Have an Aviation Adventure in North Carolina

by Margaret Hundley Parker

My favorite part about the Outer Banks is that you can have all different kinds of vacations wrapped into one.

For those who don't know, the Outer Banks are a string of barrier islands just off the coast of North Carolina. It's the kind of place you bring your family, rent a house, and relax on the beach with a good book. That's what I would normally do. On my last trip, though, I needed adventure. So I took advantage of what the Outer Banks has to offer-I learned how to hang glide on the tallest sand dune on the East Coast, I windsurfed (at least for a few seconds), kayaked in the sound, and hiked in the woods. I saw porpoises diving in the early morning light every morning I was there.

Geographically Speaking
Most of the action is in the vicinity of Nags Head, so that's where I stayed. Further south are miles of uninhabited beach, and the beautiful Cape Hatteras and Ocracoke. Where I was had enough to keep me quite busy.

It's in the South, which means the ice tea is sweet, hush puppies come in a basket, people will be "fixin' to" do a lot of things, and dogs ride shotgun in pickup trucks. I'm allowed to point these things out because I grew up near here. I pretend to be a tough New Yorker now, but those lilting, drawn out syllables were familiar and soothing. I walked by a woman leaning on a trashcan outside the 7-Eleven, smoking. She looked at my feet and asked, "How come them shoes blue on the bottom?" That doesn't happen in New York. Of course, I went in April. In the throws of the summer tourist season, you're just as likely to meet people from all over the U.S. and Canada.

Flying High

Photo by Kitty Hawk Kites

Last time I went to Jockey's Ridge-the big sand dune-was in the '70s. I wore tube socks pulled up to my knees and pigtails. The only things flying then were the blood-sucking mosquitoes. (I got record 72 mosquito bites that day.) This time, as we walked up Jockey's Ridge, I felt like Lawrence of Arabia. This time, the mosquitoes had to watch me fly. This time, I signed up for lessons with Kitty Hawk Kites, the largest hang gliding school in the world.

(CONTINUE...)

Hang gliding was a blast and any one can do it here. Although I had to sign a waiver in case I was injured, maimed, decapitated, etc., it's not like they pushed me off a cliff and yelled, "Good luck." Instead, I got careful, detailed instructions before I even left the building. You literally hang loose, that is, no white-knuckling the hang glider. It's very safe. The anticipation was much more nerve-wracking than the actual flying. Once outside, I got strapped into the hang glider with a carabiner, then ran down the hill until my feet weren't touching the ground anymore-viola, flight. It was like feeling a dream, to run until you're soaring.

It literally lifted my spirits and cleared my head. It kept me in the present, thinking about what I had to do -stay focused on a point on the horizon, pull in to go faster, push out to slow down, move your body to turn. When you're trying to hang glide, all other thoughts get pushed away.

The cute instructor ran alongside me, shouting orders. I was soaring, all right, when he yelled, "Flare up!" which means stop. I pushed my arms out but continued to fly right into the prickly sea grass. The other four times I flew down that hill, I crashed very ungracefully into the sand, but it was like falling in new Montana snow. It reminded me of being a kid, when running as fast as you can and falling meant you had to hop back up and try it again. No wonder the Wright Brothers tested their wings near here.

On another day, I caught a ride in a four-person Cessna and got a birds-eye view of the Wright Brother Memorial. Of course, I could have walked around the historical area in Kill Devil Hills, but I took advantage of a ride. (I took off from Dare Country Regional Airport but in the summer there are aero tours available near the Memorial.) The place where Wilber and Orville flew for a record 59 seconds now has a monument and exhibit center. This place will be hopping in 2003 in honor of the 100th anniversary of the first flight.

Photo by Kitty Hawk Sports

Swim with the Fishes
Pick a watersport, any watersport and you can find it here. I went for a windsurfing lesson with Kitty Hawk Sports. The water was full of guys kite boarding -- kind of a cross between surfing and paragliding. These guys stand on something that looks like a snowboard, and twist and turn in the air while being powered by a giant kite. It was a wild, colorful sport to watch. Except when they came too near my windsurfing lesson and distracted me from my Titanic attempts at being sea-worthy.

To windsurf, it takes balance and strength. A familiarity with sailing lingo doesn't hurt. My teacher, Karen Klinefelter, taught me that day, but she just opened a kite boarding company. Only a female instructor could've yelled the things she yelled to me while I was trying to stay on the board. "Keep your ass in! Go left! No, the other left."

A less challenging water activity is kayaking. One cloudy afternoon in Manteo, I hooked up with Kitty Hawk Sports again for a kayak tour. These were the sit-on-top kayaks, very user friendly. We paddled around the waterfront, by Festival Park, and into tiny tributaries where I saw an osprey plummet into the water for a fish. It started to thunder while I was out there, so my kayaking was cut short.

My Hat, It Has Three Corners
Long before the Wright Brothers were here, this area was famous for being the first place English settlers lived. The first English child born in the New World was part of the legendary Lost Colony that disappeared from Roanoke Island in 1587. You can learn about it at "The Lost Colony" outdoor drama that has been performed since 1937. They keep the rich history alive in many ways - Festival Park, Elizabethan Gardens, and the Lost Colony drama, just to name a few. You can't spit in this town without hitting a major historical spot.

Elizabethan Gardens

The Elizabethan Gardens is ten acres of horticultural splendor, kept up in the manner of the Elizabethans by the North Carolina Garden Club. I imagine in the summer, when you've gotten enough sun, a walk through this shady garden would be just the thing. In contrast, if you prefer wild uncontrolled nature, go to the Nags Head Woods Preserve. There you can take a hike through the unique flora and fauna of this maritime forest. With both places-take your bug spray.

Festival Park is a fun place to learn about the Elizabethan settlers-especially fun for children, but good for grown-ups, too. Here you can walk onto the Elizabeth II, a replica of a sailing ship from 1585. Guys in period gear prance around the ship, and I don't mind telling you that men in baggy hats and knickers are oddly sexy. There's also a "settlement," where more guys in period duds tell you all about the way they lived. Inside (an excellent, air-conditioned activity in the heat of the summer), there's the Adventure Museum where you can watch a short film about the history of the place, and walk through a hands-on museum where kids can try on three-cornered pirate hats and other Elizabethan gear.

Local Eats
The thing about renting a big ol' house on the ocean is that you get a kitchen, and therefore you can cook your own fresh seafood. But you'd be missing out if you didn't visit some local restaurants. Here's a handful that I enjoyed: lunch at Sam and Omie's in Nags Head, where fishermen sit at the bar in the early evening. They have fish, burgers, and even a vegetarian sandwich. Rumor has it the Bloody Mary's rock but I gorged on sweet tea and soaked in the Merle Haggard on the radio and Nascar on the TV. For a fancier dinner, tuck your shirt in and go to Owens also in Nags Head. I had yellowfin tuna, with the famous "sea breeze" mashed potatoes with garlic, scallops and cheese. Oh, and crème brulee for dessert.

I had breakfast at the Nags Head Fishing Pier. It is what it sounds like, a pier. I could've gotten fried fish, grits or eggs but I had a big bowl of cereal and watched the tide roll in. If you catch something on the pier, they'll cook it up for you for a plate charge. In Manteo, the Full Moon Café is a great spot for lunch or dinner. It's a cozy, funky bistro. A wine rack doubles as a changing table in the women's bathroom. Bottles of Niagra line the bar. There's also a wide selection of affordable wines and microbrews. I got a delicious hummus appetizer with a roasted vegetable quesadilla. The servings were more than ample. Finally, on the last night, I dined at a local favorite, RVs restaurant, in Nags Head. It's right on the sound and in the summer there's a steam bar outside. Swamp rats (brown furry animals the size of small dogs) share the water with Canada Geese and mallards. Here's where I got my dose of fried fish and corn bread as I watched the sun turn orange and pink, then disappear under the horizon.

If you're looking for big resorts, bright lights and all-night parties, then look elsewhere. But if you want beach time with some outdoor adventures and opportunities to get your feet off the ground, then check out the Outer Banks.