Missy biked to the boardwalk a couple miles from our campground and Eric and Curt met here there (stopping to refill the cooler with ice on the way). There are many guided kayak and canoe tours along the Outer Banks, but we preferred going out on our own. We rented a kayak and took turns paddling our way around the relatively calm waters of the harbor and sound. Docked in the harbor is a beautiful, working reproduction of a 16th century English vessel, the type of wooden ship used in the first English voyages to Roanoke Island more than 400 years ago. That ship, the Elizabeth II, was our next tourist destination.

When we boarded the vessel, we were greeted by sailors in period garb who were most willing and able to describe life on board and the workings of the ship. We wandered around the 69 foot ship and its two accessible decks, exploring, examining, and asking questions. It's hard to imagine packing 55 people on the ship for a six week trip. Curt was especially interested in the beakhead; a platform in the forefront of the ship that was used as a bathroom for the sailors on board (hence the term "head" refers to the bathroom). This "platform" opened onto the sea so waste matter would be gotten overboard. However, the non-sailors on board (colonists or soldiers) were not allowed to use the beakhead and had to drop their excrement into the third and lowest deck with the bilge water. This seems a strange way to demonstrate authority as stink on the boat is smelled by all.

Near the Elizabeth II is a replica of an English outpost. Soldiers at the outpost would be among the first to spot an incoming vessel and would be responsible for alerting the main settlement. Living history interpreters there told us about weapons and military tactics that the first English garrisons would have used. Eric got a chance to wear a helmet and a scholar's cap and to wield a sword and battle-ax.

We returned to camp for lunch then Eric and Missy biked towards Fort Raleigh while Curt cleaned up. When Curt caught up with them, Missy and Eric had biked for 2.5 miles in a hot sun. Eric was ready to take the car the remaining 2.5 miles. The Fort Raleigh visitor center showed a short film on the Lost Colony of Roanoke and included a small museum and store. This is the site of the first English attempt at colonization in what was to become the United States. Expeditions and colonists sponsored by Sir Walter Raleigh (who personally never set foot in North America) twice came to Roanoke to establish an English settlement. Both times the colonists became "lost" (i.e., they were not found by returning supply ships). This historical mystery is described in greater detail in the attached notes (developed as part of our research prior to this vacation). Today, Fort Raleigh is a reconstruction of the earthen works fort on its original site. A stone's throw from the fort is the theater that hosts America's first and longest-running outdoor drama, "The Lost Colony." We didn't watch the show as the performances don't start until early June (they run through the end of August).

Adjacent to Fort Raleigh are the Elizabethan Gardens, a living, growing memorial to the English colonists who came to this spot in 1584-1587. Many plants were blooming and a couple of them in particular nearly had us swooning with their fragrances.

We returned to camp--Missy nearly kept up with us on her bike--then set out for the beach at Nags Head. Eric and Curt did some kite flying in the strong winds while Missy read. By the time we returned to camp and cooked dinner it was twilight. We ate by flashlight.
 

© 1999 frantzs@geocities.com