On the second half of my favorite 2019 leisurely sojourn, Lady Jane and I moved on from the city with that terrific boardwalk, Virginia Beach, to my first look at the Outer Banks. I almost felt as if I were the last inveterate traveler not to have checked out The Banks, so I humbly made an entreaty to my travel planner LJ to include this area on the itinerary. While my input in such matters is somewhat limited, Jane graciously will allow me a whisper or two of a voice.
The highlights in this area of North Carolina, of course, would have to include the expansive sand dunes and heavy surf, both of which we experienced in an open-air Hummer as part of an expedition to spot the wild horses that have occupied the Corolla area since, according to our driver and guide, the Spanish brought these mustangs to the region nearly 400 years ago. He said there are around a hundred remaining that roam the dunes, and they’re federally protected. My favorite sighting involved a group of six on the beach walking in a straight line as the surf was rolling in.
A visit to Kill Devil Hills to the Wright Brothers National Memorial to see the area Wilbur and Orville used for their first successful, sustained powered flights was so very worth it, as was the entertaining and informative museum on early flight and the Wrights’ impact.
We also visited Cape Hatteras for an overnighter and noticed there were still visible the aftereffects of Hurricane Dorian in piles beside the only entry-exit road onto the cape, Route 12.
On our first day, a sunny but chilly day that barely crested 50 degrees and had sustained winds of 25 miles per hour, I was amazed to see the plethora of kite surfers zipping around in the North Atlantic. Some mere intrepid dots on the horizon, I’m guessing, a quarter of a mile out. Of course, no visit to Hatteras is complete without a visit to the famous lighthouse with the iconic swirling black-and-white exterior.
In a very famous relocation effort, the tallest brick lighthouse in North America was actually moved some 2,900 feet inland in 1999 from the spot on the beach overlooking one of the most hazardous shipping corridors of the North Atlantic, where it had stood since 1870. The move was completed to keep the encroaching waters from destroying the landmark. Jane and I made the climb up the 12 flights and 257 steps of the interior spiral staircase to the top, and the view of the shoreline and crashing surf was well worth it.
Once leaving, it was indeed a wild ride out of Buxton bound for Black Mountain, North Carolina, on Route 12 in the pre-dawn darkness. During high tide, the waves actually crash through the dunes and roll across the road, which made for slow and nervous driving through 2 feet or so of rolling ocean in several spots.
For our final three days, it was one night in the artsy small town of Black Mountain and two in the Pigeon Forge-Gatlinburg area in Tennessee to experience the Smokies in the fall.
Especially worth it was Clingman’s Dome. While we were able to drive most of the seven miles to the summit that allows you, on a clear day, to see as far away as 20 miles and seven states, the last half mile we had to do along with our fellow view lovers by foot on a steeply graded asphalt path, but it was so worth it.
A portion of the famous 2,180-mile Appalachian Trail runs through this national park for those hikers who wish to brag about walking a portion of this most famous trail that runs through 14 states. Another trail I’ll recommend is the one up to see Laurel Falls. Be careful, though, as there are no railings, and if you don’t respect the power of nature, it’s a very long way down. According to writer Sandy Bornstein, throughout the National Park System, which encompasses 419 sites in all, six people die each week.
When we weren’t in the woods, we found plenty to do in Pigeon Forge, which certainly has the classic look of a city that has completely sold out to family tourism. It is here where Dolly Parton is the undeniable queen, having grown up on the banks of the Little Pigeon River long before amassing a net worth of a half-billion dollars, if my roommate Alexa is to be believed. Her name appears pretty much everywhere throughout Pigeon Forge.
We attended a terrific dinner show called the Dixie Stampede, bearing Miss Dolly’s name, filled with talented equestrians, buffalo, longhorns and plenty of good all-round food and fun.
My, I do love a classic meandering road trip in the fall, both while I’m experiencing and even looking back in the first month of a new year with which I’ve been blessed. Make 2020 the year you get out on the road!
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