Outer Banks Good Bye

It was getting dark and it was looking like this here - thunder storms were approaching this morning. That was the reason why we left the Outer Banks up to the main land again.

I like to capture pictures from the same spots, but driving back the same way where we came in - the pictures look always different :)

Pretty sand scenes and pretty water colors

Vacation homes located close on/in the water in Nags Head

After driving many hours on country back roads trough National Nature Refuge, pretty little fishing villages, we arrived in New Bern. And I felt suddenly - as a Swiss of course - my heart beating faster...LOL... After seeing New Glarus in Wisconsin I have seen now New Bern...unbelievable! But, what has this New Bern to do with the Capitol of Switzerland: the real BERN? Read the answer under the next picture please...

New Bern's "flag" is a bear - of course!

New Bern
is a city in Craven County, North Carolina with a population of 23,128 as of the 2000 census. The estimated population in 2006 was 27,650. It is located at the convergence of the Trent and the Neuse rivers, 87 miles (140 km) northeast of Wilmington. New Bern is the second oldest town in North Carolina and served as the capital of the North Carolina colonial government and then briefly as the state capital. It is the county seat of Craven County and the principal city of the New Bern Micropolitan Statistical Area. Originally a Swiss settlement, the city is named after the capital of Switzerland, Bern and shares its flag. The Swiss connection (just as the Dutch in New Amsterdam, and German immigrants in Pennsylvania Dutch) with England was established by Marian exiles and marriages of the Royal House of Stuart, important people in the history of the Calvinism. New Bern is commonly known as the birthplace of Pepsi Cola.

Hi my friends,

You all are so great!! You made my day with all your kind comments and wonderful compliments on my blog, thank you so much! :)

We are sitting somewhere in the deepest woods on a campground - every one is sleeping already around us - it's late - only me and my laptop are "working"...LOL.. it was a beautiful day today and a little bit also sad, that we couldn't stay longer at the Outer Banks, but now we are here, heading up to the cool hills of NC...

The 4th of July is a special day for all you Americans, I know - and I'm so proud to be here and to have the opportunity to see all the beauty of this exciting country! I met a lot of wonderful people allover the 27 States we have visited in this soon 6 months on the road and driving more than 15'000 miles already. I have enjoyed every single moment!

God bless you all and a Happy 4th of July !!

Susanne

On the 5th I have a special day coming up....LOL... smile... :)

The House in the Dunes

We arrived today in a pretty fishing village in the Outer Banks, close to Nags Head, at the beautiful and HOT Atlantic Coast of North Carolina
(more pictures will follow).

The Outer Banks

is a 200-mile (320-km) long string of narrow barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, beginning in southeastern corner of Virginia Beach on the east coast of the United States. They cover approximately half the northern North Carolina coastline, separating the Currituck Sound, Albemarle Sound and Pamlico Sound from the Atlantic Ocean.

The Outer Banks is a major tourist destination and is known for its temperate climate and wide expanse of open beachfront. The Cape Hatteras National Seashore has four campgrounds where visitors may camp.

The Wright brothers' first flight in a powered, heavier-than-air vehicle took place on the Outer Banks on December 17, 1903, at Kill Devil Hills near the seafront town of Kitty Hawk. The Wright Brothers National Monument commemorates the historic flights, and First Flight Airport is a small, general-aviation airfield located there.

The English Roanoke Colony—where the first person of English descent, Virginia Dare, was born on American soil - vanished from Roanoke Island in 1587. The Lost Colony, written and performed to commemorate the original colonists, is the longest running outdoor drama in the United States and its theater acts as a cultural focal point for much of the Outer Banks.

The treacherous seas off the Outer Banks and the large number of shipwrecks that have occurred there have given these seas the nickname Graveyard of the Atlantic. The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum is located in Hatteras Village near the United States Coast Guard facility and Hatteras ferry.

Hi my friends,

We made it! We arrived today in the beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina.

It was also a long dreamed dream of mine to see this pretty strings of narrow barrier islands, out in the Atlantic, many miles off the shores. I'm not sure if I can see the wild mustangs, they are located on another, separate island. It's not possible to drive there with our RV. But I have some shots made from some of the lighthouses here and I will show you them soon. I'm a big fan of lighthouses!

And of course, I'll watch out for "the message in a bottle" on the shores of the blue Atlantic... smile.... you never know... :)

I'm happy you liked my last post, your comments and compliments are very appreciated!

Stay with me, you'll don't regret :)
Susanne

From Virginia to North Carolina

A last view to the Blue Ridge Mountains

There was an almost endless forest to cross on I-64 East until the Junction to I-95 came up, heading further towards the South

Crossing over the James River, we are still in Virginia

The James River
in the U.S. state of Virginia is a 410-mile (660 km) long river, including its Jackson River source. It drains a catchment comprising 10,432 square miles (27,020 km²). The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million people (2000). It is the 12th longest river in the United States that remains entirely within a single state.

Pretty wild flowers by a rest area place, before we entered to the State of North Carolina

Hello my friends,

We spent now 6 days in North Carolina and heading tomorrow down to the Ocean. I'm very excited to see the water again :)

Thanks for all your nice comments, very much appreciated!:)

Have a wonderful time and stay connected with me....
Susanne

The Blue Ridge Mountains Parkway in Virginia

After leaving my cousin in Nashville, Tennessee we crossed the border to Virginia, the beautiful "green" State with pretty farm lands, a lot of forest and the Blue Ridge Mountains as a part of The Appalachian Mountains.

We've decided to take a ride trough the Blue Ridge Mountains Parkway

The Blue Ridge, or Blue Ridge Mountains,

is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division. The province consists of the Northern and Southern physiographic sections, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. This a mountain chain in the eastern United States, part of the Appalachian Mountains, forming their eastern front from Georgia to Pennsylvania. To the west of the Blue Ridge, between it and the bulk of the Appalachians, lies the Great Valley, bordered on the west by the Ridge and Valley province. The mountains are well known for their bluish color when seen from a distance. Trees put the "blue" in Blue Ridge, from the isoprene released into the atmosphere, thereby contributing to the characteristic haze on the mountains and their distinctive color.

Beyond the Great Valley, among the Alleghenies, stand Big House and Little House Mountains, though in the distance their outlines merge into a single profile.

Within the Blue Ridge province are two distinct sections: the Shenandoah in the northern section and the Great Smoky Mountains in the southern section. The Blue Ridge also contains the Blue Ridge Parkway, a 469-mile (755 km) long scenic highway that connects the two parks and is located along the ridge crestlines along the Appalachian Trail.

The beautiful view from this overlook offers a look at the mountain town of
Buena Vista.
Around you see the magnificent mountains rising straight up from the valley below. The green valley extends as far as your eyes can see.

The ride at the Blue Ridge Parkway was very nice, but tiring also. We were not used anymore to drive on small and steep, serpentine roads. But we were happy we did it, it's an experience you will never forget!

After this field of hey balls we've found a real campground, hidden away DEEP in the woods. :)

Hi my friends,

thanks again for all your visits and kind comments to my last post about Nashville, you make always my day with your words. :)

I hope you still enjoy traveling with us, where ever the wind blows us, there we will be going. Next goal will be the Outer Banks on the Atlantic shores. I hope there to find some wild mustangs to photograph - who knows...... :)

Let's keep in touch together!
Susanne and David