Wright Brothers and the Outer Banks

A new state! Though we've only hit 28 capitals, this is actually state number 32!

On our way to the right brothers, we found the home gravedigger!

We just finished listening to Carry-on Mr. Bowditch and while listening to our ranger talk today, we all found there were many similarities between the Wright brothers and Mr. Bowditch, as they were both pioneers of their time.

The memorial and replicas of the first hangars. 

The Wright brothers selected Kitty Hawk for their "experiment" because it had wind, sand (for a soft landing), and privacy - out here on an island that was inaccessible. (The bridge we took to get here today was not here yet.)

Our next stop was just 30 minutes down the road, Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

We knew the lighthouse was closed for the season, but we were extremely disappointed when we found out it had a first order Fresnel lens! If it had been a smaller lens, it wouldn't have been disappointing. But, I'm sure we'll find another somewhere along the road. (:

The live pictures of the lighthouse at night were awesome because it lit up the whole sky, which was otherwise pitch black, and we could see all the clouds moving by.