We started our day with a walk along the beach south of the campground even though there was a strong breeze and the temperature was in the 30s. We were rewarded with a beautiful sunrise but the cold wind lasted throughout the day.
Our first stop was the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse in the US at 198.49 feet. The lighthouse, keepers quarters and other outbuildings were moved 2900 feet to the present location in 1999 to escape the eroding eastern coastline of Hatteras Island.
This image below shows how the island and the outer banks in general are changing. The second image is a view looking south on NC-12 just north of Rodanthe. When the sand covers the road, it takes big equipment to clear it. We didn’t see any operating but there were several spots where machines were staged.
The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum at the other end of the island details the history of shipwrecks in the area, a great section on diving and the original light from the Hatteras lighthouse.