Buxton to Nags Head

Wednesday

Peaceful night and up ready to head to the Orange Blossom Bakery for some breakfast treats – found it but alas closed on Tuesday and Wednesday!  Back down the road to our second choice which was right across the street from our motel – Fatty’s.  This is a breakfast and lunch spot that rents all kinds of beach gear and offers tours in the summer – they are not into that yet but did serve good biscuits.  We observed the biscuits and sausage gravy that came out to a table nearby – glad we did not get that – we would have been down for 2 hours – it was a huge plate with some type of potatoes.

Our Motel - immediately south of photo below

Route 12 where road was rebuilt

Headed north after the biscuit and some coffee.  The area is a narrow sliver of land here and it was obvious where they had rebuilt the dunes and road.  Not much to see along this stretch of Hwy 12.  North a few miles is Avon which 40 years ago was nothing.  Ben remembers his cousins coming here a few years before he first came here with his family in the late 50’s – there was nothing on the south end of Hatteras.  His uncle and cousins went all the way to Ocracoke to hunt ducks and they had to travel on the mail boat. Avon Ben recalls was only a gas station and perhaps a few houses – now it is a thriving community pizza, Chinese, Mexican and of course seafood restaurants – a grocery, post office, several gas stations, lots of beach rentals and of course lots of rental houses. 

Then a long stretch of national seashore before coming to several other communities.  I had wanted to stop at the Life Saving Building – an old Coast Guard Station but it was not open yet.  There are parking areas with access to the ocean. Now you must get a license for driving a 4 wheel drive off road – don’t remember that 20 years ago.

Finally we arrived at Bodie lighthouse and stopped for a photo and to search for the lighthouse book Robin wanted for Daniel’s class. Success on both counts.  Then after a short stop at the Pea Island Wildlife Visitor Center we continued into Nags Head.  The bridge at Organ Inlet is being rebuilt or at least the access roads are being raised again due to storm damage in past years.

Dunes built up to prevent road flooding

Construction at Organ Inlet

Bodie Lighthouse

It was close to lunch time but we were not hungry at all so headed inland to check out Roanoke Island. It had been over 40 years since we had visited this area and heard the stories of the Lost Colony. We found it and watched the video. Little if any memories of the previous visit which was with John and Barkley Whitehead.  We were there with our small children and saw Andy Griffith and have some photos taken with him.  We drove through the Manteo Waterfront which has been “improved” and now resembles downtown Gatlinburg.  We did not stop – in case you notice not much walking on this trip. Jane is babying a knee that it seems is nearing need for a replacement. The symptoms developed rapidly upon ceasing taking medication for arthritis in back. Interesting not much pain in back but knee is another story.  Injection in knee was a possible short term remedy but it does not seem to be working.

We stopped at an old tried and true seafood restaurant in Manteo – Darrell’s - Jane had a flounder sandwich and Ben had a soft shell crab sandwich.  Both were excellent.   

We headed back to Nags Head and just south of Whalebone Junction we found Comfort Inn South our home until Friday when we head back to Durham.

From our balcony

Ben Trying - maybe tomorrow

Beautiful Restful Beach Scene

 After a bit of a rest we headed out to the beach – Jane to sit in the sun and Ben to try flying his kite. The beach is wider than at Buxton and not very crowded.  There were several families playing in the surf – too cold for me but they seemed to be having a great time.  Not enough wind for kite flying – maybe tomorrow.  Nice beach though.  Later we enjoyed the view from the balcony outside our room.  The Comfort Inn is nice – interesting that you do check in on the first floor but nothing else is on that floor – breakfast, lobby with literature, laundry, computer room etc is on 2^nd floor as is the access to deck, pool and beach.   They must just have built the 1^st floor to flood. 

We had a nice dinner at Sugar Creek Seafood.  

Nice View for dinner

Jane had a salad and coconut shrimp appetizer.  Ben had broiled scallops.  The scallops were excellent – the coconut shrimp also excellent.  The sauce for shrimp and the salad dressing was nothing at all special – believe they came straight from a jar.  Tomorrow we will explore a bit further into Nags Head.