July 9, 2008 – First on my travel log:  The Bodie Lighthouse, Nags Head, North Carolina

        In May, before it started to rain here in North Carolina for days on end, my brother, Ken, flew in from Massachusetts to visit me.  We traveled the 430+ miles due East to the Outer Banks to enjoy a few days in Kill Devil Hills.

         The next few days I am going to share with you photos of where we visited.  Big on my list was a lighthouse or two and from my personal “bucket list” the Wright Brothers National Memorial.

         The first one we visited was Bodie Island Lighthouse. [Pronounced “Body”.] It is the horizontal black and white striped one.  Often this lighthouse is pictured in most gift shops in North and South Carolina on dishtowels, paintings, etc.  See: https://www.outerbanks.com/bodie-island-lighthouse.html

         I did the driving, as we quickly discovered that the driver’s seat would not adjust – that was news to me. Not a problem, as it gave my brother a chance to look around and see it all while I drove. 

         From our motel we went south on Route 158 passing over the 64 West [off the island route] and continued on 12 South.  My brother noticed everyone is rather “cozy” or “non-committal” about how far in miles everything is.  He did good research before the trip and knew about the mileposts.  Most advertisements of places to eat or see have a MP # listed so that the tourist can find them.  That was good to know up front – so we didn’t have to waste time.

         Me, I always stop at the tourist information center when I travel – I am a paper-map type gal.  Our first stop, we loaded up with maps and picked up a handful of glossy tri-folds on places to see and things to do.  That map is wrinkled and worn now.  It was just the tool to get around easily.

         The real purpose of my brother’s trip was to visit me and to do some metal detecting on the beaches as they are known for ancient shipwrecks.

         We are heading south and we are expecting the view of the lighthouse to jump right out and grab your attention as to its location – but it really doesn’t until you are just about to take the turn onto Bodie Island Lighthouse Road and meander through an area with pines and through the trees  when you catch sight of it.

         The lighthouse was re-opened after extensive renovation in 2013 so that visitors can again climb it.  It uses the original Fresnel lense that is visible 19 miles.  It is an eight-story high all brick structure with circular stair cases of metal painted a shiny black. The contrast between the black circular staircases and the interior white walls is a photographer’s delight.  I takes 214 steps to get to the top for a grand view of the area at 156 feet.  It is nice and breezy up top.

         Certain rules apply, and only one person can ascend or descend each of the eight stair cases at a time.  So, you sort of are playing tag team with whoever you are with.  Years ago I blew out my knees with stair stepping classes. . .you know that phrase – “work out until you burn”.  Well, my knees never were the same after that chapter and I had to take my time climbing.  So, my brother went first and called down, “okay or come up”.  When I went first I’d called down, “I’ve landed” which the first time I said it I smiled to myself and thought of the landing on the moon and how silly it sounded.  But, I continued to use that phrase.

         Stationed on the landing at the fourth floor is a National Park Ranger and my brother and I both thought all the National Park Rangers at every place we visited had top-notch customer service.  They were all nice, outgoing, and chatty.  They really made our trip very enjoyable.  The Ranger gal stationed at the midway point – level four - was smiling as we arrived and we rested as a family from up top went down.  We struck up a conversation with her and we discussed the many lighthouses we have visited. 

My brother and I have been fortunate as there are many up in the New England area and since I’ve moved around a lot as a corporate wife, I’ve visited many others.  She asked, “Which state in the United States has the most lighthouses.”  I knew it was a trick question because it is not on any ocean.  I had a lame answer, which was close – but not the real answer. “It is one of the states on the Great Lakes, but I don’t know which one.”  I confess, been a long time since I could shout out the names of the great lakes and all the states surrounding them.  “Michigan,” she answered and we delighted I got close to the answer.

We made it to the top with perseverance and pausing to catch our breath on each landing. And, this lighthouse, at the time had the room open below the Fresnel lense, so we could see how it had been adapted to electricity and could peer up through the metal to catch a glimpse of the lense.  I had been in other lighthouses where you could actually walk around the lense, so I was familiar with the imported French lense.

When we got to the bottom again, which is just as rough on your knees if you are not softly setting your feet down, I said to my brother.  “I am going to lay on my back on the grass and take a picture looking up at the lighthouse. I’ve always wanted to take that sort of picture.”

The Bodie Lighthouse is beautiful and the setting is charming. The soft grass is perfect for up-angle picture taking.  Parking is ample and of course, the gift shop is top notch.  If you get a chance, take the climb.  You can rest between each of the staircases and only the last staircase at the top has more steps. It is well worth the effort because the view is beyond AWESOME and you will remember the climb for a lifetime.