Cape Lookout National Seashore

While in Newport, we spent a day at the Cape Lookout National Seashore, a 56-mile long section of the Southern Outer Banks, or Crystal Coast, of North Carolina. Three undeveloped barrier islands make up the seashore – North and South Core Banks and Shackleford Banks. The seashore includes two historic villages on Core Banks, Shackleford’s wild horses, and the Cape Lookout Lighthouse.

Our journey started with a 35-mile drive from Newport to the Harkers Island Visitors Center, followed by a 15-minute ferry boat ride to Shackleford Banks, followed by another short ferry hop to Cape Lookout, before returning to the visitors Center. We didn’t have much time to explore the visitors center before our ferry ride, but we did take a few minutes to look at the displays and posted information about the area.

Our first ferry stop was Shackleford Banks, a barrier island that contains a herd of over 100 feral horse, scallops, crabs, and loggerhead turtles who nest there in the summer. The National Park Service closely monitors and studies the wild horses, who provide a glimpse into how horses lived in the wild before their domestication. It is still a mystery as to how the horses arrived; legend has it that these horses are descendants of Spanish Mustangs that survived a shipwreck. They have resided on this island for centuries, and have adapted to the harsh environment. They will swim between marsh islands to obtain access to the various grasses they graze on. We really enjoyed seeing the horses, who did not seem to be very concerned about us at all.

After about an hour on Shackleford, the ferry picked us up and took us to the Southern Outer Banks, home to the Cape Lookout lighthouse. The lighthouse is 163-foot high and flashes every 15 seconds and is visible at least 12-19 miles out to sea. Cape Lookout Light is one of the very few lighthouses that operate during the day. It became fully automated in 1950, and is the only such structure in the United States to bear the checkered daymark, intended to differentiate between similar light towers and to show direction. The center of the black diamonds points in a north-south direction, while the center of the white diamonds points east-west.

Notice my accidental complementary wardrobe selection for our trip to the lighthouse…I’m not sure if the direction of the stripes on my shirt signified anything or not.

Newport, North Carolina

After leaving Asheboro, North Carolina we traveled 210 miles east to the coast for a week-long stay in Newport, North Carolina. Newport is a small town just outside the Crystal Coast region of Carteret County (an area of beaches and towns that stretch from the Emerald Isle to Cape Lookout) and is situated in the Croatan National Forest along the scenic Newport River. Although a coastal town, it is a little bit inland, and away from the heavy tourist areas. We were there in October 2018, a month after Hurricane Florence, and we saw a lot of damage from flood waters that impacted the town.

We spent one day touring Emerald Isle on our bikes, a town on the Bogue Banks. The population is just under 4,000 but as many as 50,000 tourists inhabit the area during the summer season, filling up the many beach houses and rental properties that line the oceanfront streets. There is only one oceanfront hotel, and that has allowed Emerald Isle to maintain a family-oriented atmosphere. We enjoyed the natural surroundings, looking at the many different styles of beach houses, and walking along the natural and rugged shoreline.

We also stopped for a quick visit at Fort Macon State Park. Although nowadays the danger of a naval attack along the North Carolina coast seems remote, during the 18^th and 19^th centuries this region was highly vulnerable to attack. Blackbeard and other infamous pirates were known to have passed through the Inlet at will. Today, the fully restored park is open to visitors, free of charge offering nature trails, ranger guided tours, a protected swim area, refreshment stand, and bathhouse.