Eggshells in The Outer Banks: October 9-12th 2015

[Hidalga]

Eggshells in The Outer Banks (OBX) Rally, North Carolina

Friday, Oct. 9th — Monday, Oct. 12th 2015

We’re living large for Columbus Day weekend at Camp Hatteras! Spread your wings to be the "First in Flight" in discovering The Outer Banks while sharing the nest with other fiberglass eggs.

Whether you want to climb above the high-water mark of several historical lighthouses, or just stick your toes in the sand, The Outer Banks is overflowing with pioneering activities.

To celebrate discoverers, and where seashells are at the wheels of our eggshells, book your reservation now.

Our Web site has been updated with more information, and a chance to win a free campsite for the rally weekend! Start planning your trip to Eggshells in The Outer Banks.

Eggshells in The Outer Banks Fiberglass RV Rally

[Hidalga]

To help you plan a fun-packed weekend for Eggshells in The Outer Banks, we’re presenting a suggested activity each week until the rally. At the rally, we’ll also have complete itineraries. This week’s feature:

Graveyard Of The Atlantic Museum
59200 Museum Drive
Hatteras Village
(252) 986-2995

At the end of N.C. Highway 12 just past the ferry docks, the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum attracts a lot of attention with its ship-like building, porthole windows and curved timbers. One of three North Carolina Maritime Museums operated by the North Carolina Division of Cultural Resources, the museum focuses on the maritime history and shipwrecks of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, often called the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Exhibitions cover five centuries, with shipwreck artifacts and memorabilia on display. Changing exhibits tell dramatic tales of lifesaving, piracy, maritime culture and underwater heritage.

View the original 1854 Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Fresnel lens, the Enigma machine from the U-85, the bell from the Diamond Shoals Lightship, artifacts from Blackbeard’s Queen Anne’s Revenge and exhibits exploring Hatteras Island during the Civil War, including artifacts from the Monitor. Discover Hatteras’ amazing link to the Titanic. See unusual artifacts that have washed ashore as well as vintage diving and sport-fishing fishing equipment.

The museum features year-round programming for people of all ages. Enjoy creating coastal crafts, movie nights and presentations by experts in maritime history, food, art and culture. For a daily schedule of activities go to the website at ncmaritimemuseums.com and view the calendar for more information.

From April through mid-October, hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free; donations are appreciated. Discover fun, beautiful and educational souvenirs, books and gifts in their Meekins Chandlery Gift Shop, with hours corresponding to Museum hours.

[cpaharley2008]

Seems like fun.....

[Iowa Dave]

We'd like to go but my son is getting married on the 17th so timing will not work this year. We have been in NC in October and would like to go back. I hope you have a great rally and there's enough interest to keep it going next year. Pretty country, lots of history and good food. Add in the fiberglass campers and you should have a great recipe for a fun time. Best of Luck
Dave

[Hidalga]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

We'd like to go but my son is getting married on the 17th so timing will not work this year. We have been in NC in October and would like to go back. I hope you have a great rally and there's enough interest to keep it going next year. Pretty country, lots of history and good food. Add in the fiberglass campers and you should have a great recipe for a fun time. Best of Luck
Dave

Thanks Dave,
Yes, we have a great interest in 2016. There are several members who wish to join this year, but other commitments have reserved their schedule like family celebrations. Celebrate! Congratulations to your son's marriage and we look forward to seeing you in 2016.

Jeannine

[Hidalga]

To help you plan a fun-packed weekend for Eggshells in The Outer Banks, we’re presenting a suggested activity each week until the rally. At the rally, we’ll also have suggested itineraries for all your OBX time. This week’s highlighted activity is:

Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge
NC Highway 12
Hatteras Island, NC
(252) 987-2394

The refuge’s visitor center, located on the northern end of Hatteras Island about 4 miles south of Oregon Inlet, is a good place to start a Pea Island visit. It gives an introduction to the ecosystems and wildlife of the refuge and the activities that are permissible there. You may also pick up informational brochures, the National Park Service’s newspaper and trail maps. A restroom and plenty of parking are available. You may start your walk on North Pond Wildlife Trail here.

The visitor center is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day. Beyond the visitor center, Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is a 13-mile stretch of pristine barrier island. The beaches are wonderfully devoid of people most of the time, and there are several access points for getting to the beach. Pea Island is also great for surfing, surf fishing, shell hunting, kayaking, photography and other eco-friendly outdoor activities. Driving on the beach is not allowed here. Leashed pets are allowed on the beach but not on the walking trails or overlooks.

North Pond Wildlife Trail is a good, flat, easy trail that starts at the Pea Island Visitor Center, about 4 miles south of Oregon Inlet. Park in the parking lot and look for the North Pond Wildlife Trailhead behind the restrooms. A sturdy, handicapped-accessible boardwalk leads back into the marshy areas around North Pond where you’ll see a variety of birds and wildlife. The trail turns into a hard-packed natural surface that extends for a half-mile and ends in a two-level observation tower where you can see from sea to sound.

After North Pond Wildlife Trail ends, you may keep going on an unpaved service road that takes you all the way around the pond. This service road connects with the Salt Flats Wildlife Trail, and at the end (NC Highway 12) you can either turn back and go the way you came or cross over the dunes and walk along the beach to get back to the visitor center. The entire loop, if you take the beach route, is about 4 miles. The northern leg of the North Pond circuit is prone to excessive mosquitoes at all times of the year. Don’t let that keep you away; just bring insect repellent.

You may also park at the Salt Flats Wildlife Trailhead, a little over a mile north of the visitor center. This trail ends at a disabled-accessible overlook, which provides views of the Salt Flats area as well as North Pond. You’ll see a lot of birds on these trails no matter what time of year you’re here, but this hike is most phenomenal in the fall and winter when thousands of migratory birds are resting over on the pond. You’ll see snow geese, Canada geese, tundra swan and numerous species of ducks. You may pick up trail maps at the Visitor Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day or from the racks on the front porch after hours.

Guided bird walk programs are offered at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge year round, and other programs — Turtle Talks, Soundside Adventures and Birds and Their Adaptations — are offered in the summer months. Canoe tours are offered during the warmer months as a fee-based program. See Plan Your Visit - Pea Island - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for a list, or call the visitors center.

To learn more about Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Refuges Visitors Center on the north end of Roanoke Island, about a quarter-mile past the entrance to Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. The center’s exhibits offer information about Pea Island and 10 other refuges in northeastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia. The staff that manages Pea Island also manages Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge on the Dare County mainland; see the separate entry on the new center in the Roanoke Island site.

[Hidalga]

To help you plan a fun-packed weekend for Eggshells in The Outer Banks, we’re presenting a suggested activity each week until the rally. At the rally, we’ll also have suggested itineraries for all your OBX time. This week’s highlighted activity is:

Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station

23645 NC Hwy 12, Milepost 39.5
PO Box 5
Rodanthe, NC
(252) 987-1552
Mon - Fri 10am - 5pm April - Nov

With its two stations and five outbuildings, Chicamacomico (pronounced chik a ma COM i co) is the most complete site of remaining life-saving stations in North Carolina and one of the nation’s most complete sites. This site is located on Hatteras Island in the village of Rodanthe on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

The Chicamacomico Historical Association is a private, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization who’s purpose is to restore, preserve, protect, educate and interpret the rich history of these valiant men and their dedication to the U.S. Life-Saving Service, as well as interpreting the history of the buildings and artifacts. They are open to the public from mid-April through November, and provide visitors with tours, programs, reenactments and special events.

• It sits at the most eastern point in North Carolina.
• It’s the largest, most complete USLSS complex in the nation.
• One of the few USLSS sites in the nation with all its original buildings.
• All buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places.
• One of 39 destinations listed by the Outer Banks Scenic Byways.
• Has one of only two 1874 USLSS stations in the nation open to the public.
• Was the first operational station in North Carolina.
• Now the only USLSS site in the state open to the public as a museum.
• Is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in no government budget.
• Is the only place anywhere to regularly perform the full Beach Apparatus Drill…and most importantly,
• …The scene of the most highly-awarded maritime rescue in American history! (SS Mirlo, August 16, 1918).

The Association owns and operates the museum site and the museum shop and raises its own funds. 100% of all admission fees, gift shop purchases, memberships, and donations go directly to the preservation, restoration, and operation of this historic site.

[Hidalga]

We’ve been working with local businesses to offer you a fantastic time in The Outer Banks, including a free campsite for the rally weekend. Sign up now before the September 8th drawing! Details can be found at the free campsite entry Web page.

[Jake930]

My wife and i would like to join you if possible. we don't have an eggshell yet , but have an escape on order. It sounds like a great time.