After spending several days in Missouri with family, we are headed east once again. It certainly felt like deja vu... our trip really began in North Carolina this summer in Montreat.
With rumors of wild horses residing on the Carolina Outer Banks, or OBX as it is affectionately known, we decided to see what we could see. We stopped at the local kite shop in Duck to buy gifts for the grandkids. The store owner warned us that the wild horses would be hard to find. Undaunted, we decided to take the twelve mile drive out to Carolla Beach.
I must admit, the crowds that we encountered in OBX were unexpected. It was October and mid week, yet the road to beach was filled with stop and go traffic the entire twelve mile stretch. The OBX islands are a major east coast vacation destination. We drove past rows and rows of condos and rental homes. Before our OBX experience, I had thought that the east end of Galveston was built up... but it is literally nothing compared here! We were amazed.
While in Roosevelt National Park, we shared the entire campground with only 23 other campers... even on the weekend. When we traveled the wildlife loop, we might encounter a half a dozen other cars during the entire 30 mile trip. It was quite an adjustment to be in this sort of traffic. It had a feeling more like rush hour at home rather than a quiet drive to a wildlife refuge.
We had been forewarned of the deep sand on the beach, so David slipped the truck into four wheel drive when we drove off pavement. What we saw next surprised us... a dozen or more cars stopped about two hundred yards up the beach. In front of them were four wild horses, two mares with their respective yearlings.
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| OBX horses |
There are about 100 wild horses on this 12,000 acre wildlife refuge. Smaller than most horses, they are not ponies. These OBX horses are believed to be descendants of the Spanish mustang, most likely survivors of shipwrecks. Many feel that their smaller stature is a result of the less nutritious food that they eat. The horses graze on marsh grasses which also supply fresh water in addition to finding freshwater pools.
As I photographed the horses, I was surprised at how docile the mares appeared among this horde of spectators... quite unlike the wild horses at Roosevelt. These horses seemed quite use to the crowds. And while notices everywhere asked visitors to keep a 50-yard distance, we saw few respecting the limit. One lady on a bicycle took photos less than 20 feet from one of the mares and vehicles drove even closer.
It was also evident that the horses have become a major tourist attraction for the area. On our drive to the beach, we had seen dozens of "wild horse tour" signs outside various businesses. In the short time we were with the horses, at least a half dozen jeep tours joined us, each packed with at least six people.
The sun was high and the beach crowded, so we decided to drive into the national park on the northern end of the island to find a campsite. Thankfully, the tent camping area of the campground wasn't too crowded. We discovered too late, however, that it is sticker bur heaven... a definite disadvantage when traveling with a long-haired dog! Within minutes, we were pulling stickers from between Rox's pads and feathers.
After we set up camp, we took a stroll over the dunes to the lovely beach.
Over supper, we looked at the map to determine our next steps. We both knew that we had, quite simply, been too isolated for too long to handle these kinds of crowds so soon. We were due to arrive at the home of our North Carolina friends on Friday. When we recognized that we were near the Alligator River Wildlife Refuge, home to red wolves and black bears, we decided to leave the crowds of OBX behind us.
Before leaving the following morning, however, we made one more stop on OBX at the Wright Brothers National Memorial. What a wonderful treat it was for all of us! (While I'm not certain that Rox is a flight aficionado like us, she most certainly enjoyed all the attention and pets!)
The memorial boasts an exact replica of the Wright Brother's plane. We also saw the take off point of that historic first flight. What an exciting moment that must have been!
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| Replica of Wright Brother's plane |
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| Wright Brothers Memorial |
We left Kitty Hawk and drove through a maze of gravel roads through Alligator River Wildlife Refuge. We camped in a lovely little campground at Pettegrew State Park on Phelps Lake, amidst one of the last old growth forests in eastern North Carolina. We saw no red wolves or black bear, but it felt good to be in a remote area again. This is our third long trip and we now know that we must "re-enter" civilization slowly!
