Only two quick days in North Carolina, but that was enough for me to want a cabin on the outer banks. Within an hour and a half of leaving the entertainment packed Myrtle Beach we arrived in a nice little town called Wilmington. Had a few more navigating problems and drove 10 minutes out of the way before U-turning, but it worked out as usual. Wilmington was a nice little historical town similar to Charleston. We did a self guided driving tour of the historic area and the riverfront. After talking to the Visitor Center lady for a while we were told that Wilmington also has the most movie and TV filming activity east of the Mississippi (somehow I think New York, but who knows). The claim to fame is Dawson’s Creek and now One Tree Hill. After our whirlwind tour of Wilmington we were off to the outer banks.

The bus has been running pretty good lately but we decided against driving it up the outer banks and instead we opted for a plan to park the bus slightly inland in the northern part of the state and then drive the car down and back up the outer banks. We got started the next morning and it was a packed day. First stop was Kitty Hawk aka the birthplace of aviation. It was pretty cool to see the exact spot where the Wright brothers took off and landed the first plane flights ever. There was a nice monument and several air conditioned exhibits explaining the accomplishment and the science behind it. Pretty much those guys were geniuses and they built and paid for everything themselves from experiments to prototypes to the construction of the first self propelled flying craft. I didn’t realize how much they did themselves, including figuring out the best wing construction as well as building an engine from scratch that was light enough and powerful enough to get the job done. Perhaps the most memorable thing I read was a Buzz Aldrin quote “from Kitty Hawk to the moon in 66 years”. It’s pretty amazing what the Wright brothers achieved and how it has changed the world. Anyway, back to the trip. Next stop was Roanoke Island where the first landing of English settlers took place in 1585. It is not remembered as the first landing because the settlement failed earning the nickname of the Lost Colony. It was not for another 22 years and another leader of England that English settlers finally established a lasting colony in Jamestown, VA (coming up on the tour). After the history stops we continued down the banks and visited some beaches and lighthouses. The most impressive lighthouse was easily the Hatteras Lighthouse, known as America’s lighthouse. It is the tallest lighthouse in America. It was pretty impressive knowing how long ago they built it and that they made it completely out of bricks. After a 40 minute ferry ride our last destination was Ocracoke Island. Known as the island were the ponies run wild, (which they no longer do) Ocracoke is probably the most touristy town on the outer banks. It is only accessible by ferry and it has many restaurants, hotels, condos, and a marina. The town was pretty nice but it was just packed with people. Lastly we took a quick break and checked out the beaches of the outer banks. After that we headed back to the bus, but not before a quick bite to eat at the islands best pizza of course. It was a long day, but it was great.

So why do I want a cabin there? Let me tell you a quick list of activities and whatnot that takes place in the outer banks. There is awesome sailing, great sand, warm sun, clear skies, bright stars, beautiful sunrises, excellent shore fishing, also good deep sea fishing, always fun sea-dooing, great off-roading with a sand rail or other sand vehicle, plus I’d have a salt-free spa on my sundeck at my super sweet cabin.

- Carson