Today we went to the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. We heard a ranger give a talk about Orville and Wilbur … and then got to stand on the exact spot where they successfully flew for the first time. Truly inspiring!

Also visited the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, or as Jay called it, the zebra lighthouse. Andy and Becca climbed the 248 steps to the top – an impressive feat, as it is the tallest brick lighthouse in North America. Jay was not yet tall enough to go inside, so he and I explored the grounds (a fire hydrant and a rocking chair were the highlights for him).

Back at camp, Becca found a kindred spirit … so we did not see much of her, as she and her new friend kept busy playing in the dunes, discussing books, etc.

We spent a week at Ocracoke Island, in the Outer Banks, North Carolina, and by the end of our time there, we were saying it was one of our favorite places on the whole trip. To get there, we took a long ferry ride from the mainland. We stayed in a campground close to the ocean, and our site had a path that went through a cut in the dunes and right onto the huge beach. I spent a lot of time jumping off the dune cliffs and rolling down the dunes.

A few times we left the campground to explore attractions near the small town of 900 people. Once, we went to see the wild horses that roam in a huge fenced in area where they are safe but they can wander. Another day, we got fudge. It was delicious!

Also, we hiked down to the beach where Blackbeard was beheaded. On the trail there, I spent some time climbing a tree with some other kids. At the beach, we spent the morning chilling in the sand before hiking back.

One night, there was a huge storm, and the next morning the beach was covered with cool things. Ma and I went for a walk and found lots of trash, coconuts, wood, pieces of bamboo, and other stuff, all covered with gooseneck clams. We also saw Portuguese Man of War, (NOT happy about that) sea beans, cool shells, and also some stranger things. We even found a rubber ducky!

We all loved Hunting Island State Park, South Carolina. The beach was big, and the days were sunny and warm, so we spent most of our time at the beach. I spent a lot of time playing with some kids I met. One day, some kids and I swam all the way out to a sandbar. It was fun! I also dug some big holes, and I flew my kite a few times.

One day, it was a bit cold and grey, so we went to the Kazoobie Kazoo factory in town, where kazoos are assembled (the parts are made in Florida). First, we looked around the tiny museum about kazoos. Did you know that kazoos were first called “down south submarines?” After that, we got to listen to kazoos and other kazoo like instruments. They were cool! Then, we got to go to the factory part, where the three employees put the kazoos together by hand. The only part done by machines was the weighing. Wow! After that came the best part: making our own kazoo. Now, we are all having fun playing our kazoos.

After leaving our friends, we needed a place to stay for a few days before our reservations at Hunting Island, South Carolina started. At first, Mistletoe, in Georgia,  was just a place to pass some time, but we ended up loving it. We got an awesome spot right on the lake, and there were lots of kids near us. One night, me and the kids went off playing a boys versus girls game. The boys would try to get onto a little spit of land, and we would catch them and try to keep them in our jail at the end of the spit. It was so much fun!

Another night Pa and I went on a ranger led night hike. I spent most of my time talking with my friends, who had also come on the night hike. In fact, I didn’t see Pa until the end of the hike!

When I was playing on the spit of land, I discovered that most of the dirt there was red clay. I made a bunch of bowls and pots from it, and when we had a fire, I dried the bowls. I ended up with some cool ones!

We spent a few days on the property of our friends that we met in the Everglades. We all had a great time. We spent both days in their small house up in the mountains. The RV was parked down the slope a bit, so every day we climbed up their steep driveway. Everyday, there was good food and fun. I had a lot of fun playing with their dog Roxy. On the day we left, we went to Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia. The view from up top was amazing.