Virginia Beach to Kill Devil Hills - 80 miles

It was wet and cold again when we left the hotel to challenge Monday-morning rush hour traffic in Virginia Beach/Norfolk.  Traffic began to thin out after about 15 miles and we crossed into North Carolina, our 10th state and ninth state-line crossing, at 22 miles.  The sun broke out for good at about the 35-mile mark and the wind was mostly at our backs, making for a very pleasant ride.  After we crossed a 2.8-mile bridge spanning Albemarle Sound, we had a 12-mile ride along the outer banks of North Carolina, through Kitty Hawk, to Kill Devil Hills.  As it turns out, thanks to Hurricane Irene, that was most of the riding we will do on the outer banks.  At Kill Devil Hills we toured the Wright Brothers National Memorial.  I think I was more inspired than most because I have studied aerodynamics and flown airplanes.  Not only the landscape, which included the hill from which Orville and Wilbur conducted their glider experiments, and the meadow where they launched their first powered flights, but the museum, which included their early wind tunnel calculations they used to determine the proper shape of the wing.  Three of us were probably there at least two hours.  Tomorrow we head to Ocracoke Island, but not the way we planned.  Because of the hurricane travel down the outer banks to cape Hatteras is impassable.  So after seven miles on the coast, we will head inland for another 73 miles and take a 2.5-hour ferry crossing to the island.  Today marked the half way point of the tour in terms of days and slightly more in miles, 837 out of 1,600 planned.