Carolina. I jumped out of bed to go see if my
sister Kristina was awake. I found her up and petting the dogs, Timber and
Penelope, while she was talking with Priscilla about the exciting week that lay
ahead for the three of us.
We started our
travels on the first day of our trip in North Carolina by taking the dogs out
for a walk. They seemed to know that they were not coming with us to
Shackleford Banks Island, and were trying to make the most of their morning
walk. We were not taking them with us because we didn't want them scaring the
wild horses, and I don't think they would be allowed on the island anyway.
Then we went back
to the RV for a delicious breakfast. We fed the dogs too. I wonder if they have
been to more states than I have? I'll have to ask Priscilla later. After
breakfast we took a ferry to Shackleford Banks Island to see the wild horses.
We arrived after
traveling three miles on the water. Then we started on our walk to see the
horses. On the ferry ride we were told that these horses are actually called
bankers ponies and that they are descendants of Spanish horses that had
survived shipwrecks around that area. We asked one of the men on the ferry how
long the horses have been on the island, and he said, “As long as anybody can
remember.” You might be wondering how they found out that the horses are of
Spanish descent if they have been there as long as anybody can remember. We
found out later that they had done some genetic testing to discover the horses’
origin.
We didn't have to
walk far to see some horses. They were wading in a pond known as the Mullet
Pond, which is one of their favorite places on the island. I should mention
that it was a warm day for December. We kept a safe distance away from the
horses as we had been told to, but we were still close enough to be able to see
what they were doing, and to enjoy watching them. After we had watched them
play in the pond for a little while, then we decided to continue our walk.
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| Our favorite horses |
Next we headed to
Bottle Run Point on the inland side of Shackleford Banks Island. This was not
difficult because we were near there already. We walked up the coast a ways and
then arrived at Bottle Run Point. The island is 9 miles long and not very wide.
Most of the island is beaches and grassland, but there is a small forest near
the Mullet Pond. There is also some fresh water on the island for the horses to
drink. My favorite horse was a palomino colored stallion with a flaxen mane and
tail. Priscilla's favorite horse was a dark bay mare that was standing right
next to it. Kristina's favorite horse was also the flaxen maned stallion.
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| Getting a drink |
The view from the
point was beautiful. From there we could see Harkers Island in the distance.
Harkers Island is halfway between Shackleford Banks Island and the mainland.
After we had been enjoying the view for a little while, we saw a horse just a
short distance further up the coast. It was a bay mare digging a hole in the
sand. As we watched, we saw it put its muzzle in the hole. After staying like
that for a little while, it lifted its head and walked away. We were wondering
what this was all about; so after the horse walked away, we went over to check
it out. We looked in the hole and saw some water in the bottom of it, and came
to the conclusion that the horse must have been taking a drink. We found out
later that the horses do this when they are thirsty and not near any fresh
water on the island.
By now we were
starting to get hungry, so we decided to start heading back. We would have to
take the ferry back to Beaufort, because the only way to get to and from the
island is by boat. When we arrived back at the RV we decided to take the dogs
for a quick walk before lunch. We had not eaten lunch on the island because any
food you want has to be brought with you to the island; and when you leave you
have to take your trash with you. We had a quick lunch and started driving to
Cedar Island. Our plan was to drive across Cedar Island and when we arrived at
the port on the other end, to take a ferry to Ocracoke Island.
While we were on
our way to Cedar Island I decided to try to teach Penelope (the Cavalier King
Charles Spaniel) a trick. It wasn't long before I ran out of treats, so I asked
Priscilla if we had any more. She said there was some more in the cupboard
above the stove. I opened the cupboard; but I never got around to getting the
treats, for all of a sudden three hats fell in my face. Priscilla, who was driving
at the time, glanced in my direction, and then quickly turned her head back to
look at the road. I think she was trying not to laugh. However, my doggy treat
adventure did not end there. No sooner did the hats fall on the floor, than the
dogs grabbed two of them and ran in different directions. Kristina jumped up to
help retrieve the hats before they were ruined. I know Priscilla would have
helped too but since she was driving she had to keep her eyes on the road. I
know that this was difficult. I decided to chase Timber; the dog that was
going into the bedroom; and finally retrieved the hat, but not before I had
chased Timber around the bed a few times. Kristina was able to save the other
two hats and thankfully they didn't have any tooth marks in them. After that,
Kristina put Penelope on her lap; and I put the hats back in the cupboard. It
was then that I decided I didn't need the treats anymore.
As we were driving
over the bridge that connected Cedar Island to the mainland, we looked out the
windows at the amazing view. After we had been driving across Cedar Island for
a while, I decided to take a short nap.
When we arrived at
the docks we began to wonder if we were going to have trouble trying to get
them to take the RV across on the ferry, so we looked for the largest one and
went to try to have the passage arranged. We finally managed to get someone to
ferry the RV across to Ocracoke Island. When they loaded the RV onto the ferry,
I thought I saw the ferry sink a few inches. It must be all those hats in
there. The ferry ride was very enjoyable, and after two and a half hours we
arrived at Ocracoke Island.
First we went to
see the lighthouse. The Ocracoke lighthouse is 65 ft. tall and white. The
whitewash recipe that they used to make the lighthouse white, calls for
blending lime, salt, Spanish whiting, rice, glue, and boiling water, and to
apply the mixture while it is still hot. We were told that this lighthouse is
the second oldest lighthouse in the United States that is still in use; and
that you can see its beam of light 14 miles out to sea. After this we went to
look at the keepers quarters. It was a two-story white house not far from the
lighthouse. We found out that the second-story was added to the house later so
that an additional keeper and his family could live there, because the duties
at the lighthouse had increased. The Coast-Guard operates it now so no keepers
live there anymore. We also learned that the keepers and their families went
fishing, hunted water-fowl, raised livestock and planted gardens in their spare
time. And that the lighthouse service sent a traveling library every six months
to light-stations along the coast.
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| Sunny Green |
After this we went
to see the other historic spots in the town and went in and out of a few gift
shops looking at their hats. That's when Priscilla bought her hat for North
Carolina. It was a straw hat with a green ribbons and sunflowers on it. I'm not
sure why they were trying to sell this during the winter, but she did get it
for a great price. After Priscilla bought the hat, we got into the RV and drove
up the outer banks of North Carolina to visit Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
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| Only there wasn't any snow when we were there. |
After that we walked along the beach
for a little while enjoying the view. We didn't go swimming because it was too
cold. Then we went to visit the Cape Hatteras visitors center. While we were
there, we found out that it used to be the lighthouse keepers duplex. I thought
this was very interesting.
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| Bodie Island Lighthouse |
After that we drove
to Bodie Island Lighthouse. It was 156 feet tall, with black and white stripes.
We were told that its first keeper was paid $400 a year! No wonder he's not
there anymore. We were also told that it is actually the third Bodie Island
Lighthouse. The first one started leaning because of bad construction plans and
had to be abandoned. The second lighthouse was destroyed in 1861 by Confederate
troops because they didn't want the Union troops using it. The first two Bodie
lighthouses were actually on Pea Island.
After this we were
all getting very hungry, so we went to eat at a restaurant. The food was
excellent. While we were there the waitress told us something about the
Ocracoke Lighthouse that we had not heard earlier that day. She said that,
unlike most lighthouses, the Ocracoke Lighthouse actually signals safety. We
asked her how the mariners out at sea could tell the difference between a
lighthouse signaling safety and one signaling danger. She said that each
Lighthouse has a different paint pattern and light sequence so that mariners
can tell it apart from other lighthouses even at night.
After this we went
back to the RV to sleep. It was then that I asked Priscilla how many States the
dogs have been too. It turns out that I have actually been to more States than
they have. I wonder how long that will last? We were ready for bed soon after
we arrived back at the RV. After the lights were turned off I noticed something
out the window. It was the beam of light from the lighthouse. I’m so glad all
three of the lighthouses we visited are still running. And so ends the first
day of our trip in North Carolina.
From,
Katelyn
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