Hatteras, North Carolina 9/17/1998

I left Ocracoke Thursday morning for a leisurely drive up the Outer Banks and I do mean up.I felt like I was gaining altitude gradually. I caught the free ferry from Ocracoke Island to Hatteras Island for a forty minute ride across Hatteras Inlet. What a deal for a tourist if you are not in a rush.

Hatteras is not such a fishing village as is Ocracoke. The narrow two lane highway 12 changed periodically from short bushes and tiny windswept trees to at times mostly grasslands with periodic views of the ocean. The National Park Service has stops for beach goers along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and there seemed to be people at each stop. The land is public property which allows for the free access to the beaches.

Cape Hatteras lighthouse was one of my first stops for the day. It is a handsome lighthouse, built in 1870. It is the tallest such brick structure in the US and is 208 feet tall. The rain naturally began just as I approached the area and it kept me from getting out of the van and touring. Indeed there were plenty of other people there without my presence.