Spring Break Trip - Day 2

We got up early (0630), ate breakfast at the hotel and tried (unsuccessfully) to manage Mollie's cold. After getting packed, we experienced Morning Colors and got gas on Base (0805). We then drove down to Currituck County, North Carolina, where our Spring Break adventure really began. We used US-158 to get to US-64 and made our first stop at a National Park site on Roanoke Island that commemorated the Lost Colony. More than 10 years ago, our family attended the famous outdoor play there and a walk on the grounds brought back some good memories. After we got the first NPS Passport stamp of the day, we headed back towards Nags Head and switched to NC-12. It started to rain as we arrived at the entrance to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. We'd also been to the beach at this park many years ago - more great memories. Undeterred, we kept driving south until the weather got a little better. On Pea Island, we took a nice walk on the NWR trail, enjoying the many red-winged blackbirds, Canadian geese, snowy egrets and turtles there. Rain kept threatening and it was very windy - we didn't end up stopping too many times along the way. We visited the famous Lighthouse at Cape Point (got another Passport stamp) but weren't able to climb to the top (still closed for the season). Mollie snapped some photos of the ocean at a nearby off-road vehicle beach access point. Had thought about continuing to Ocracoke but Mollie said she wanted to go back to civilization. Our drive north took longer because all the (other) tourists were going home after their week(end)s. Got some great views of the para-surfers/skiers and wind-surfers. Arrived in Kill Devil Hills before 1500 and got some good ice cream at "The Spot" - we were tempted to try the ACAI bowls but decided to save for later. We then drove over to the Wright Brother's site for one more Passport stamp and to enjoy the suddenly pleasant weather. When we used to live in Virginia Beach, the area had recently celebrated the 100th anniversary of the First Flight and it was too popular to really enjoy all the exhibits. This time, Mollie (who had been too young to enjoy it earlier anyway) learned a lot about the development of the first airplane. As we finished up, she told me was very happy with all the stamps we got today. As she was posting photos on Instagram, she discovered that one of her friends was staying in Nags Head for the week and she asked if we could coordinate a meet-up (I said yes). A short time later, we checked into our hotel (just a stone's throw away from the Kitty Hawk Monument and very close to the ocean). Mollie was very excited to take a nice walk on the beach so we quickly changed and walked across the street and dunes to the access point. The weather wasn’t very good but we spent over an hour there, collecting seashells, finding crabs and running away from the surf. As we walked back to the hotel, it started raining (a lot more than earlier in the day). We cleaned up in our room and I then took Mollie to meet her friends for dinner at Rooster’s Southern Kitchen. From there, I went to try out one of the ubiquitous Brew Thru places (1900) and picked up some OBX Kolsch. Mollie texted me a bunch from the restaurant and (later) from an ice cream parlor that her friends took her to visit (in an Uber). They returned her to our hotel at around 2045 - Mollie brought me desert and leftovers. We watched the Season 8 Premier of Game of Thrones together and then went to bed (2300).