Outer Banks Day 1

I have spent my entire life letting books take me to places far away -- places I never imagined visiting except through the many dog-eared pages. Oh, it may seem completely cliche to say -- but really, it is just one of those sentiments that bears repeating again and again -- books are such a window to the world!

Early in our marriage, I read my first book by Anne Rivers Siddons. I've read most of her work since and honestly do not even remember the title of this particular one. What I do remember is that it was set in a place called "The Outer Banks" and I had never heard of such.

This place Ms. Siddons described appealed to me on so many levels, however, and I began dreaming of actually visiting the Outer Banks in person -- not just through books!

Crossing the bridge from Carrituck County to the Outer Bans...I was absolutely eager with anticipation!

Finding the right time -- amid vacations that appeal to the entire family -- has been tricky. Because the draw for me is that I long to just be. I want to unpack a suitcase full of books, sit on the beach and listen to the waves. I want to smell the salt air and not rush even one little bit. I would never insist that my precious family of six come and join me. Goodness, they would be bored silly. But my guy gets it. The need to hear/smell/taste the ocean doesn't resonate with him the way it does with me but he knows me and he loves me enough to plan a week here just the two of us. To be.

We arrived on the island before we could check into our resort so we did a little sightseeing to kick the trip in gear -- you can send the aerospace engineer to medical school but he will never forget his first passion! It was amazing to be in Kitty Hawk -- AT the birthplace of aviation today.

Much in the museum was replicas but right outside the museum was the actual field where Orville and Wilbur took off!

This is the actual spot where they took flight -- the first three attempts that day lasted less than 15 seconds. It was the fourth that lasted 59 seconds. Can you even imagine?!

There is a marker at each spot the first four attempts landed!

Then we  hiked to the top of Kill Devil Hill to see the monument. Oh. It was quite a climb. In my "we'll-be-in-the-car-most-the-day-heels!" But the view was amazing!

Afterwards we headed to see our first lighthouse. I was almost afraid I would have to take photos from the car after we saw this sign:

My guy doesn't do snakes!

But we kept going -- and it was so lovely to behold! The Bodie Lighthouse. Though Wade and I expected it to be a LOT closer to the water -- I'll need to do some research on that one!

Finally, we were able to check into our room at The Sanderling Inn in Duck, North Carolina. I haven't been exploring yet but the view from my screen door is lovely and I can hardly wait for our beach day tomorrow...

Stay tuned....there are more blessings to come!