Nags Head Outer Banks, NC — Image by kenne
You must be in tune with the times and prepared to break with tradition.
— James Agee
Archive for the ‘Nags Head North Carolina’ Tag
Breaking With Tradition Leave a comment
What Does A Volunteer Naturalist Do On Vacation? 5 comments
— Go on a guided nature walk.
While vacationing with family on the Outer Banks (OBX) of North Carolina, we took in some of nature’s best. Since most of our time was spent on the shore side, we made a special effort to explore the sound side. (OK, I know everyone was being nice and trying to appeasing me.)
In Nags Head there is Jockey’s Ridge State Park, which contains the tallest natural sand dune system in the Eastern United States attracting hand gliders and wind surfers from up and down the east coast. 
There are plenty of self-guided hiking trails, however we learned of a guided nature walk Wednesday morning that proved to be very information — at least for me. Our guide was a retired high school teacher/administrator that spends his summers as a park docent.
As it turned out, we had a our own personal guided nature walk, since our family were the only people on the walk. There were a lot of people in the park, however, most were on the high dunes watching the gliders. The maritime thicket of live oaks, persimmons, red cedar, wax myrtle, bayberry, sweet gum, red oaks, and pines grows best in areas protected by the large dune.
A lot of the older pine trees died a few year back then a large storm pushed saltwater in the low areas of the park.
Shifting winds are constantly reshaping the dunes. Because the Ridge is always changing, it is often called “The Living Dune.”
Looking out over Roanoke Sound.
The edges of the maritime forest contain a lot of marshy areas attractive to birds.
While on the nature walk, the docent told us about the Nags Head Woods Preserve, so after completing the walk, Joy and I decided to go for a short hike in the preserve.
The preserve is a nature conservancy containing the largest maritime forest on the east coast. The trails wind through marshy woods and wooded dunes.
The Nags Head Woods Preserve Center — Images by kenne
kenne
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Outer Banks Horse Statues — Images by kenne
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The North Carolina Outer Banks (OBX) at Duck — Images by kenne
The Outer Banks, North Carolina
Divide the ocean and the bay
Inviting, is this string of islands
Vacationers to come and play
Two hundred miles of pristine beaches
As far as any eye can see
Morning brings the perfect sunrise
On this land along the sea
The light house on Cape Hatteras
Guided many ships at night
The beaches outside Kitty Hawk
Saw the very first manned flight
The home to herds of feral ponies
Where the pirate Blackbeard died
English settled long ago
Still to this day they do reside
The climate always feels like summer
All along this eastern shore
Once you stop here for a visit
We know that you’ll come back for more
by Jack Ivey
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