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Touring Adventure - Outerbanks of NC
March 2002 |
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We left Atlantic Beach at 8 am and ate at 4-Corners Diner, an old railroad dining car, and had a good American breakfast with greasy hash-browns. Then we gassed-up, checked our tire pressure, bought maps of the outer banks and headed for the Cedar Island Ferry where we had reservations on the 10 am trip to Okracoke. This ferry runs every 2 hours and it a good idea to be safe and make reservations (see www.ncferry.org or telephone 1-800-BYFERRY). We had about a 50-mile ride from Atlantic Beach to the Ferry on US 70 and then Hwy 12. Much of this route passes through quaint residential areas with stacks of crab traps, commercial fishing boats, and miniature lighthouses in their yard. This area is probably a foot or two above sea level and much of the surrounding land is marsh. We made it to the ferry with 5 minutes to spare. We were last to get on - they always hold the cycles until last. Should you arrive at the Cedar Island Ferry and miss the last boat for the day, there is a motel and campground there. If these are full, it's a long ride back to the nearest motel. To avoid hassles, this is one part of the trip that should be planned ahead of time. On our trip there was a strong wind out of the west which made for a rather rough crossing. The bikes were never in any danger of tipping over, but we stayed with them for most of the trip. The ferry had a heated passenger area with comfy seats, TV, vending machines, clean bathrooms, hot coffee, video games, and a card/game table. There is also a second floor sun deck. The crossing took a little over 2 hours, but went by fast. The ferry from Cedar Island to Okracoke is the largest boat, which will hold 50 vehicles. Costs are $10 per cycle, $20 per car, and $30 for RVs . One of the sights at Okracoke is the short, squat lighthouse (which we didn't bother to stop and see and later wished we had). We just wanted to ride after being on the boat for 2 hours. You can also ride down to a deserted beach. We rode out to the edge of the beach and found the sand a little too intimidating for us. It is legal to drive on the beach, but take it at your own risk. Driving on the dunes is strictly prohibited. One thing that we immediately noticed about the area is how clean everything is, you don't see alot of litter like back home. On the beach we found remnants of an old ship wreck. We ate a picnic lunch in a gusty wind right on the beach. Just a twenty minute ride north along protected seashore was the second short ferry ride to Cape Hatteras. There are places to stop along this stretch if you want to walk to the beach. This crossing was a smaller ferry with decks that slant down from the middle, so park your bikes on the left side if you can. This ferry runs every 30 minutes and is free. As the ferry approaches Hatteras you will see vehicles parked along the beach, mostly fishing. Hatteras is more built up than other areas we had been through. There were lots of places to stay ranging from motels, B and B's, to seaside cottages. We stopped at the Hatteras Lighthouse where the coastal road takes a sharp turn to the north. This lighthouse was originally about ½ mile from it's present location. The ocean was ready to wash it away, so steps were taken to move the lighthouse and the residence, an interesting engineering feat. This is the first place where we saw surfers, probably because the beach here faces due east. From here north development became sparser. We saw one long stretch where one of the recent hurricanes had washed out the dunes, the road, and left several miles of power poles all leaning at the same angle. The state had reconstructed the road, the dunes, and replanted sea oats for miles. The power company had installed all new poles, but the leaners had not yet been taken down. We passed through the small towns of Salvo and Rodanthe, before reaching the Oregon Inlet. We then rode along Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, with many nature stops and walkways leading backed to this protected area of marshlands. The ocean side was undeveloped too, with many beach access points. Suddenly a high bridge gives you a spectacular view of the Oregon Inlet, beaches, and water passages through the marsh islands. After passing over the bridge there is a long section of elevated roadway over these marshlands. At the end you can drive down to the beach - strictly for a dual sport and a 4wd vehicle. We then stopped at the Bodie Island lighthouse. We continued north on Bodie Island and intersected highway 158 at Nags Head. Here 158 is the bypass, a major road which parallels route 12, the ocean highway. If you are looking for a place to stay, stay on route 12. If you are looking for supplies, food, beer, etc - take 158. This area is highly developed with the first franchised fast food places we had seen since leaving Moorehead City. We found a very reasonably priced room ($44.00 per night) at the Colony IV Motel, where we could park the bikes in front of our room. The room was very clean with fridge and microwave, and located right on the beach. After settling in, we asked for good seafood place and were told about Angry Arthur's just down the road. But after thinking about it, we decided to grab a pizza and some beer and head back to the room instead. We jumped on the cycles and drove back out on 158 to the famous BrewThru - the only liquor store that you can actually drive into -. don't even have to get off the cycle to buy a 6-pack. But of course, we parked our cycles in the store and struck up a conversation with the owners and ended up buying one of their souvenir collector T-shirts. Apparently the "Wright Brothers" have trademarked the name and related images and their T-shirts were now famous violators of the trademark - Nancy had to have one. So off we went with our six-pack of "Weeping Radish Corolla Gold" and headed to the New York Pizza place. We bungeed-up the pizza and headed back to the room for dinner, brews, and a TV movie.
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