Friday, April 6, 2012

Outer Banks April 5

April 5

The weather turned cold and rainy with the wind blowing at 25 to 30 MPH. Not so much fun to be outside. We drove down to Cape Hatteras to see the light house and take the little 30 car ferry over Ocrachoke Island. Ocrachoke is a skinny little island with a long history. They didn’t even have a paved road until 1952 and ferry service until 1957. There are many legends floating around about Blackbeard the pirate but it is known for sure that he spent time in the channel “Teaches Hole” of Ocracoke. It was a perfect place for pirates to keep a lookout for approaching vessels. History has it that there was a bloody battle on November 22, 1718 with a British ship and Blackbeard lost his head. People have been looking for his treasure around here since then.

The Ferry

Grrrrrr!

The lighthouse here was built in 1823 and is North Carolina’s oldest operating lighthouse. It took at least three men to man in the early days because the light was fueled by oil and needed to be tended all night. The lighthouses were painted differently since they were also used as landmarks by day. This one is all white.

Ocracoke Lighthouse

The Banker Ponies are now kept in Pony Pens for our viewing. They have a nice pasture to roam around in. These ponies are the descendents of those let loose along these barrier islands when Spanish ships were sunk in the 1500’s. Another story I liked was the people in the early days tying lanterns to necks of the ponies to frighten off marauding ships thinking a large fleet of ships was in the harbor. They have one less rib and vertebrae than other horses, are smaller but stronger, have a thicker coat and a broader face.

Banker Ponies

We caught the ferry back for the 40 minute ride back with the inlet pretty riled up with the windy weather. Chris put on her wrist bands to ward off seasickness just in case. We stopped at Cape Hatteras Lighthouse on the way back. It is painted white with a black swirl around it. The government actually decided long ago how each was to be painted. It cannot be changed since maps show what each looks like as they are used as daylight markers.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

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