Outer Banks, NC from Space - ©Spaceshots Art Print
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Work to preserve the area for a National Park began during the “Great Depression,” under the Civilian Conservation Corps or (CCC). The CCC was a federal government work relief program that provided jobs to young men from unemployed families. Men from eastern North Carolina were put to work to stop erosion and stabilize the constantly changing Outer Banks shoreline.

Working under the supervision of the National Park Service, CCC crews constructed a huge dune system stretching from the Virginia border to Hatteras inlet. Its end result was a stable strip of sand protected from ocean over wash during storms that would support a paved roadway sometime in the future.

Sections of the dune were as high as 25 feet. They were built on a base up to 300 feet wide. Once the dunes were completed, the crews planted grasses and installed sand fencing to protect them. Preservation work continued at the CCC camp in Buxton until the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941.

I enter the north end of the park on Route 12. I am riding a 1981 BMW R 100 RS motorcycle. The outside temperature is 95. Although its is hot riding behind the large sport touring fairing mounted on the BMW, I believe the smell of salt air, feel of an occasional cool ocean breeze will add more then enough value to the ride to overcome to heat.

The road runs through a protected wildlife area of swampy brush land interlaced with vast sections of open savannah on the right. On the left, the terrain consists of scrub brush with occasional views of homes clustered along the beach off in the distance. The homes belong to a South Nags Head subdivision that was developed before the government made any serious attempts to create the National Park. Within a few miles, the developed beach front gives way to its natural state.

Construction of the present lighthouse began in 1871. Its light was ignited for the first time on October 1, 1872. The lighthouse measures 156 feet tall and contains a First Order Fresnel Lens. The light can be seen by ships up to 19 miles at sea. The tower is still in use as a navigational aid. The keeper’s house is presently used as a Ranger’s office and visitor center.

After taking some pictures and downing about a quart of water, I hop back on the motorcycle. Three miles later, I feel the rush of a cool breeze through the 90 degree heat. A panoramic view of Oregon Inlet opens before my eyes. This is where Pamlico Sound and the Atlantic Ocean come together.

This vast channel was violently torn open by a powerful hurricane in 1846. Today the channel is a major route to the Atlantic Ocean for the fishing fleet based on Roanoke Island.

Oregon Inlet has earned international fame as one of the most treacherous waterways in the world. The inlet’s unstable bottom requires constant dredging by the government to keep it open. In addition, strong currents make navigating its passageway risky. The narrow channel has claimed many ships.

During an October 1990 storm, a dredge accidentally struck the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge which crosses over the inlet. The dredge knocked out over 200 feet of the bridge, severing all land ties with the islands residents south of here. Emergency repairs took months to complete.

I stop at the Pea Island Visitors Center and take a short walk across the road to the beach. I notice a strange piece of black metal sticking up out of the ocean. It is a steam pipe from the steamer Oriental, a 210 foot long Union transport ship that sank in a storm on May 16, 1862. The visitor’s center also offers a walk along a wildlife trail. More than 400 different species of birds have been documented in the refuge. I decline the walk today and opt for some more riding...

Just south of the Pea Island Visitors Center is an old dilapidated bridge named “ The Bridge to Nowhere” by locals. It was build after two hurricanes struck the area in 1933. The powerful storms tore out two small inlets at this spot.

There were no paved roads in this area when the hurricanes struck. Motor vehicles were scarce at the time but growing in numbers after an island doctor discovered balloon tires. The fat tires allowed motor vehicles to roll across the sandy paths that served as roads.

The new inlets blocked the pathways between Cape Hatteras and the ferry at Oregon Inlet. The opening was too shallow for a ferry so a solution was sought. Under intense prodding from the few residents with motor vehicles and governmental agencies on the island, the State of North Carolina constructed two new single lane bridges across the inlets. Both bridges featured a pull over near the center of the span. When two vehicles were crossing in different directions one would pull over so the other would be able to pass. The bridge was completed in only two years. Unfortunately for taxpayers, soon after its completion another storm struck the area and closed the inlet, rendering the bridge useless. The sections that still remain stand as a symbol of the unstable nature of the Outer Banks.

I stop at the historic Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station. It is the most complete and restored Life-Saving Station remaining in the country. In 1918, the station and its crew gained international attention when they rescued 42 people from the burning English Tanker “Mirlo” after it was torpedoed by a German submarine.

The hot weather and heavy traffic through the villages prompts me to stop at Island Coffee in Salvo. Chucky, the guy behind the counter, is a summer worker from Golden, British Columbia. He spends the winter snow boarding in Canada and summers on the Outer Banks enjoying surfing and the laid back lifestyle of Hatteras Island. Chucky convinces me that a fruit smoothie would work better than coffee today.

Just south of the Canadian hole is the village of Buxton, with a permanent population of about 1500 people. The village is home to Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse in the country. In addition the village has a US government weather station and museum. It was from the village of Buxton that Reginald Fessenden made the first successful wireless radio transmission to a receiver on Roanoke Island in 1902. The successful experiment resulted in the first Trans-Atlantic two-way radio-telegraph service in 1905. Buxton is also home to the famous Cape Point. This is the treacherous junction of the Gulf Stream and Labrador Current. These two flows of sea water have resulted in the area being nicknamed the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.”

The rebuilt lighthouse suffered serious damage from confederate soldiers during the Civil War. After the war, the present lighthouse was built during the years 1869 and 1870. The new structure reached a height of 193 feet. The unique paint scheme of black and white striping like a barber’s pole was authorized in 1873 to make the tower easier to identify during daylight hours.

A new threat developed in the early 1990’s. Erosion of the shoreline near the lighthouse threatened to topple the giant structure, therefore in 199 it was moved 2,900 feet to its present location. The National Park Service reports the tower is 210 feet tall when measured to the tip of its lightening rod. The focal point of the lens is 198 feet high, allowing the light to be seen up to 19 nautical miles. In addition, the giant structure contains about 1,250,000 bricks and 268 steps.

Riding through the village of Buxton, the relaxed atmosphere I first noticed in Salvo is getting stronger. There are run down surf shops, tattoo parlors and colorful pubs everywhere. A young man wearing dreadlocks rides by on a motor scooter. A grizzled old man, pipe in his mouth, pedals a rusty bicycle down the road. Two girls in bikini’s walk by with surfboards on their heads. A pickup truck cruises by, horn blaring. Stressed out tourists are everywhere, stuck in minivans, financing the islands unique lifestyle with their vacation pay. This is truly a cultural melting pot in America.

Today, there is little sign of commercial fishing in Hatteras Village. Instead huge rental homes dot the landscape. At the end of the road I find the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum. The museum is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the rich maritime history of the Outer Banks including shipwrecks. There are more than 4,000 known shipwrecks resting off the coast of the Outer Banks.

I take the opportunity to hike over to the ocean and take a picture of the famous “Graveyard of the Atlantic.” This area was given the name “torpedo junction” during World War II. More than 100 ships were torpedoed by German Submarines here during the war.