Monday, May 16, 2016

A Walk Up Bodie Lighthouse near Nags Head!

Ken and I had a very leisurely   morning.  He was up by 6:15 and I was up by 7:15.  After breakfast we took time to enjoy a cup of tea and chai and discuss our plans for heading home on Wednesday.  Probably too long a drive to do it all in one day, so we were looking for possible campgrounds along the way and mileages to them.  We have 2 different options depending how many miles we choose to go.

I had a long conversation with my sister who is doing well following her foot surgery.  The worst problem is the inconvenience of getting around on a little scooter.  We discussed my father and mother and the cellulitis that dad is dealing with.  We had a great conversation and I am so blessed to have a sister who I can talk to and I love how we can be strong supporters for each other.

Ken and I left around 10:30 to drive to the Bodie Lighthouse.  It is located just south of Nags Head.  This lighthouse is the last of three to bear this name.  It was completed in 1872, replacing a tower destroyed by the Confederate forces during the Civil War. The 1st one had a bad foundation and ending up becoming the "Leaning Tower of Pisa" before it crumbled.  This one stands 156 feet and still possesses its beautiful first order Fresnel lens, which magnifies a flashing beacon visible up to 20 miles away.  Bodie (pronounced body) is one of Cape Hatteras National Seashore's three lighthouses.  It was refurbished from 2010 to 2012 and it has only became available for tourists to climb since 2012.



A very interesting and beautiful stairway!

It is a impressive lighthouse!

The original lens!


The stairway is unusual for each section is "free floating" and only connected at the landings. So, they only allow one person at a time to be on each section of the stairway as you climb.  There are over 200 steps, but the climb is so worth it.  

Pretty cool, huh????

Love this photo!

Only one climber on each section of stairway at a time!

Fancy windows as you climb to the top!

A view of the marsh land from the top!

The lighthouse keeper's house from up above!


I have discovered an important thing on this trip when talking to park rangers or tour guides.  They always say if you have any questions, feel free to ask.  Well, this girl never knows what to ask, so I say, "what would you like us to know?"  I have learned so much from these folks just by using that line!  They have a wealth of info, but only share if you seem to have an interest.  Just food for thought!!!!

We stopped at Jeanette's Pier and walked along the beach for a short time. 

This building and the cement fishing pier are relatively
new, only built in 2011.  The original pier was destroyed.

Not the typical wooden pier - cement!

This is the beach near the pier!


Then we decided to go out for lunch.  I told Ken we had to find a place that had good seafood, since he didn't have any since we arrived on the Outer Banks. After some searching on the internet, we headed to Blue Moon and no wonder it is #1 on Trip Adviser for this area!  The food and service were incredible.  Ken had a delicious salad with scallops and I had their pulled pork.  Amazing!

We stopped at one more pier and checked out the beach, but not much to see or find.

The typical wooden pier!

Back to the CG and we took our chairs and headed to the beach.  Did some reading and resting and then it was off to find more shell pieces.  At 5:30 I told Ken I would like some ice cream for dinner, so we took about a mile walk down the road and the ice cream shop was closed.  The CG office recommended another place the opposite direction and when we got there it was closed on Mondays.  What is a girl to do?  We passed a Dollar General on the way back and yes, they had Edy's Ice Cream.  So now I have some extra for another night!  I am one happy girl!

Talked to Mom and they are not so concerned about the cellulitis issue but his retention of water.  So some water pills and some antibiotics are called for. Time will tell but the redness from the cellulitis has definitely improved.

We watched The Voice while I worked on this blog and downloaded photos.  It has been another special day here in the Outer Banks!


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