The Ramblin’ Roadster Cruises North Carolina’s Outer Banks

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Kathleen and I recently drove our “ramblin’ roadster” (2000 Emerald Mica Miata MX-5) from Florida to Williamsburg, Virginia. For our return trip, we plotted a route south to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. From there, Cape Hatteras stretches south on N.C. Hwy 12 across three islands— Bodie, Hatteras and Ocracoke. On day one, we enjoyed the sights for 61 miles before checking in to the Lighthouse View Motel in the village of Buxton. We enjoyed an oceanfront room and kept the window open to enjoy the sound of the surf. Despite the strong northeast winds, the beach was popular with surf fishermen. Supper at one of the nearby seafood restaurants exceeded our expectations— the local catch was simply superb!	The next day, our top-down drive continued to Hatteras Village where we parked for the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry— a free, 40-minute cruise across Hatteras Inlet. In Ocracoke, after we put our Miata in line for the ferry to Cedar Island, we grabbed lunch under an umbrella at a charming dockside bar. From Cedar Island, we navigated our way around the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base to our motel in Wilmington. The next morning, we visited the oceanside towns of Carolina Beach and Kure Beach before stopping at the Fort Fisher historic site. Just down the road, we toured one of North Carolina’s three aquariums. Then we drove along the Cape Fear River to the USS North Carolina heritage site opposite downtown.	Located on the Cape Fear River across from historic Wilmington, the USS North Carolina is America's most decorated WW II battleship. Special points of interest: Kill Devil Hills (between Kitty Hawk and Nags Head) is site of the Wright Brothers National Monument. Bodie Island Light Station visitor center north of Oregon Inlet Chicamacomico U.S. Life Saving Service Station in Rodanthe Ocracoke Island fishing village was home to Blackbeard the Pirate. North Carolina Ferry System North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher Historic Wilmington on the Cape Fear River Orton Plantation Gardens The famous Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. The Chicamacomico U.S. Life Saving Service Station.
Light Houses and Ship Wrecks
The coastal artillery of Fort Fisher protected the port of Wilmington for Confederate blockade runners until 1865.	We visited two of seven lighthouses on the Outer Banks. Bodie Island Light Station is about 16 miles south of Kitty Hawk. Coquina Beach, with changing facilities, is across Hwy 12 from Bodie Light. The Atlantic waters off Bodie and Hatteras are known as the 'graveyard of the Atlantic' The famous Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (right) in the village of Buxton is the tallest brick lighthouse in North America. The Atlantic waters off Bodie and Hatteras are known as the 'graveyard of the Atlantic' — with shifting shoals that have caused more than 600 shipwrecks since the 1700s.
Historic Wilmington is a worthy road trip
	The city of Wilmington is located 30 miles upstream from where the Cape Fear River flows into the Atlantic. During the War Between the States, Wilmington was a vital supply port for the Confederacy. Steam-powered, shallow-draft vessels called "blockade runners" would transport southern cotton and tobacco to British ports such as Bermuda, Nova Scotia and the Bahamas— and return to Wilmington with munitions, foodstuffs and clothing. Kathleen identified numerous bed & breakfast inns for future visits. Today, downtown Wilmington has one of the largest districts on the National Register of Historic Places. Kathleen identified numerous bed & breakfast inns for future visits. Museums, river walk bistros, carriage rides and river tours assure that each day packed with interesting things to do. We drove 1,730 miles over 7 days!
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