Tuesday July 22, 2014
I must go outside. I
think that is sand and I must play in it.
We woke to a beautiful morning. There are clouds, but there are clearings
too. We put Rudy on a leash and let him
outside. He loved the smells, he wanted
to play in the sand and in the reeds.
Sensory overload for our polydactl furball!
After my walk, we disconnected and headed up to Kill Devil
Hill and Kitty Hawk to the Wright Museum.
This is where the Wright brothers made the historic first controlled
flight in history. Wait... where is
the camera... I know I had it, it was next to my purse... crap. I could take photos with my phone, but
wait... Spouse disallowed texting so I can't even email the pix to
myself... I am a MORON! Guess my words will have to suffice.
In the museum, an exact replica of their craft dominates the
exhibits. The docent told the
fascinating story of how they persevered, and the trials and tribulations they
encountered. They chose the Kitty Hawk
area as it had low hills and sand (for soft landings). Now the field is more level than it was a
hundred plus years ago and it is pretty grassy.
In 1903, it was sand dunes with some grass. On the day
history was made, they actually did 4 flights. The first was only 112 feet... not enough to
say it was a controlled flight. They had
to get to 300 feet. After each flight,
repairs were needed - they didn't have to have a controlled landing, only a
controlled flight! So repairs made, and
flight 2 was 125 feet. Repairs made and
flight 3 was 200 feet. Repairs made and
flight 4 took off. Wilbur finally was
able to maneuver the craft and went 892 feet in 59 seconds! He might still be flying if an updraft from
the dune he was flying over hadn't thrown him off. But, he crash landed into history. Their fame actually came not from the plane
itself, but from the control mechanism.
They continued to refine their craft and in 1909, Wilbur
actually flew it in France and by then, was able to do figure 8's and sit
upright, even with a passenger. Sadly,
he died in 1912, but Orville lived until 1948,
He saw quite an aviation evolution.
In the fields at the museum, they have the markers for their
starting point, and a marker for each of their flights. They also have a grand monument on the hill
overlooking the grounds where the Wright boys practiced some gliding. There is also a small piece of the original
plane that Neil Armstrong took into space and back. Pretty amazing how quickly we got from
rudimentary lift off to outer space!
For us, it was a thoroughly enjoyable visit... even if I
didn't have a camera to share it with you!
After lunch, we went over to Roanoke Island. There was an English settlement here in 1585
that disappeared without a trace. Spouse
thinks Indians killed them. I think the
dinosaurs got them. Sad, but one of the
colonists was Virginia Dare, the first child born in the new world from British
parents. Her nickname is Purina Dinosaur
Chow...
And believe it or not, our day continues. After a stop by Hannah to pick up the camera
(we put it in a pink camera back so it will not be mistaken for other equipment),
we headed down Hwy 12 to Cape Hatteras.
Essentially, the Outer Banks is sand dunes and scrub. Then it gets wide enough for tall houses on
small lots and a few stores. We stopped
by a lighthouse and a museum. We
actually climbed a dune. Spouse stopped
there since he is in hobble mode. I put
my feet in the warm Atlantic water. It
is windy on this side of the dunes with white capped seas. On the other side of the spit where the sound
is, it is windy without the whitecaps.
Thus a gazillion kite boarders are enjoying themselves.
When we got back to Hannah, we watched the kiteboarders with
Rudy. Busy day...
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