Outer Banks 2011: Day 2

Today has been a busy day. Right now we are back at the hotel patiently waiting for the bus load of kids to leave the pool area. They are quite noisy.

This morning we drove up the island to the top at Corolla where we stopped because the drive (US 12) ended at the beach and our little Saturn is not meant for off-roading. If we had a truck or ATV we would have been able to drive out on the sand and see the wild Spanish ponies or horses that live in the area. Perhaps next time. In Corolla we stopped to see the Currituck Beach Lighthouse which is a red brick lighthouse made up of roughly 1 million bricks. We didn't walk to the top since there was quite a long line but did get some photos of it outside.

View from the bottom.

The lighthouse in infrared light. Just a quick edit right now but I still need to remove that lens flare. (IR)

Right next to the lighthouse is the Whalehead Club, a huge house in the art nouveau style. We took a 45min audio tour of the place. Here is a little exert about the house:

"The sleepy village of Corolla on the Outer Banks of North Carolina began an unforeseen journey into the future in October of 1922. Northern Industrialist Edward Collings Knight, Jr and his bride Marie Louise LeBel took up winter residency in their newly acquired Lighthouse Club and began construction of a 21,000 sq.ft. private residence. Its location on Currituck Sound and the Atlantic Flyway was perfect to satisfy the Knight's passion for waterfowl hunting. Three years and $385,000 later Edward and Marie Louise moved into their "cottage" on the sound. It was unlike any structure that local folks had ever seen or even imagined."

The house in infrared light. (IR) 

Technically the back of the house as the porch faces the water on the other side.

Some of the details as you walk around to the front porch facing the sound.

View from the front porch overlooking the sound. (IR) 

The light pink boathouse looks quite tropical in infrared light. (IR) 

Sadly we could not take any photos inside, though there are a few here of my favorite room, the library or living room. Neat things about the house? It had an elevator, the roof was made of copper shingles, it had a basement which is rare considering it was right next to the ocean (18inch walls to support the rest of the building in the basement). Most of the furniture, all in the art nouveau style, was custom made for the house including a piano. The kitchen was tiled (walls and floors) an amazing bright pink! Yes, pink. Each of the 4 guest rooms and both master bedrooms had their own bathrooms (sinks, toilets, bathtubs) which is quite the luxury considering this was 1920. And the island on which it was built was manmade, meaning a channel was cut around the house to make it into an island. The artist in me really enjoyed seeing so much art nouveau architecture.

After we headed back down the beach to the Wright Brothers National Memorial and Museum where the brothers first flew back in December 17, 1903. The monument stands on a large hill opposite the museum. I was originally under the impression that they first flew off of the hill but the place they did fly was much further down and flat so they could use a track or rail to take off from.

After several previous attempts at getting a "good" photo of Anson in front of the monument.

The monument in infrared light. (IR)

It says around the monument base this quote which Anson memorized as a kid:

"In commemoration of the conquest of the air, by the brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright. Conceived by genius, achieved by dauntless resolution and unconquerable faith."

. . . . .

Just back from driving south a bit down the islands. We drove for several hours and made it to Salvo, just south of Rohdanthe. On the way down we stopped at Bodie Island Lighthouse. The visitor center was closed but that didn't keep us from taking a few shots. The sides are a little dirty and it must be in repair since the light is covered up.

Stopped at a pull off beach access spot to see the waves. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of an old shipwreck near the stop but didn't see any. We did get some good photos as the sun was setting though.

In Rohdanthe it was easy to spot "Serendipity" the inn used in the Nicholas Sparks movie "Nights in Rohdanthe". Interestingly the house has been moved inland from it's original location since it was slipping out to sea. I hope tomorrow I will get a better look at the place when we drive down to Cape Hatteras.