US 64 runs due east across Virginia Dare Bridge over Croatan Sound. Sound familiar? Virginia Dare was the first child born in the colonies, and Croatan is the name given to a now extinct tribe of the Algonquin native americans that lived in the area. Several spellings of the name exist, but the most famous is the word "Croatoan" that was carved into a tree in 1590 after the Roanoke colony disappeared.
We soon arrived in Nags Head. Legend has it that horses and mules had lights hung around their necks to draw ships into rocks where the cargo could be stolen.
We arrived at OBX Campground early in the afternoon. Located in Kill Devil Hills, the park has many long term residents and reflects limited attention to maintenance. The road into the park, about 1/2 mile or so, is dusty, pot-holed gravel, which effectively made yesterday's motorhome wash a joke. We have been assigned site 2, which is very satellite friendly (read....no trees), and it's certainly large enough for Nessie's length. The pad is gravel, with a fringe of grass, and the utilities are adequate. The wifi at this site is unusable, so we're hooked up to our cell hotspot.
One important advantage that this park has is it's proximity to the site of the Wright Brothers first flight. After setting up, we decided to brave the "feels like" temperature of 107, with 57% humidity, and take a look. The monument is operated by the Park Service, and has a small, but very nice Visitors Center. The memorial itself is located on a large hill that once was just a very big sand dune where the Wright Brothers honed their flight skills using gliders launched from the top of the sand dune. More than a thousand practice flights were performed in 1901 and 1902, using the constant wind and isolation of the area to perfect the design of their craft.
Returning to Kill Devil Hills in 1903, with a craft powered by a lightweight gasoline engine designed by the brothers, they were finally ready to test their theories on December 17th, 1903. The brothers used a flat sandy area at the foot of the hill they had used for glider flight for their powered experiment. In the distance, the wooden hanger and living quarters have been recreated and stand just to the right of the large rock marking the launch point of the aircraft.
The Wright Brothers used a metal rail and a dolly with wheels that supported the air craft to launch the craft. The sand was nice to land on, but very difficult to launch from. This boulder marks the exact spot where Orville and Wilbur's craft left the ground.
The boulder has a plaque inset that was placed on the 25th anniversary of the flight. Among the dignitaries attending was Amelia Earhart!
At 10:35 am, Orville Wright released the restraining wire, and, with Orville running alongside to balance the craft, ran down the launch rail. Orville fought the controls as he flew into a 27 mph wind, but he hit the sand 120 feet from the rail after a 12 second flight. History had been made!
A total of four flights were made that day, with the brothers alternating at the controls. The second flight traveled 175 feet in 12 seconds, the third 200 feet in 15 seconds, and the fourth flight traveled 852 feet and lasted 59 seconds. The Wright Brothers had achieved their goal. Two bicycle mechanics with no engineering experience, but with an uncanny ability to see through to the solution to a problem, had made history. The Wright machine would never fly again-after the last flight it was caught by a gust of wind, rolled over, and damaged beyond repair.
The Wright Brothers devised methods for controlling roll, yaw, and pitch that are still used (with much refinement, of course). The air age was born.
The hot temperatures began to abate in the late afternoon and evening, with a brief thunderstorm blowing through. The low temp tonite is predicted to be 78. Looks like the air conditioners will continue to run again this evening.
No comments:
Post a Comment