Outer Banks NC trip

When I started my blog a couple of years ago, I wanted to post some information about my motorcycle trips and adventures. That experience didn't work out too well for a lot of reasons. So, I thought that this time I would go back to the beginning (of the pictures, at least) and post some of those items.

I got back into motorcycling after some years of raising a family and getting the kids out of college and working on their own lives.

My wife had never ridden, so there was a lot to learn for her, and for me, as I found out.

In the late '90s, I bought a mint condition 1991 Suzuki GSX 1100G. It is a wonderful sport/touring motorcycle that is capable of exhilarating speed, long distance comfort, and great gas mileage. It was not a bike that was suitable for my wife, however. So, on a trip to a Honda Hoot rally in Asheville, NC, we met some good folks from Georgia who allowed her to nestle in on the seat of a Honda Goldwing. Life changed at that moment.

I still have the G and enjoy it as a solo bike, but it didn't get ridden much for five or six years.

We got involved with GWRRA, Gold Wing Road Riders Association, and remain members of the association. 

Our first bike together was a 1986 GL1200 SEI. We started taking longer, and longer trips and that required more and more stuff. So, we bought a trailer and added a hitch. The motorcycle worked nicely for us for a couple of years, but we decided that we wanted more power, so we bought a 1990 GL 1500 SE that had a matching trailer paint scheme. Both the '86 and the '90 were pearl white of their respective years.

Ocracoke's Silver Lake

Many of the photos of these years were taken with 35 mm film, and I have not scanned them into digital media. I do have a couple of photos from a trip we took with some friends to the Outer Banks of NC.

Another view of Silver Lake

If you have never been to the Outer Banks, OBX, you should plan to visit. A ride to Ocracoke Island on either the Cedar Island Ferry or the Swan Quarter Ferry is the access point that I like. Then spend a night on Ocracoke Island so that you can enjoy this quaint fishing village with its restaurants, shops, and lighthouse.

The photos above were taken from our hotel room at The Anchorage right at the ferry landing. If you look closely you can see a ferry approaching the inlet at the top center of the photo.

Ocracoke Lighthouse

Ocracoke Island was a favorite hangout of the famous pirate, Edward Teach, alias Blackbeard.


 There are several famous light houses located along the Outer Banks. The shifting sand bars and changing inlet channels were treacherous to sailing vessels. Many of these bars were hidden underwater. The light houses were erected to guide sailors and warn of the dangerous waters. On Ocracoke Island is the famous Ocracoke light house.

Before electricity was available to burn the lights, oil was used. Light house keepers lived in or near by the light houses and kept them fueled and burning.

Below are a couple of photos photo of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. The old site of the lighthouse was about to erode the base and cause the aged signal to succumb to the Atlantic. The waves of the Atlantic were just about ready to claim the historic light. The lighthouse was moved to its new location and it's light is now protected from the ocean's encroachment.

Moving Hatteras Lighthouse

Hatteras Lighthouse at new location

There is a free ferry that runs a schedule daily from Ocracoke Island to the mainland at Hatteras.

From Hatteras one can take the Ocean Highway north to Nags Head, NC. You will pass through communities of Avon, Waves, Salvo, and Rodanthe. Then there are 24 miles of the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. 

The Bodie Island lighthouse is the next attraction, followed by your arrival to Nags Head, Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills. On this trip we didn't stop at the Bodie Lighthouse. I need to go back and take some pics.

Wright Brothers Memorial

If you remember your aviation history, you will recall that the Wright Brothers, Wilbur and Orville, successfully flew the first powered airplane at Kill Devil Hills in December of 1903. One must visit the museum and see what they did. The persistence of these pioneers of flight was amazing.

Flight path

At the left is a view of one of the flight paths as viewed from the memorial. The museum is in the distance with Kitty Hawk and the Atlantic Ocean beyond.

One other feature that is close by and worth a visit is the State Park that is called Jockey's Ridge. It is a 100' high sand dune from which one may hang glide most days, as the prevailing winds make it possible. Permits are required.

Elizabeth II-Manteo, NC

Across the sound from Nags Head is the town of Manteo, home to quaint shops, restaurants and historical sightseeing. The English first tried to settle here in 1585.

Historic Fort Raleigh has an interactive village depicting life in an early English settlement. There is also a replica of one of Sir Walter Raleigh's merchant ships, the Elizabeth II. 

Aboard Elizabeth II, Manteo, NC

Another feature of the park is the seasonal production of "The Lost Colony", the story of the disappearance of the first English colony in America. Andy Griffith of "Matlock" and the "Andy Griffith Show" acted with the company when he was a student at the University of North Carolina, I am told.

Lake Mattamuskeet

Sommerset Place

As we returned home we visited Lake Mattamuskeet, another wildlife refuge. I actually took this photo when I was on a solo trip a year earlier.  Much of the lake is very shallow. As a protected waterfowl fly way, there are many interesting sites.

Just up the road from Mattamuskeet is Phelps lake and, nearby, Pettigrew State Park that bears the same name. The property was once a plantation and grew many crops, including rice, wheat and corn. The visitor can see the remnants of some of the slave buildings.Three buildings have been restored. At the right is a photo of Somerset Place, the main house restoration in its Greek Revival splendor. 

Lake Phelps in front of Sommerset Place

Pettigrew SP campsite

One of the fascinating things to me was the way the hand dug canals were laid out so that barges could bring the crops out of the fields. I should return and take some more photos. On that trip, I camped at the state park. It is a primitive campground without facilities, but it is quiet.

If you can make the time, try to spend an hour or so and visit Phelps State Park and Lake Mattamuskeet.

We made an over night stay in New Bern, NC on the rest of this trip. I think that I'll make a post about that visit as a separate post, since this one is getting a little long.

Our accomodations in New Bern were at The Aerlie Inn Bed and Breakfast. Our hosts were wonderful and the visit to Tryon Palace, the Firemans Museum and  Bradham's Pharmacy, birthplace of Pepsi Cola gave us a glimpse into New Bern's historic past.

You may wish to look at the New Bern/Tryon Palace post.