Taking Flight With the Wright Brothers in Nags Head, North Carolina
The first time you gently crash into the soft, dry sands of Jockey's Ridge you'll understand why the Wright brothers chose this area for their famous first flight. The folks at Kitty Hawk Kites enable modern-day flights of fancy with low altitude hang gliding lessons for beginners. So don your helmet, hoist your wings, and sprint down the dunes into the salty Atlantic breeze. When you feel air between your toes instead of sand, it means you're flying. The sprawling sands and expansive coastal views of the eastern United States' tallest natural dune make this a beautiful place to commune with the spirit of flight.
If you could take just one photo:
Jockey's Ridge State Park
I admit I am slightly breathless when we reach the top of Jockey’s Ridge. Whether it is the hike we did at a fast pace or the view that takes my breath away I’ll never tell. Standing on top of the largest sand dune in the east coast is exhilarating. And then my husband says, “Watch this” and he takes off running and jumps, it is as if he jumped off the earth – we can’t see him anywhere. The kids cry out, my husband pops up laughing. The kids start running and jumping off the “face of the earth.” I just breathe in the view glad to be on the earth and try to ignore the slope of the sand that gives the appearance of the end of the world.
Bring your sandals. This is a caveat, not just an advisory. Home to the tallest natural sand dunes on the east coast, Jockey's Ridge State Park in Nags Head will give visitors a workout and if they're not careful, a memorable hotfoot. During summer, the sand reaches temperatures 10-20 degrees in excess of the Outer Banks' peak humid season. Teens hang ten down the slopes on sand boards while would-be Orville re-eanctors swoop on parasails overhead. Views of rippling sand furrows and glimpses of the dunes' indigenous life such as rabbits, deer, oppossum and even snakes create an ecological adventure answering the omnipresent parental question, "What can I do with my kids at The Outer Banks?"
The first time you gently crash into the soft, dry sands of Jockey's Ridge you'll understand why the Wright brothers chose this area for their famous first flight. The folks at Kitty Hawk Kites enable modern-day flights of fancy with low altitude hang gliding lessons for beginners. So don your helmet, hoist your wings, and sprint down the dunes into the salty Atlantic breeze. When you feel air between your toes instead of sand, it means you're flying. The sprawling sands and expansive coastal views of the eastern United States' tallest natural dune make this a beautiful place to commune with the spirit of flight.
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