When Contributing Editor Ruth Hill headed to North Carolina's 300-mile-long string of barrier islands known as the Outer Banks, one question teased her: "Which innovation," she wondered, "has had the greatest impact on the human race-- the Wright brothers' conquest at Kitty Hawk or the development of the Internet?"

She pondered the question during a late-winter flight to Norfolk, VA, and during the 90-minute drive south into Corolla. Perhaps during her off-season trek, she thought, she could turn back the years to that first-flight experience. Minus the beach crowds, she might be able to imagine what the Banks were like 100 years ago when Orville and Wilbur climbed to the top of the dunes and took off.

The Wrights weren't the only--or the earliest--headliners to touch the shores of the Banks. Sir Walter Raleigh attempted the first English settlement in 1587, but those inhabitants mysteriously disappeared into notoriety as the "lost colony." And the marauding exploits of Blackbeard the Pirate are still conversational fodder among local fishermen.

Banks history is palpable at Roanoke Island Festival Park and the 1802 Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, where, looking out to sea, Alexander Hamilton, America's first treasury secretary, dubbed the ocean off the islands the "graveyard of the Atlantic." For centuries, ocean currents--along with hurricanes and nor'easters that still slam the shores--have taken sailors by surprise, pulling their ships to the bottom and ending their voyages and their lives.

In modern times, the Outer Banks can be distinguished from other Atlantic beach destinations by its mix of mansions-- some with as many as 14 bedrooms, nearly as many baths, and elevators. There are also rustic, old wooden beach cottages as well as a noticeable absence of brassy, beachfront hotels.

Ruth says that as she drove by the millionaires' mansions-- shuttered for the season--she was grateful for the vision that saved 33 miles of natural dunes back in the '50s and made Cape Hatteras National Seashore the nation's first national seashore preserve. Its swaying sea grasses and shifting sands provide a wildlife oasis and a great many natural wonders. On either end of the park, development licks at its boundaries.

Outside peak-season beach weeks, the local shops, restaurants, and other attractions require no wait or jostling with crowds. Ruth strolled the quaint streets and shops of downtown Manteo in solitude and rolled along Route 12 instead of doing the summer crawl. Her only regret was the absence of blooms in Roanoke Island's classic Elizabethan Gardens and some torrential downpours on arrival. But the next day brought rewards: soft breezes, brilliant sunset reflections on quiet waters, and the calm beauty after the kind of storm Bankers know so well.

At Duck, a hamlet that's preened its feathers considerably since Ruth's first visit a couple of decades ago, she settled in for three nights at Sanderling Inn Resort and Spa (thesanderling.com/, 800-701-4111), the premier resort choice. Its low-rise collection of villas, rooms, and suites comes with a spa and the islands' fine dining restaurant, The Left Bank. On the French-inspired menu: dishes such as seared Arctic char with mussels, asparagus, and lemon verbena sauce and a dessert trio of chocolate, vanilla, and maple mini-crème brûlées.

To the Temple of Flight

With the question about flight versus cyber travel still in mind, Ruth set out on her second day to the Wright Brothers National Memorial site at Kitty Hawk. There she learned how a fishing village on the North Carolina coast gained a permanent place in human history.

The Wright boys grew up in Dayton, Ohio, and learned about flight when their father brought home a winged toy powered by a rubber band. Neither brother finished high school, but both studied aeronautics passionately and fashioned their own aircraft at their Dayton bicycle shop.

First they mastered the concept of lift, then figured out how to control pitch (up and down movement of the nose) and roll (up and down movement of the wing tip). In need of a testing ground where winds would be constant and favorable, they contacted several locales, but only the rural waterside community of Kitty Hawk invited them to come. The brothers visited several times between 1900 and 1903, and life-saving-station men and others in the small fishing community helped the brothers carry their glider up the hill thousands of times.

Finally, on the blustery overcast morning of Dec. 17, 1903, it happened. But there was no fanfare--reporters weren't there. Only five locals watched a fragile, 605-pound biplane catch the wind and lift off. Orville Wright was at the controls, and brother Wilbur ran alongside. Both wore suits and ties. For 12 seconds, the glider flew. Three more flights followed that day; during the last flight, Wilbur kept the flyer aloft for almost a full minute.

Inspired by that story, and buffeted by the same breezes that kept the Wrights aloft, Ruth scaled the East Coast's highest sand dune at Jockey's Ridge State Park. Under the watchful eye of an instructor, she strapped herself into a hang glider, and with a running leap, lifted her feet off the sand long enough to get her own unforgettable sensation of first flight.

Sometime in those 12 seconds in the air, she got the answer she came to find. Long before the Internet, the airplane was responsible for making the world a much smaller place--and it continues to take human beings to highs they can never find on a computer screen.

First Flight and More

Find information about attractions, history, accommodations, recreation, and 2003 First Flight commemorative events on the Outer Banks at outerbanks.org or by calling 877-298-4373. Other useful web sites are:
- firstflightnc.com/
- firstflightcentennial.org
- daytonohio.com
- inventingflight.com and
- embryriddle.edu

Calendar of Events

This year's centennial celebratory events in several states will culminate at Kitty Hawk on Dec. 17 with a 10:35 am (and again at 2 pm) 100-plane flyover and an appearance by the Wright Kitty Hawk Flyer, a million-dollar reproduction of the original Wright Flyer. Outer Banks events (countdowntokittyhawk.org) leading up to that day include:

Sept. 1- Dec. 31:
NASA Art Program at Outer Banks History Center Gallery describes history of flight research at NACA and NASA through paintings. Works feature pilots and aircraft that routinely pushed the limits, thereby expanding boundaries of flight. Details: 252-473-2655.

Sept. 5-6:
Annual Weeping Radish Oktoberfest, Weeping Radish Brewery & Restaurant, Manteo. Bavarian festival with oompah band, Oktoberfest beer, children's activities, and drawing for trip to Bavaria; weepingradish.com or 252-473- 1157.

Sept. 6-7:
Kitty Hawk Kites 7th Annual US Boomerang Association, First Flight Middle School, Kill Devil Hills. Boomers from across the nation compete; kittyhawkkites.com or 877- FLY-THIS.

Sept. 19-22:
National Air Tour fly-in by 25 vintage aircraft to Wright Brothers National Memorial; nationalairtour.org.

Oct. 10-11:
1902 Wright Brothers Glider Flights at the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Call the National Park Service at 252- 473-2111, click on kittyhawkkites.com, or call 877-FLY-THIS.

Nov. 14-15:
Kill Devil Hills 2003 Anniversary Carnival, a multi-ride and event celebration; kdhnc.com or 252-449- 5300.

Dec. 13:
General Aviation Day at the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Exhibits at the Centennial Pavilion with general aviation aircraft flybys scheduled; nps.gov/wrbr or outerbanks.org.

Dec. 13-14:
The "Remember The Past, Imagine The Future" festival will celebrate aviation's impact over the last century and feature appearances by historic aviators, exhibits chronicling the history of flight, aircraft demonstrations, and entertainment. outerbanks.org/attractions/first_flight

Dec. 14:
Commercial Aviation Day at the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Exhibits at the Centennial Pavilion with commercial aircraft flybys scheduled; nps.gov/wrbr.

Dec. 15:
Protecting the Home of the Brave, a celebration of the impact of aviation in the military honoring men and women who developed and flew military aircraft. Highlights include military aircraft dating back to World War I and participation from US military stationed around the world.

Home on the Banks

Almost 98 percent of Outer Banks beach house and condo rentals are available through local real estate agents such as Resort Realty (resortrealty.com), Village Realty (villagerealtyobx.com), and Sun Realty (sunrealtync.com). Weekly turnovers occur on both Saturdays and Sundays.

A building boom over the past few years has brought great change and plenty of housing inventory to the Banks, according to David Perrot, president of Resort Realty in Kitty Hawk. "Rentals simply aren't what they used to be. When I began here in 1980, an amenity was having screens with no holes in them, to keep out insects. Now, you have private, oceanside swimming pools with waterfalls at some of these larger homes that also come with elevators, gourmet kitchens, and wet bars."

The range in housing styles and rental costs are wide, says Perrot, ranging from one-bedroom condos and rustic older properties several blocks off the surf to 14-bedroom, 14- bath houses with oceanfront views and a long list of amenities.

"For about $400 a week in high season [late June through early August], you can find a three bedroom, two-bath house that sleeps six, located between our major highways and a good distance from the beach," Perrot says. "Something like our oceanfront 14-bedroom house that sleeps 28 and is great for family reunions goes for $12,000 a week."

Rental prices pivot on several factors, including school calendars, location (is the property close to or on the ocean?), and the number of people it sleeps. Even older houses, if they sleep a lot of people, can command higher prices. The Banks caters to families, so rates ramp up as summer vacation nears and then begin to fall off after school starts again. Off-season prices drop as much as 30 to 40 percent from prime-season rates.

Early birds who book in December and January for the following summer season have the best chance of getting their choice home on the Banks. This summer, however, Perrot expects there will still be good properties in the middle of the high season.

"Even if it's mid-July and you want a week in August--don't hesitate to contact us," he advises. "There's likely to be good availability in all price ranges this year."

July 2003