The Wright Brothers National Memorial commemorates the places where Wilbur and Orville Wright conducted their gliding and flying experiments from 1900 to 1903, culminating on the first powered flight on December 17, 1903. It's located in Kill Devil Hills, not far from Nags Head. There was a long line of cars waiting to enter the park. I thought the entrance fee of $10 per person (not per car) was a lot in order to see this important historical site. Fortunately, we had our National Parks Senior Pass. Wright Brothers National Memorial itself is atop Kill Devil Hill. From 1900 to 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright came here from Dayton, Ohio, to conduct glider and airfoil experiments. They selected the location based on information from the US Weather Bureau about the area's steady winds. The area was ... read more

The Cape Hatteras Light Station is the most well-known sight in the Outer Banks. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse towers 196 feet (60 m) from its base, making it the tallest lighthouse in the United States. The conical brick shaft is painted in a distinctive black and white striped spiral pattern (daymark). It was built in 1870, as the second lighthouse on the site. Due to beach erosion, the entire lighthouse was moved 2,900 feet (884 m) inland in 1999. It is still in operation as an aid to navigation. Arriving here, we went first to the visitor center where several park ranger programs were in progress. On the park grounds are the lighthouse and two other building. The brick principal keepers quarters, built in 1871, is used for park offices. The nearby wood frame double keepers quarters, ... read more

Tuesday morning we planned to explore the Outer Banks to the south of Nags Head as far as Cape Hatteras. Our first stop was Bodie Island and Bodie Island Light Station. The lighthouse is not far from Nags Head. Bodie Island Light Station was completed in 1872. The existing tower is the third lighthouse on the site. (The first was 1847.) The brick tower rises 165 feet (50 m) and is in operation as an aid to navigation along the coast from Cape Hatteras (south) to Currituck Beach (north), North Carolina. It retains its original Fresnel lens. The tower is open to climb the 214 inside steps to the top, but we looked at the interpretive exhibits. At the entrance to the lighthouse access road, I had spotted structures that looked like a Life-Saving Station. These ... read more

Susan and I thought Solomons, Maryland, would be a pleasant place for another circumscribed day trip. I had head of it, but not visited. Certainly easy to reach from home, only about 1 1/2 hours away via the Capital Beltway and Maryland 4. Solomons is at the tip of a peninsula where the Patuxent River flows into the Chesapeake Bay. Fishing, especially crabbing, had been the industry in Solomons for decades. Shipbuilders at Solomons developed the bugeye and skipjack sailing vessels specifically for fishing and crabbing. Today pleasure boating and sailing are the principal leisure activities. There is no beach immediately at Solomons but there are several marinas. At Solomons, Maryland 4 continues across the Patuxent River via the Thomas Johnson bridge. We took the branching Solomons Island Road into the town and and then on ... read more

The Civil War Battle of Monocacy, 9 July 1864, took place just east of Frederick, Maryland. The battle focused on preventing Confederate forces from marching on Washington, DC. Confederates under Jubal Early and John Breckenridge invaded Maryland from Virginia at the beginning of July 1864. Union forces under Lew Wallace were dispatched from Baltimore to head them off. (After the war, Lew Wallace would author the novel Ben-Hur.) The two forces met at Frederick Junction, a strategic point where both the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and the Georgetown Pike (Rockville Pike) highway crossed the Monocacy River. Ultimately Union forces retreated, allowing the Confederates to move against Washington, DC. Nevertheless, the engagement delayed the Confederates and provided time for Union reinforcements to be deployed to Washington. The Confederates were ultimately stopped at the Battle of Fort... read more