Driving North Carolina’s Highway 12!

Last weekend I took a trip to the Outer Banks with someone that had never been before.  It was so much fun playing tour guide because for me it was like taking a trip home.

I have visited the Outer Banks of North Carolina for more than 40 years.  It was one of the first vacation spots my parents ever took me to.  The days of staying in old Nags Head and Hatteras are gone.  I lean more toward Kill Devil Hills nowadays.  The water can be just as rough and cold in July as it is in April but its so relaxing!  I love to sit with my feet in the sand and watch the tide roll in.  Sunsets over the sound are amazing.  Climbing one of the numerous light houses or just checking out the history can make for enjoyable day trips.

One of my favorite jaunts is Oregon Inlet as the fishing boats bring in their day’s catch.  Oh, how could I forget Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge?  A quick boardwalk hike puts you on top of swans, ibis, oystercatchers, willets, snow geese, red heads, canvasbacks, scaup, just to name a few depending on the season.  In the summer of 1991, I made my mother ride with me from Hatteras up to the wildlife refuge.  The mosoquitos were horrendous and Mom was not amused.  It was all worth it (to me) when a pair of black-necked stilts flew over at eye level.  Another trip in the winter even let me witness snow covered sand dunes.  I could continue my memories for quite a while.  If you have never been, here is more information on touring the Outer Banks.  If you find yourself on NC Highway 12, enjoy the view!

“A narrow two-lane ribbon of asphalt, NC 12 winds its way across North Carolina’s Outer Banks, a slender string of isolated barrier islands that stand sentinel off the coast—in some places more than thirty miles from the mainland they protect. The historic roadway—it wasn’t paved until 1950—is flanked by lush tidal marshes and pristine sounds on one side and towering dunes, deserted beaches, and the wide-open Atlantic on the other.”

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