North Carolina 2004

Picture Album

Random Recollections
  • We stayed in the Duke of Dare Motor Lodge in Manteo. According to our sources, it was the "place to stay" for birders. It was old and used, but clean and cheap and fit our needs to a tee. Besides, we liked the sign out front.
  • While Laura and Jay took oceangoing pelagic (birding) trips, Melissa and I spent our time hitting the normal sightseeing spots.
  • Laura was deathly ill after her first pelagic. She made it through the morning with no problems at all. Just around noontime she started feeling ill and by the time she returned in the late afternoon, she could barely walk. A man who said he had been on the coast for over 40 years said that he had never seen anyone as sick. After about an hour, he insisted that I take her to the hospital. The local clinic was closed, so we headed up the road to the emergency room in Nags Head. Luckily, Laura started feeling better after about half an hour and we did not have to take her in.
  • Jay got a big sunburn on his second pelagic.
  • The crew on the Elizabeth II was totally in character. No matter how hard we tried, we could not get a normal answer from them. They constantly spoke as if they had just arrived from Europe during the 1500s. They were very informative, but would not speak to you from a modern perspective.
  • Laura, Melissa, and I had a fantastic time at Kitty Hawk. The museum there was extremely informative. The Wright brothers were much more accomplished than we had realized.
  • Kill Devil Hill has moved a long way away from its original position due to wind erosion. To prevent future erosion they have planted the area extensively. To keep people off of the new vegetation, they used stickers and briars intentionally. It seems to be working very well.
  • The replica of the Wright Flyer that is in the museum is one of two. The other was actually built and flown for the 75th anniversary celebration. They had problems flying it on the actual anniversary due to bad weather, however.
  • Laura insisted that we go around Nags Head and Manteo taking pictures of the nags in so many of the front yards of the businesses there.
  • We went back to the museum and Manteo so that Laura would also have a chance to look at the Elizabeth II.