The Outer Banks.

Not as ominous as it sounds. And certainly not Jekyll Island. But Jekyll was too far this time and there weren't many choices for a next day rental that slept 7.

So here we are...in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Where Orville and Wilbur Wright first took their contraption to the skies. Successfully, anyway. They achieved the first heavier than air, powered, (sustainable,) controlled flight. For more than 4 years, the brothers from Ohio used their bike shop skills and just kept experiementing until the made it happen. December 17, 1903 is a day aviation lovers will never forget. 4 sucessful flights, the last went 852 ft in 59 seconds.

For those of us who've grown up in an era where transatlantic flight is commonplace, it may sound paltry.  It took them a minute and they only made it 850 ft?!? But it was a record-the first of it's kind! They paved the way for air traffic and, perhaps more importantly, air superiority that has led America to victory in many a battle. While every branch truly has their role and purpose and is a necessary component to victory, dominating the skies has been our crown jewel since WWII. 

So, alas, here we enjoy the sand and the waves and a fair amount of history, as well. I tried to go to the mountains instead, but as usual, I was out voted and we are all enjoying the sandy environment. At least I've got the Wright Brothers going for me here!

Cooped up too long? Here's Elijah running laps as we waited for our rental van.  (We have the old black van here. With a broken seatbelt and a broken tailgate, it wouldn't work for a road trip. Once  the house sells, we can bring the other van here and be back to the good life.)

He stopped running to watch the firetrucks zoom through the intersection. 

And then, his legs were too tired to walk up those 4 flights of stairs to the apartment. So he had to crawl.  

Here's Jonah, refusing to make a second trip with stuff down to the van. I certainly appreciate his help, and he did eventually regain feeling in his fingers. 

Afternoon treat of ice cream and French fries from Chick-fil-A. It was Friday so sadly we had to skip the chicken. Packed fuller than preferred because thanks to COVID-19 we were required to bring  our own pillows. (That's a lot of extra space! And the cartop carrier is still in CO.)

This lovely green swap encircles much of the house we rented. Might need to buy bug spray.   

Will social distancing ever go away? Not really complaining about people spreading out on the beach, though! 

While the 72 degree water temp is much warmer than the 60 found currently in the DC area, it was still quite cold!

But they all did make it in, eventually. 

Then, the built some castles.

And found some treasures.

While we thought these weird black things lying around were shark eggs, they were actually Clearnose Skate Eggs. After they hatch, they often wash up and there were many around! 

There were also a lot of these little crabs. They were hard to see and not step on!