2 jam-packed days of biking and other adventures on the Outer Banks

We jammed a lot into two full days on the Outer Banks: two 30+-mile bike rides, the site of the first flight (Wright Brothers National Memorial, part of the National Park Service), a walk on a giant sand dune, a 4-wheel-drive trip to see wild horses on the beach, even a last-minute dash for ice cream.

We only saw the northern part of this 175-mile chain of barrier islands in North Carolina (there’s another 25 miles or so in Virginia), so we discovered only some of its different personalities.

May definitely is a beautiful time to go. Temperatures are in the 70s, plenty of sunshine and, yes, there’s wind. Because it’s the off-season, restaurants and seafood markets will have more limited hours or be closed altogether. So be flexible about your food choices or plan ahead. But you won’t be dealing with the jam-packed roads of high season.

If you want to bike, like we did, know that your routes are limited, given how narrow these islands are (at its widest just 3 miles, but generally much narrower). Stick to Highway 12 and any neighborhood roads. Highway 158 has sidewalks in some places, but it’s a 50 mph road. We considered biking to Manteo, but one look at the tiny shoulder on U.S. 64 and we said nope.

Suffer through the headwind first, and you’ll fly back despite tired legs.

We based ourselves in Kitty Hawk because, well, we recognized the name. We headed south on our first day, aiming first for the Wright Brothers National Memorial. The first guys to fly were bike mechanics, a fact we all appreciated. But even non-cyclists will value how they persisted, testing accepted wisdom and sometimes disproving it, and following their own path such as focusing on figuring out how to control the wings first rather than focusing on the engine. Given how well I can control my bike while riding no-handed, maybe I’ve got a bit of Wilbur in me?

Crossing Highway 158 at the light to get to the entrance was our own lesson in patience.

I helped give that plane a push so it could take flight…

Then we kept going south through Kill Devil Hills (what a name!) and Nags Head until we reached the beginning of Cape Hatteras National Seashore and the turnoff for Manteo. So many beachfront rentals! And a few hotels. Some businesses, but most were a few blocks away on Highway 158. Still, the vibe was this area would be packed in the summer and the oceanfront road would no longer be so comfortable for biking.

One way to get your piece of land near the ocean:

We briefly wandered onto the beach (free! even in high season, unlike New Jersey!), but the day’s real off-bike adventure was Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head. It’s home to the tallest active sand dune system in the U.S. We climbed up … and it felt like the vastness of one of those early scenes in the original “Star Wars” film.

A few more images of an area that would have been turned into housing in the 1970s if three children hadn’t urged their mother to mobilize the community to protect the dunes. It shows how all of us have the potential to create change.

Day 2

The next day we drove to Corolla, just about as far north as you can go before paved roads end, and biked south toward Duck.

This part of the Outer Banks has a very different feel: larger summer rentals, more green space, and just less busy. This is not the place for happening evening action or if you’re looking for miniature golf. Sure, there are restaurants and, yes, some resorts. But overall it’s a lot less commercial and a lot more chill.

Highway 12 is the only thru road, and we were told it can be a painfully slow drive during high season. Don’t plan on going to Kitty Hawk every day! We were happy to find multi-use paths and cut-throughs between different neighborhoods.

The main reason for heading this far north, however, was the off-bike adventure: a four-wheel drive tour to see the wild horses on the beach in Carova. The story goes that they arrived here courtesy of a shipwreck hundreds of years ago. Today 125 or so horses roam the sand dunes, munch on the shrubs (much like the deer do in my yard) and even hide out under a carport.

We all loved seeing the horses. But we were shocked that people are still building here — when storms can shift the dunes up to 40 feet a year. We saw one house smack dab in the middle of the beach, now abandoned and not long for this world. Others are behind the dunes .. but for how long? And why keep building?

Are you wondering about that dash for ice cream? That came after dinner. We’d been disappointed the night before. One place that came recommended was closed. An Internet search brought up Holy Cow .. and wow did we do well.

And not just because the teenagers working there plied us with samples. The ice cream is made in the back of the store, they told us (and claimed other “homemade” claims are fake). It was the unusual flavors that won us over. Some loved the lemon ricotta, but I was sold on Pascha (a nod to a Polish dessert for Easter).

Finally, the “weird beer” of the trip: a Key Lime Blender Sour at a BBQ spot.

Would I ride on the Outer Banks again?

Yes in the off season, and I’d make sure I had some good off-bike activities too. I’d like to see how the southern part of the Outer Banks compares.