Lost colonies, first in flight, and the motor lodge experience (still OBX)

I have noticed that people have a lot of OBX pride.  Both tourists and locals adorn their cars with white oval stickers with OBX written in it.  The locals take it one step further however.  The get vanity plates with the first three letters being OBX.  Normally a string of numbers follow which is probably randomly assigned to them.  This definitely helps the locals identify who the "lifers" are.    



First agenda item of the day: work on the blog for a couple of hours. Then I headed to Roanoke Historical Site that is on the grounds of the first Brittish colony in the New World.  The colony was established in the late 1500's and the island was chosen for its defensible position, friendly natives, and farm-friendly land.  I totally geeked out  in this museum.  



There were a couple things that I found interesting; the first thing being the lifestyle of the natives.  The natives (Algonquin maybe?) were primarily farmers.  They grew corn in the warm months and squash in the colder months to sustain themselves.  They supplemented their food with the year-round bounty of the ocean.  One of the ways they caught fish was by riding a canoe into the lake/ocean at night.  They would light a fire on the canoe which would attract the fish.  Once the fish approaced the canoe, the natives would spear the fish. I always think of native americans as being hunters, so it was interesting to see their farming strategies to sustain themselves year round.  



The thought of colonizing a far away land was also an interesting idea to me.  Most of the families that came over to the new world were skilled middle class families.  For some reason, I never considered all of the luxuries that they left behind.  I guess my modern bias always assumes that in the 15th century, all types of life were primitive, but compared to the wilderness of the new world, London had some things to make life much easier (butchers, fisherman, water wells, doctors, tailors, etc.)  Why would people leave all these things behind and risk the lives of their families to travel into the middle of the wilderness where no colony had been established yet?  What a crazy/ballsy decision!  In 16th century London, while some comforts existed, the city was very crowded and dirty (black plague?)  Most of all, there was no hope for upward social mobility of the middle class.  Most workers could barely afford to pay their lodging each month, and with the high price of living, a middle class adult had no hope of paying off their mortgage in their lifetime.  Obviously, there was no hope of a better future for their children.  In the new world, they were promised large swaths of land simply for making the journey.   This was  significant boost in social status for that family.  Still, a pretty crazy decision in my opinion.  



The last interesting thing about my Roanoke experience was the legend of the "lost colony."  The guy that organized the colony had not been able to return to Roanoke for 3 years after it he had setup the colony.  With the tension between England and Spain, the guy in charge had a hard time convincing the queen of england to send a ship for resupply.  Adding even more desperation to the situation, this guy's pregnant daughter was over there.  Eventually, he sailed over there (about a 4 month round trip by boat) and no people remained at the colony.  A maltese cross was to be lieft as a distress symbol in the worst case scenario, but no cross was ever found at the deserted colony.  The only clue was the word "Croatoan" carved into a tree.  



Theories for the disappearance range from disease and famine to attack by the Natives or Spanish.  Interestingly, I learned of an alternative theory while I was there.  Apparently, a hundred years or so after the disappearance of the colony, an explorer recorded in his log that he encountered natives with blue eyes who claimed their ancestors could "think with words," meaning they could read and write.  This theory supposes that the colonists, faced with starvation or disease, fled to another area and eventually assimilated with the natives.  I thought this was an interesting new theory to the mystery of the lost colony.



One final factoid that I didnt know about Roanoke Island, was its role as a freedmen's colony during the civil war.  Apparently, very early in the civil war, the union had captured and fortified Roanoke Island from the confederacy.  As Roanoke was well into southern territory, it was an important destination for African Americans seeking freedom from slavery. If the slaves could make it to the island, they would instantly gain their freedom.  The union even had a freedmen's colony there to educate the ex-slaves and teach them various trades.  Anyways, as a solitary union-controlled island in southern territory, I can only imagine the dramatic attempts made to reach its shores.      



Oh yeah, guess who I ran into at Roanoke....my travel buddy Tom from the previous day's ferry ride.  We talked about what we saw the previous 24hrs.  Good to see him again.



Nearby to the Roanoke Island historical site was an Elizabethan garden.  Admission was reasonably priced, and I loves me some gardens, so I decided to check it out.  The grounds were several acres, and the garden, containing a huge variety of plants, was meant to imitate the gardens grown by Queen Elizabeth.  The grounds were beautiful.  They even had a section with a hedges formed into a maze.  There were people setting up for a wedding. What a beautiful venue with the lush gardens on one end and the ocean on the other.  
















After these stops, I made my way back up the Outer Banks with my ultimate destination being the Wright Brothers National Memorial.  On the way, I passed through regions of the Outer Banks that have been the first landing of many ships approaching the new world.  These places have crazy names like Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, and Kill Devil Hills.    



The Wright Brothers Memorial is maybe the coolest and most inspirational National Park I have visited.  I got to visit the site where two Americans flew a sustained flight for the first time.  This invention would completely change the entire world.   One thing that blew me away was learning about the Wright Brothers themselves.  They were ordinary people who were smart and hard working.  Now days, if you were to imagine an invention that completely changes the world, you would think that a lab at MIT, a huge company with the smartest minds, or a billionaire with endless wealth would be the ones making the discovery.  Not true in this case.  They owned a bicycle shop in Ohio.  Just every day guys.   The Wright Brothers were ordinary guys that were intrigued with the idea of flight.  I learned that the Wright Brothers made several watershed inventions, and they came about these inventions through a methodical scientific approach.    



One of their important innovations was adding a mechanism to control the aircraft.  This sounds intuitive, but not so much at the time.  Furthermore, their control mechanism flexed the wings of the aircraft to change direction.  Pretty awesome idea. Apparently they came up with the inspiration for moving the angle of the wing in opposite directions to facilitate a banked turn by looking at the way an bike tire inner-tube box flexes when it is twisted.   



One of their most significant contributions was the shape of their wing.  To test many different airfoil cross sections, they built a homemade wind tunnel.  Inside the wind tunnel, they had several miniaturized wing cross sections that would move a weight if lift was generated.  In this way, they were able to test many different shapes.  Amazingly, they did this all in their garage, and the entire project was self-funded.  After they had discovered the wing cross section that generated the most lift, they applied this to the wings of their flying machine.  Additionally, it was not known at the time why a propellar worked.  They applied the shape of their wing to the blades of the propellar to generate a much more efficient propellar (basically a wing turned on its side).  The discovery of one of these phenomena by themselves would have been huge.  To make all of these discoveries, in their garage, is mind blowing.  Oh yeah, they also built their own light weight internal combustion engine to power the flying machine (this is 1900's).  Crazy.  

Wind tunnel replica



I thought this was a somewhat funny/ironic quote.





A model of their home made engine.

So how do the Outer Banks come into play in this saga?  Well, back then, the Outer Banks were pretty deserted.  The main thing on the island was a Life Saving station (people who wait for a ship to crash and then rush out to find survivors).  Apparently, the Outer Banks was a place they liked to vacation.  So near one of the dunes, they built a couple houses:  one to live in and one as a hangar/workshop.  I guess you could just put up a shack wherever you wanted to back then.  Also, the sustained winds of the OBX were ideal for increasing airflow over the wings of the flying machine.   After I had spent some time in the Visitors center learning how awesome the Wright Brothers are, I headed out to the actual site of their first flight.    

Mock up of their living quarters at Kitty Hawk. Notice the lofted bunks....every kids' dream.




Actual site of first flight.



Alternate view of the monument.





On the day of their first flight, they actually took 4 flights.  The field where they took the flight has four different stone markers indicating the distances of the flights.  The first flight was around 150 ft and took around twelve seconds.  This is super unimpressive.  I bet most kids could run that far in less time.  Each flight got a little bit longer until they last flight, and they went really far (relatively)!  Fun fact:  Orville Wright was an avid photographer, which is why we now have so many cool photos of the first flight.  

Markers of the first three flights.



The fourth (in the distance) was much farther. The distance of a par 4 golf hole compared to a fraction of a par 3 on the first three flights.




Guess who I ran into again......Tom!  We are practically running buddies now.  



Next, I wanted to climb up to the monument that was erected in the 1920's.  It sits atop a large dune next to the site of the first flight.  Unfortnately, they park was about to close in 15min, and rangers were stationed at all the paths leading up the dune and were turning people away.  I learned that the Wright Brothers never gave up, and neither was I going to give up.  I would get to the top of that hill.  My first attempt to get to the National Park took me down a road that led to an airstrip on the backside of the park.  I decided I would pull my car around the back and scale the dune from the far side.  It worked.  The monument is probably one of  the coolest I have seen.  Fun fact: this large dune had moved (blown by wind) almost 200ft in the twenty years between the first flight and construction of the monument!  Engineers stabilized the dune by cultivating local grasses on the hillside.    







Altogether, I think the Wright Brothers National Historic Site is one of the coolest National Parks I have seen.  I gained a deep respect for the Wright Brothers accomplishments, and I will be reading a biography on them as soon as I have time (maybe never).     



As I continued my travels, I was headed towards Washington DC.  I decided on a route that would take me along the eastern shore of Virginia.  This entails crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel.  Thats right, this crossing of the bay is mostly bridge, but in some spots in plunges into a tunnel providing ships with a clear lane of travel. I bet it looks really cool during the day, but I was crossing at night.  It was still pretty awesome to see a string of street lights trail 15miles out into the abyss of darkness (almost impossible to photograph though; especially while driving).    



However, right before the North Carolina/Virginia border, I decided to stop off at a BBQ joint to sample North Carolina-style BBQ.  So get this....in NC BBQ is pulled pork.  Not a pulled pork sandwich, just pulled pork.  It is cooked with a mild amount of a vinegary/mustardy sauce.  They also had a variety of sauces to add onto the pork.  It was actually pretty tasty.  In addition to the pulled pork (absolutely smothered in sauce), I appreciated the hushpuppies, which apparently are an essential part of the NC BBQ experience.    







The east coast of Virginia is a small strip of land that protrudes down from Maryland, which is across the Chesapeake Bay from Virginia.   My goal for the night was to drive into Annapolis to find a motel.  It was raining off and on, and getting well into the night.  I told myself I would stop sooner if I found a reasonable place.  



On the side of the street, I saw a sign for the Rittenhouse Motor Lodge.  I slowed down to see what this place looked like (remember, I assume motels are populated by prostitutes and meth heads).  It actually looked really nice.  Probably even too nice for my budget.  I was on the phone with Kayley, and I told her I was stopping at this motor lodge.  Her response was along the lines of "Make sure its not like the Bates Hotel in Psycho."  Actually, it was reminiscent of the Bates Motel.  Before I walked in to inquire about the rate, I did a quick check of Trip Advisor.  They got pretty good reviews.  I guess the inn keeper saw a car sitting in front of the place for long enough, he walked outside to see what was up. It was an older gentleman in his 80's.  I asked if he was the proprietor, and he laughed and said "I hope so."  He seemed shocked that I would ask such a question, but I hate making the mistake of asking someone if they are an employee when they are actually a customer.      



Anyways, the rate was generally affordable ($70 for a single room).  An open door behind him revealed a bedroom.  I asked if he lived there, and he said he had been living and working there for 60years.  60  years!!!  Wow.  He told that the motel had several living quarters.  He said he raised his kids in that house and that his wife had died in the bed directly behind him (kind of macabre, but it wasnt weird).  He mentioned that he wanted to put me in one of the nicer rooms, but he wasnt quite sure if a reservation was going to show.  No big deal.  I looked around the small lobby to the hotel.  It had a very warm and welcoming feel to it, and provided a coziness that contrasted the persistent rain on the outside.  It was nicely kept and adorned with antiques.    



I felt very at home at this motor lodge.  Part of the reason I was drawn to this place was because it advertized itself as a "motor lodge" rather than a motel.  For me that harkens an experience shared by travelers at the dawn of interstate automobile travel; when motor lodges were constructed to cater to travelers that needed a place to rest from a long day on route 66 (although route 66 was not close to here).  Rather than a creepy Bates Motel feel, I got a Twilight Zone feel.  One of the happy upbeat episodes, not Psycho/creepy at all.  If this place was 60years old, I was experiencing an authentic vintage motor lodge experience.  I was pretty thrilled about it.  



The guy at the front desk seemed so welcoming and I was so giddy about staying at this motel, that I went back to the front desk to ask the owner if I could see one of the nicer rooms and take a picture of it for my blog.  The owner said he would be more than happy to oblige.  He also invited me to set on his porch and share a beer with him.  I was more than happy to accept his invitaion.  



Apparently, he calls the porch his "magical porch."  He calls it his magical porch because it allows him to meet exciting people (it has made some pretty amazing connections in his life) all while sitting on his porch.  The spacious porch is very nicely decorated with plants and has ample furniture for lounging.  In addition to a beer, he had bugspray readily available to ward off the bugs.  As we sat and talked, he told me about how he cleared this field 60 years ago to build this motel after his service in the Navy.  He told me about how he married and raised three kids in this house, and how his wife had left this earth a little too early.  He told me about his time as a teacher in the neighboring community, and the two local kids that he adopted well into his 50's and 60's (as a single father).  He told me stories about how the surrounding area had changed, but he had survived the competition from other hotels and how online services like TripAdvisor and Yelp were a blessing and a curse.  Also, he shared some interesting stories from his life, like the time he attended a state dinner at the WhiteHouse (through a friend in high places), and got to meet people like Queen Elizabeth and Shirley Temple (apparently Ambassador Temple was not the most humble person).  After his story about Quenn Elizabeth, he hurried inside and brought out this framed picture of him hanging out with the Queen.  I laughed.  Well, if you are going to tell a tall tale, you might as well prove it!  As we sat and talked for about an hour and a half, he kept emphasizing that he has found the only thing in life that can produce true happiness is helping other people.  It was a particularly powerful message given his apparent long life of selfless service.    



At the end of the conversation, I went back to my room.  He said that he was very thankful for the company, and that chatting with people on the magical porch was what makes life worth living.   I have to say, it was a very genuine and heartfelt experience sharing a beer with this man on his porch.  As a matter of fact, I googled the man's name (Robert Rittenhouse) to see what other people's experience was like at this place.  I found an article written by a small town paper where a gentleman had a very similar experinece.      

http://www.timesdispatch.com/travel/paradise-on-u-s----nightly-rates/article_eeb315c7-d754-5b70-9777-3e6d60bd38f4.html?mode=jqm

Not the most flattering angle, but its all I could manage.



The next morning (Sunday), I woke up and checked out of the motel. I actually felt a little bit sad that I had to leave so soon. Mr. Rittenhouse expressed again his appreciation of our conversation the night before.  I assured him that the feeling was more than mutal.  I felt like I got to live out one of those aforementioned happy Twilight Zone episodes.  I am not sure of my account of this experience does it justice, but it will definitely be one of most treasured memories from the trip.  



Next up:  DC, baby.