Nags Head Beach

After a three month hiatus, it was time to hit the road again for a states running trip.    Running in November can be problematic as far as weather goes, so we opted for a race in Outer Banks, North Carolina in the hopes we would have moderate temperatures.  Our travel day started at a time when most sane people are still in bed.    Colleen, Kathy and I boarded a plane in Phoenix at 5:25 am, Melodie left Oakland at 5:40 am, and Janille boarded her flight from Las Vegas at 6:30 am.    We met at Chicago Midway to catch our connection to Norfolk, VA and then drove the remaining 80 miles to Nags Head, part of a string of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina. It was an uneventful but very long travel day;  we crossed three time zones, spent a total of 5 hours sitting in airports plus 5+ hours flying, and experienced weather all across the spectrum.

The wind was howling when we arrived in Nags Head that evening, so we opted to stay at the hotel for dinner rather than brave the elements.

The next day dawned cold and windy but it was sight-seeing day and we had things to do and places to go.   We were not going to be deterred.

We fueled up on coffee, bundled up in our warmest clothes, and headed out to the beach.   There is nothing quite like the ocean, even if the weather isn’t cooperating.     As you can see, we had the beach pretty much to ourselves.

Next item on our agenda was visiting the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills.  Wind, sand, and a dream of flight brought Wilbur and Orville Wright to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina where after four years of scientific experimentation they achieved the first successful airplane flights on December 17, 1903.   They needed steady winds, an area with high sand dunes from which to glide, limited obstructions, and isolation to experiment unencumbered.  With courage and perseverance, these self-taught engineers relied on teamwork and application of the scientific process to achieve something that changed our world forever.   A 60 foot granite monument, dedicated in 1932, is perched atop 90-foot tall Kill Devil Hill commemorating the achievement of these two visionaries from Dayton, Ohio.    We stayed a while, despite the cold, blustering wind, absorbing the history and the significance of what occurred in this little Outer Banks town.

Next stop was the expo.   We wandered around for a bit, enjoying some indoor activity, and did our part to support the running industry by spending money.  The rest of the day was filled with typical pre-race day activities;  eating a delicious meal at the Black Pelican and enjoying the hotel hot tub.  We continued to haunt the weather sites, hoping and praying that tomorrow would bring warmer temperatures.

Wake up time on race day was 5:00 am ET, which was pretty much the middle of the night to this west coast crew.    We were extremely gratified to see that the winds had died down, and the temperature was a mild 50.    Melodie, Janille and I were signed up for the half marathon which started at 7:00, so we left the hotel first and headed off to the races.  An incredibly gorgeous sunrise greeted us as we walked to the race start.

We’ve done so many of these races but that 30 minutes before the bell always brings a signature mixture of excitement, apprehension, and “why am I doing this again” feeling!   This race was no different.

Colleen and Kathy signed up for the Southern 6, which meant they had a slightly later start.   They graciously gave us the car and Uber’ed to their race start at 8:45 am.

Temps may not have been perfect for standing around, but they were perfect for running.    Thanks to Janille, we have a nice group of pictures of the actual race course.  The opening refrain from Oklahoma seems particularly appropriate to describe the moment.

"Oh what a beautiful morning, 

Oh what a beautiful day, 

I've got a beautiful feeling, 

Everything's going my way".

As all races do, this one came to an end.    Melodie said it best with her post on Facebook, “North Carolina has left its footprint on us and we left a few on her this morning.   We take nothing for granted.  We are grateful.   No injuries.   No sickness.   Lots of love.”

The halfers.

And the gals from the Southern 6.

And finally, the whole crew, exhibiting again the fact that we have never quite grown up.

Typically the remainder of race day is filled with food, napping, hot tubbing, and kicking back.   However, the weatherman was promising pouring rain and wind the next day, so we decided to squeeze in a trip to visit another local attraction, the Bodie Island Lighthouse.  The current Bodie Island Lighthouse is the third that has stood in this vicinity of Bodie Island on the Outer Banks in North Carolina and was built in 1872.  It stands 156 feet tall with 214 steps that spiral to the top.  It is one of only a dozen remaining tall, brick tower lighthouses in the United States — and one of the few with an original first-order Fresnel lens to cast its light.  The light was electrified in 1932, phasing out the need for on-site keepers. The original keepers’ duplex now serves as a ranger office and visitor center for Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

Though not as well-known as its neighbors, it remains an important part of local history and a favorite spot for visitors. And still every evening, amidst the water towers and blinking radio antennae of modern development, its powerful light beams out across the darkening waves, keeping silent watch over the treacherous waters known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.”   It was a spot well worth visiting.

We headed back to the hotel for our final night, happy in the thought that tomorrow we would finally be able to sleep in.   However, habit dies hard with this crew, and 6:30 am found some of us packing and preparing for the long travel day.

Next stop was Barefoot Bernie, a local bar and grill with a strong beach-town flavor where we met a friend of Kathy’s for breakfast.   It was fun visiting with a local resident who could fill in a lot of gaps for us.    She told us that while Nags Head had a permanent population of only 35,000, during the busy summer months they could hit 350,000 visitors.   We were rather glad not to be competing with that number of people.

We headed back to the hotel and checked out of our rooms.  On our way out, we stopped in the lobby to say goodbye to Sabrina.  This 30-yr old cockatiel has been a permanent fixture of the Ramada Plaza in Nags Head for many years and entertains guests by chatting and posing for pictures.   Although none of us are really bird enthusiasts, we were charmed.

The rest of the day was much like the first one;  a long travel day consisting of an 80 mile drive, lots of waiting time in airports, and two flights and 6 hours of airplane travel.   We parted ways in Chicago Midway, travel weary but eternally grateful for the opportunity to travel to new places, pursue our goal to run in every state, and enjoy each other.    And we were already busy planning the next one.

Next stop, Gulf Shores, Alabama.