Wright Brothers Memorial - Kitty Hawk, NC

We finally took the boys to the Wright Brothers Memorial on Saturday before we left the Outer Banks. We've been talking about it for years, but Hayden was too small, then Lucas was born and we wanted to wait until they were all older. We planned to go on the Saturday that we arrived, but it doesn't open until 9am and we got on the island at about 7:30 and didn't want to hang around so we headed to the beach instead. We made a GREAT move!

We packed up and were out of the house Saturday morning by 8:15. We took the keys to the rental company and then stopped at the Wings store for the boys to get their souvenirs. Yes Haley, Hayden got his ring!!! When leaving, I found a $5 bill in the parking lot. No one was around to have dropped it, so I claimed it as my own. We then headed for the memorial. We arrived shortly after 9am. As we were driving back onto the property, I was rummaging in the purse for the admission fees when Justin said, "Yes!! Quit getting out money." UNC-TV has a program that promotes national parks and as the Wright Brothers Memorial is managed as a state park the tv station was having a family and kids day.

It was awesome! We learned that the Wrights had always flown their gliders first as kites to test their durability and aerodynamics. Therefore, one of the rangers taught a program on kite making...out of garbage bags, dowels, packing tape, and string...and then the boys were able to fly the kites out in the open field. However, the Wright Brothers' gliders weighed around 112 pounds. Our kites weighed only a pound or two. The location for the Wright Brothers base was picked due to three objectives - wind, grass/sand (soft landing), and privacy. We felt the wind factor while there. The wind can blow upwards of 25 to 30 mph. Our little wimpy garbage bag kites were pulling the boys all over the field. I can't imagine having a "kite" that weighed over one hundred pounds in that kind of wind!



Then we hiked...literally... up Kitty Hawk Hill to see the Wright Brothers Memorial monument. See the hill in the background of the left photo above. It looks small in that picture because it's approx 400 yards away. But it's huge! My calves are still crying from the trip up!

This is JJ standing by the monument -

it gives you an idea how big it is. I guess it fits right in

with the giant hill it sits on!!

I took this one - as it is my job to not be in many pictures : )

JJ took this one - he did a great job!

He even capture the bust of Orville above us. Justin wanted

a picture with Wilbur's likeness too but the boys had had enough of pics!

A nice stranger took this one. And I returned the favor to take their picture.

The left is a replica of how the original Wright Brothers' glider wings were made.

They actually used a local woman's sewing machine to sew them together.

The picture on the right is inside their workshop.

I took many other pictures with our other camera, but have yet to upload them. Those pictures include the monuments that mark the distances of the first, second, third, and fourth flights.

As soon as I get one camera uploaded, I'll move to the next.