Sand Dunes

Jockey's Ridge

Immediately after visiting the Wright Brothers National Memorial on North Carolina's Outer Banks during our recent vacation we drove three miles further south to Jockey's Ridge State Park, home of the tallest natural sand dunes in the eastern U.S. The walking path from the parking lot to the dunes began with a short, pleasant, shaded segment before opening up to a long, hot, sandy march under a blazing sun. The next picture shows the scene as we headed out toward the giant dunes. This panoramic view captures some of the enormous scale, but the image needs to be viewed at a larger size to see the full effect. (Click on the image for a bigger, more realistic view.)

We hiked to the top of the high dune seen in the upper left of the previous image. Of course, it's not easy walking on soft sand, so it was a long, slow slog, especially the final climb up the dune itself. Next is a panoramic view from the top of the high dune. This image might take a while to load. Once again, you should click on the image to view it in full size.

We feel fortunate at our age to be fit enough to hike out onto these dunes. C still looks fresh at the outbound limit of our hike.

Thank goodness for breezes, the same windy conditions that drew the Wright brothers near this locale for their glider experiments. Lots of hang gliders waited for favorable wind conditions at the top of the highest dune, and many kites were aloft.

A young girl took off for a short flight.

We watched hang gliders for a while. Then it was time to walk back. During the return hike heat and soft sand took a toll. We are both distance runners, however, so we knew how to pace ourselves and endure. The drinking fountain in the visitor center was a welcome relief. Afterward we were definitely ready for some dinner and air conditioning!