The Outer Banks

From Wikipedia:  The Outer Banks is a string of peninsulas and barrier islands separating the Atlantic Ocean from mainland North Carolina. From north to south, the largest of these include: Bodie Island (which used to be an island but is now a peninsula due to tropical storms and hurricanes), Hatteras Island, Ocracoke Island, Portsmouth Island, and the Core Banks.^[4] Over time, the exact number of islands and inlets changes as new inlets are opened up, often during a breach created during violent storms, and older inlets close, usually due to gradually sifting sands during the dynamic processes of beach evolution.  This sounded like an interesting area to explore so Kim and I made the four hour drive stopping for lunch in Edenton on the Roanoke River I believe it was.  

 Like so many of these small towns in the South, Edenton was slowly dying; shopfronts boarded up, not much activity on the streets.  But there were still some well maintained stately old homes and interesting sights as we continued east after lunch. 

To add an element of uncertainty and potential danger to this trip was the impending arrival of Hurricane Matthew.  Undeterred, speaking for Kim mostly, we headed in the direction of the approaching storm and stopped for the night at Kill Devil Hills, the site of Kitty Hawk, the birthplace of flight.  

All the talk there was about the hurricane, the uncertainty of when and where and how bad and how long.  The wind was picking up but the sun still shone and it was still warm.  Next day dawned sunny and warm again.  Still windy and Matthew was still on the way.  

A new museum of the Wright Brothers and their accomplishments had been built at Kitty Hawk and, being a flyer herself, Kim was interested in seeing it.  It was pretty interesting and highlighted the preliminary research and development that went into their invention.

The hill from where they launched

On into the storm................