The Wright Brothers (10/08-09)

We started today by getting up at 5:30 and watching the eclipse.  I stayed in bed until around 6:15 and watched the last part of it.  It was really amazing to see, the moon was so big that it made it easy to watch.  Joe took some great picutres with our little bitty camera that came out amazing.

Once awake and ready for adventure we go to the Wright brothers memorial just around the corner from where we are staying.  I wasn't sure if this was something I would like. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this memorial and story about the Wright brothers told by the park ranger.

The Wright brothers always had an interest in flying.  They started out as business owners of a bicycle shop in  Dayton OH.  But their dream was to fly and they never gave up on it even with all the criticism they received.  They didn't begin seriously follow their dream until 1899.  They began by using gliders.  Then looked for the best place to test them.  The first site recommended to them was Chicago IL, of course that wouldn't do.  They needed someplace private.  They finally settled on Kitty Hawk in the Outer Banks of NC.  Today Kitty Hawk is known as Kill Devil Hill.  They spent four years testing here to start with and almost through in the towel.  That last year they went back to Dayton saying man would not fly for another 1000 years.  But they didn't give up and scrapped all the info they had received from the Smithsonian on flight and came up with their own calculations.  They were ready to return to Kitty Hawk with a working model.  It took another 4 years to get it right. In December of 1903 they made their first man powered flight.  Just a short distance but by the end of the day they had flown 852 feet in 59 seconds.  The world would never be the same.  It was amazing to learn that just a short 66 years after man's first flight Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.  1903 to 1969 seems such a short time to have accomplished so much.

There first glider

Their first actual man powered plane

Picture of their first flight that changed the world

This is a picture of the distances of their first man powered flights.

This is their memorial











Back to the park for lunch and a nap for me, I didn't sleep well last night.  Now it's time to go spend a couple of hours at the beach.  I love the Atlantic Ocean, it is so much warmer than the Pacific.  We walk along the beach with the waves crashing against our legs.  I am in heaven.  I love to just sit and watch it and listen to the waves come and go.  Joe went for a longer walk up the beach.

 We have really enjoyed our stay in the Outer Banks and can't wait to come back again in a few years and spend more time.  Now we are heading to Greensboro NC, and then to the Charlotte Nation Wide race on Friday.  We will miss the NASCAR Sprint race this time, tickets are very pricey.
The drive is only 200 miles or so but takes us all day.  There was a lot of two lane roads with 45 to 50 mph speed limit.  But is was a nice drive with great scenery.