Mississippi's Gulf Coast: Beauvoir and the Biloxi Lighthouse

Beauvoir the last home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

Our trip to Mississippi had to include a visit to Beauvoir, the last home of the only President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis.
This part of Mississippi sustained such damage by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 that we weren't sure what we would find. I had seen this stately old home once before on a Girl Scout trip and Fred had spent some time at here in the Air Force but that was a long time ago.

We stopped at the Visitor Center on Beach Blvd to get some information about hurricane recovery. We wanted to know how Biloxi, Gulf Port and Beauvoir had fared. My Mom Ella served as a Red Cross volunteer for many years. She was in this area working for several months after Katrina and had told us of how little was left.

Beach Blvd is US-90 that runs right along the gulf coast in Biloxi.

The cast iron Biloxi Lighthouse

In front of the Visitor Center on the median between the divided 4 lane highway stands the Biloxi Lighthouse. We were told that after hurricane Katrina the 64 foot cast iron structure was the only thing standing on that portion of the waterfront. One of the most iconic photographs of the post Katrina recovery effort is one of the lighthouse draped in an American flag.
You may climb the Biloxi Lighthouse but only at 9 AM. The docent at the Visitor Center assured us that no one wanted to be inside the brick lined cast iron tower once the sun got hot.
We believed him.
The Biloxi lighthouse was placed into service in 1848 and was tended by keepers until its automation in 1960. Notably most of the keepers of the light were women. One of them Maria Younghans tended it for 51 years.

We headed west to Beauvoir a few miles West of the lighthouse. Interestingly the construction of the Biloxi Lighthouse and Beauvoir were completed the same year, 1848.

Beauvoir meaning "beautiful view" was named for it's expansive and unobstructed views of the Gulf of Mexico.  Mr. Davis had been staying in Hayes Cottage on the grounds while writing his book The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government. He later made arrangements to acquire the plantation.
Beauvior was his only post war home. It later became a museum and housed his Presidential Library.

Jefferson Davis' funeral carriage. Note the crossed swords and rifles.

The Confederate museum lost many of it's exhibits to Hurricaine Katrina. There was a major archaeological undertaking in the hurricaines wake to identify and restore the museums artifacts  It is estimated that 35% of the library collections were lost. Many items were damaged and some are still awaiting repair like the antique piano on the museums upper level that was totally submerged in salt water.

We learned that Beauvior had survived hurricane Katrina due to it's superior construction. The structure was saved by it's 6 large brick fireplaces, 3 inch thick heart of pine floors and a slate roof with sealed edges designed to be pushed down by the wind instead of being lifted.
It's porches were destroyed and part of the roof was gone but other buildings on the property were completely demolished. The Presidential Library, Hayes Cottage, and the detached kitchen have been rebuilt.

Beauvoir is built in the Antebellum raised cottage style

Beauvoir is an impressive home. It's antebellum architecture is described as "raised cottage" but it is like no cottage I have ever seen.

Front gate of Beauvoir overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.

The front of the house faces the Gulf of Mexico and is wrapped in a wide porch that provides plenty of room for sitting and enjoying the view. The 8 foot tall doors and windows on front and sides open completely to let in the sea breezes. That breeze also blows under the house cooling the floors.
You enter into a wide central reception hall. The formal living room, a library, one bedroom and a parlor can be entered from the hall. There are 2 wings in the back. The left wing has 2 bedrooms and the right a butlers pantry and 2 dining rooms, one designated for children.

Beauvoirs wide porches and tall windows allow maximum airflow.

You must access the rooms in the wings from the back porch.
The most impressive thing to me about Beauvoir is the painting. Walls, ceilings and woodwork are all painted in the trompe l'oeil manner meaning "fool the eye". The original paintings of the home were completely restored after Katrina. The home survived the 180 mph winds but nothing could protect it from the black mold that followed a 24 foot storm surge.

These ornate looking moldings are all paint.

Frescoed ceilings and faux window surrounds beautifully restored.

Walls and ceilings are ornate and beautiful. The door which are made of cyprus have been given details of solid oak, and fireplace mantels are paint rather than marble.
Several of these details were discovered during the restoration effort.

Solid Cyprus doors painted to look like oak.

The docent that led our tour was knowledgeable and answered our questions with southern charm.
He reminded us to visit the farm animals stroll through the rose gardens before leaving.

One of many blooms in the rose garden.

Biloxi Lighthouse
1050 Beach Blvd
Biloxi, Mississippi

Beauvoir
2244 Beach Blvd
Biloxi, Mississippi

Gasparilla Island

Port Boca Grande Lighthouse

Another sunny South Florida day found us headed in the direction of Gasparilla Island and the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse.
Gasparilla is a small barrier island separated from the mainland by the Charlotte Sound.
Popular folklore tells a story of Gulf pirate Jose' Gaspar and a fabulous lost treasure and claims that the island is named for that swashbuckling sailor.
It makes a nice story and one that is much more fun to believe than the one that historians will tell you about Spanish missionaries.

An Ospry nest in the parking lot of Gasparilla Island State Park.

The lighthouse is located in Gasparilla Island State Park at the south end of the island. There was plenty of parking in the lot and payment is by honor system.  Island residents travel by bicycle or golf cart and parking them doesn't take up much space.
The State Park has a picnic area and bath houses as well as miles of beach. The Port Boca Grande Lighthouse is a short stroll from the parking area. We spotted another Ospry nest here in the parking lot. I am beginning to think that they are a must have attraction for Florida Lighthouses.
Fred and I had visited the lighthouse once before in the late 90's and were enjoying lunch in the picnic area when a large iguana ran up the fence near our picnic table, perched on the top and started hissing at us.  It was a startling experience and one that we didn't expect to have repeated.
Then this guy showed up.

Black Spinytail Iguanas have become a nuisance population on Gasparilla Island

We later learned that the population of these non-native lizards has expanded at an alarming rate. They have no natural predators and their presence has been traced to a resident that brought them home from Mexico. He released them into the island environment when he realized that their sharp teeth and spiny tails make them poor pets.
After our encounter with the prehistoric beast we headed over the dunes to the beach.
Gasparilla Island beaches are good for shelling and also a great place to search for sharks teeth. We did find a few small ones to bring home to the boys.
The sand is rough with broken shells so bring your water shoes when you visit.
Port Boca Grande Lighthouse is a one story wood house on pilings with a square tower protruding through the roof like a giant chimney. On top of that tower is an octagonal lantern room that is lit with a drum lantern.
The assistant keepers quarters are a separate building, identical to the first except for the tower. The lighthouse is a museum and is open to the public.

A cleat from the old phosphate docks on Gasparilla Island

Museum displays reveal the history of Gasparilla Island starting with the story of Calusa Indians that used the island for hunting and fishing.
Additional exhibits reveal the effect that phosphate mining had on the area. Rock Phosphate was mined in Dunellon and shipped down the Peace River across the Charlotte Sound to Gasparilla Island where it was loaded onto ships heading Northward. Exports increased in the late 1800's when a railroad line was built to connect Gasparilla Island to the mainland. Increased shipping traffic lead to the need for a lighthouse. Port Boca Grande was established in 1890.
The lighthouse remains an active aid to navigation.
It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Boca Grande Entrance Rear Range Light

There is a second light on Gasparilla Island. The Boca Grande Entrance Rear Range light is an iron skeletal tower similar in design to the on at Sanibel. The Tower at Boca Grande is painted white. It has an interesting history of being recycled. The light began its service in Lewes Delaware marking Cape Henlopen and the entrance of Delaware Bay.  It was deactivated in 1918, dismantled and shipped South. The steel structure found a home on Gasparilla Island where it was reactivated in 1932.
It was sweet to see them both in one day.

Gasparilla State Park and Port Boca Grande Lighthouse
880 Belcher Rd
Boca Grande, Florida
Lighthouse open daily 10-4, Sundays 12-4

Boca Grande Entrance Rear Range Light
Gulf Blvd between Wheeler Rd and Seabreeze Ct.

Sanibel Island

Sanibel Lighthouse shares the beach with sunbathers and beachcombers.

Our stay in South Florida gave us the opportunity to revisit one of my favorite places, Sanibel Island.
Sanibel  and it's sister island Captiva are part of the Gulf Coast's barrier islands. These tiny crescent shaped pieces of land off the coast of Fort Meyers are some of the most beautiful real estate in Florida.
Sanibel is only 12 miles long and 3 miles at it's widest. Captiva is smaller at less than 5 miles long and it's widest point is only half a mile. The islands are pretty easy to navigate since there are only 2 main roads on Sanibel and one that crosses over to Captiva.

The Visitor Centor is located in a small building on the right side of Causeway Road. We stopped to get the Lighthouse Society stamp in our Passport Book since the lighthouse itself is not manned. They were great about suggesting parking areas for the places we wanted to visit.

Causeway Drive and Periwinkle Way meet in a 4 way stop intersection that is manned by a traffic officer during high use hours.  He signaled us through with a wave as we turned left on Periwinkle to visit Lighthouse Beach, home to the historic Sanibel Lighthouse. There was parking available in the beaches automated pay by the hour lot. The parking lot has multiple beach access points over wood boardwalks to protect the dunes.
We took advantage of the closest one to cross to the beach and walked along the water around the islands easternmost point where the Gulf of Mexico meets San Carlos Bay and the grounds of the lighthouse are located.

Sanibel Island Lighthouse

The iron skeleton tower was established in 1844. It sits 98 feet above sea level so you can easily see the rust brown superstructure as you stroll in the sand.
Sanibel Light has an interesting history that began in 1884 when its iron superstructure was made in the North in Jersey City and shipped to site. The ship carrying the structure sank just 2 miles from Sanibel's shores. It was recovered from the floor of Gulf and took its place on the Island later that year.
As we got closer to the lighthouse we could hear the high pitched whistling cry of a bird.  There was a large Osprey perched on the railing at the top of the lighthouse. From that vantage point it could look down at the chimney of the keepers cottage where it had built a nest and warn us all to stay away.

An Osprey nest on the chimney of the keepers quarters

You will never be lonely on Lighthouse Beach.  Sanibel and Captiva  are known for their abundant seashells. The combined length of these barrier islands runs east to west blocking the current and providing a perfect place for shells to wash ashore.
Lighthouse Beach is full of them.  During our short stroll we saw dozens of angel wings, augers, scallops and tiny conchs  We even took the time to dig a starfish out of the sand. I don't bring shells home anymore, but still love to touch them and marvel at their delicate beauty.

Beachcombing posture here is called the Sanibel Stoop. You can't help but look around your feet to see what treasures can be found.

Brown Pelican taking a rest from fishing.

The current in the channel is strong so swimming is not recommended at Lighthouse beach, but the current makes this a great place to watch for dolphins.  There were 2 pods feeding close to shore on the afternoon that we visited. I was happy to see my favorite brown pelicans fishing in the same area.

Sanibel Lighthouse is an iron skeleton tower.

 Sanibel lighthouse is a fully automated active aid to navigation and is currently lit with a drum lens.It's former third order Fresnel lens can be seen at the Sanibel Historical Museum and Village.
We enjoyed walking around the lighthouse, it's restored oil house and 2 hip roofed keepers cottages which are not open for public viewing.

Oil House

It was hard to leave such a beautiful beach but we wanted to make one more stop before heading home. We left the beach and drove Periwinkle Way through town stopping for a quick lunch of shrimp and fish sandwiches  before cutting over to Sanibel-Captiva Road which brought us to the J.N. Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge.

Sanibel and Captiva are unique in that they have a source of fresh water, a river that runs through them, creating an estuary where salt water meets fresh in a brackish combination that attracts hundreds of birds.
More that 250 species have been identified by birding enthusiasts in the J. N. 'Ding' Darling National Wildlife Refuge.
Mr. Darling recognized the significance of Sanibel's watery environment and advocated for the creation of the Wildlife Refuge.  The 7600 acres of mangrove filled wild areas were saved from development in 1945 by the order of President Harry S Truman. It is now part of the largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystem in the United States and comprises a large portion of Sanibel Island.
Darling, a Pulitzer prize winning cartoonist, was a conservationist and was involved in the creation of the National Wildlife Federation. The name of the refuge was later changed to bear his name.

Roseate Spoonbills 

We followed the refuges 4 mile Wildlife Trail which allowed us several viewing opportunities for birds and other wildlife. We were lucky enough to see White Pelicans, Roseate Spoonbills and Yellow Crowned Night Herons in addition to the more common Hawks, Osprey, Snowy Egrets, White Ibis and Great Blue Herons. We were lucky enough to meet an experienced bird watcher who helped us to identify the less obvious species we were looking at.

The creepiest creatures of all, climbing mangrove crabs.

We spotted the creepiest creatures on the Mangrove Boardwalk where tiny crabs climb up the trunks of the Red Mangrove trees. They moved slowly along the branches like spiders with suits of armor. Not my favorite sighting of the day.

J. N. Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge has opportunities for bike riding and walking as well as small boat launches for kayaks and canoes. The Wildlife Trail is a shared use space for cars, bikes, and walking. There are many vantage points for watching birds and amphibians. Fishing is permitted.

Sanibel Island Lighthouse
112 Periwinkle Way
Sanibel, Florida
(239) 472-3700

J. N. "Ding" Darling Wildlife Refuge
1 Wildlife Dr
Sanibel, Florida
(239) 472-1100

Cape Fear and the Oak Island Lighthouse

Fisherman on Kure Beach with pelicans waiting for the catch

Kure Beach North Carolina is a small paradise that we might never of found if it weren’t for the military campground at Fort Fisher. We chose the area as a convenient stop on our way to Charleston, not realizing that we would be surrounded by water and that the beach was a short walk from our campsite.

Kure Beach is a lovely expanse of white sand and exposed rock surfaces that provide a beautiful place to spend an afternoon and breath in the peace inducing salt air. We were happy to share it with a few intrepid swimmers, flocks of pelicans and morning surf casters.

It was a pleasure to be able to take our walks in the wet sand between the rolling surf and rainbow painted condos.

Morning and evening walks along the water were a pleasure

Kure beach is a peninsula sandwiched between the Atlantic and the Cape Fear river.  Fort Fisher a Confederate stronghold during the Civil War was here. The forts remains are part of the Fort Fisher State Historic Site that include a museum and an undersea archeology program.

Oak Island Lighthouse

The Fort Fisher ferry took us over to Southport one afternoon and we drove through to Oak Island to visit another North Carolina Lighthouse. The Oak Island lighthouse is located on Caswell beach. It was a lovely drive through a residential neighborhood with lots of beach access points. We easily found the 153 foot tower. Oak Island Lighthouse was built in 1957. The poured concrete tower is a uniform 16 feet 4 ¾ inches in diameter with 8 inch thick walls. We found it interesting that the daymark colors of gray, black and white were permanently cast into the cement as it was poured. It is possible to climb the tower but reservations to do so must be made 2 weeks in advance. Unlike the circular staircase of a traditional lighthouse tower you reach the top of this column via a series of metal ship style metal ladders. 131 steps to the top with a landing every 17 steps. We did not have reservations so saved the climb for another day.

Bald Island Lighthouse

We used the beach access across the street  to get a good view of Bald Island and Old Baldy, the island’s lighthouse. The Bald Island light once provided navigational aid to those ships passing the aptly named Cape Fear. This place where the Cape Fear River joins the Atlantic Ocean is marred by Flying Pan Shoals a 28 mile shifting sandbar that made entering the river a hazardous endeavor.

The beach was deserted except for 2 far away fishermen so we gave Rascal a bit of off leash time that made him a very happy boy.

The Lighthouses of Hatteras National Seashore

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Cape Hatteras National Seashore is a beautiful place full of sun and surf, sea birds and skittering crabs, sand dunes, salt marshes and picture perfect sunrises. This narrow group of 3 barrier islands  hosts thousands of visitors a year but the shores have not always been a welcoming place. The beautiful waters off the coast of the islands hide Diamond Shoals a shifting bank of sand bars and ridges that make sailing a risky business. Over 600 ships are known to have gone down in these waters earning the area the nickname Graveyard of the Atlantic.

The US lighthouse Service erected 3 lights on these islands to aid ships in navigating the dangerous passages.

We set off on a sunny September day to see all 3.

Cedar Island Ferry to Ocracoke Island

Our home base was in Havelock so the first leg of the journey was a 40 minute drive to the Cedar Island ferry dock where we caught a 2 ½ hour ride to Ocracoke Island the southernmost point of the Hatteras National Seashore and former hideout of Edward Teach also known as the English pirate Blackbeard.

We had our choice of outdoor seating or an indoor air conditioned lounge. Several passengers had brought binoculars. Fred went down to the car deck to retrieve ours. It was fun to get an up close view of other boats on the water and to see the island as we approached the shore.

The ferry docked in Ocracoke Village at the southern end of the narrow island. We disembarked and parked at the Visitor Center to get stamps for the Ocracoke Lighthouse and the Ocracoke portion of the National Seashore.

Rudder from a wreck at the Ocracoke Preservation Society Museum

The Ocracoke Preservation Society is a short walk from the same parking lot. This museum of Ocracoke history is located in the David Williams house, an 1890 foursquare style home with wide porches. The rooms of the home have been set up with period furniture as they would have been when it was built. Each room houses several displays including examples of quilts and other local folk art, WWII relics and a vintage 1950’s Boy Scout poster featuring Ocracoke Islands mounted troop.

It must have been an interesting place when wild ponies freely roamed the island. We were told that the pretty picket fences that surround the historic houses were put there to keep the horses out of the kitchen gardens.

Fred and I spoke with the docent on duty who encouraged us to look at the outdoor exhibits that included pieces of a shipwreck and told us of the extensive genealogical research library they were collecting on the museums second floor.

We left the library and headed into the village to find a British cemetery. There are many small family cemeteries on the island and one on a narrow street in a neighborhood of historic homes contains the bodies of 4 British sailors from the HMS Bedfordshire. The Bedfordshire on anti-submarine duty out of Morehead City was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat on May 12, 1942. The bodies of 4 sailors washed ashore and were buried close to one another at the right side of the cemetery. That burial ground was later deeded to the Commonwealth and is essentially British territory. A British flag flies over the graves and a nearby marker quotes Rupert Brooke: If I should die think only this of me that there’s some corner of a foreign field that is forever England

4 British sailors buried here during WWII

Route 12 took us through town where we found Lighthouse Road. The Ocracoke lighthouse built in 1823 is North Carolina’s oldest operating light. The 75 foot white brick and plaster structure is not open for climbing but a small parking area and a boardwalk running to the lighthouse itself makes for a great photo stop.

Ocracoke Lighthouse

We left the truck at a church a short distance away where enterprising parishioners had erected an honor box for parking donations. There were quite a few lighthouse visitors the day we visited so I suspect that the church does well with these anonymous donations.

We continued along route 12 to get to the north end of the 16 mile long island. We passed the pony pens and miles of sand dunes with pull offs for cars and ATV’s. You can drive the beaches of the National Seashore but must apply for an ORV permit at the visitor center.

The ferry to Hatteras Island was boarding as we arrived and we were able to fit the truck in as one of the last 3 vehicles. We opened the windows and sat back to enjoy the free 1 hour ride across the Hatteras Inlet.

The light casts a shadow toward its original location, now lapped by waves

Hatteras Island is a vacationer’s paradise. Parts of it are densely populated with hotels, condos and vacation homes as well as the restaurants shops and service centers that cater to those that inhabit them.  Route 12 continued up the narrow spit of land and we followed it to Buxton where one of the photographed of all lighthouses is found. Climbing Cape Hatteras Lighthouse has been on Fred’s bucket list for more than 20 years and today we made that happen.

257 steps to the top

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was built in 1870. At 193 feet and 257 steps it is the tallest light in the US. I was thankful for a landing every 31 steps. The views from the top are spectacular and include the former location of the lighthouse 2900 feet closer to the water. The lighthouse Visitor Center shows a movie about the spectacular feet of engineering it was to move the 193 foot tower.

It took a while but once I got Fred down out of the tower we continued North on route 12 past the Lightsaving station at Little Kinnakeet, through Rodanthe and the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, and across the bridge onto Bodie Island. We got to the area of Bodie Island Lighthouse as rainclouds were moving in from the west. It looked beautiful in the waning light but we didn’t stop as we had climbed this light on a prior visit to the Outer Banks.

Bodie Island Llghthouse

We crossed the bridge to Roanoke Island and then to the mainland before making the 2 hour drive back home to Havelock.

It was a long day, a lot of miles, and a most excellent adventure.

The front moving in as we drove south back to Havelock

Cape Lookout National Seashore

Cape Lookout Lighhouse

Virginia was still damp and drying out as we headed south to North Carolina's lower Outer Banks. We had visited Kitty Hawk, the Wright Brothers National Memorial, Corolla and the Bodie Island Lighthouse on a prior visit but had never been to the lower North Carolina barrier islands.
Threats of bad weather persuaded us to make camp inland rather than on the islands themselves. Havelock, a small city situated about half way between historic New Bern and the ferries that would take us to the Outer Banks was the perfect spot.
We parked the Behemoth at a Marine Corp Air Station called Cherry Point where a nicely remodeled MWR park provided a home base.

North Carolina has an amazing network of passenger ferries as part of its public transportation system. They connect the lower barrier islands to the mainland and are a delightful way to travel. Some were as small as 10 passenger water taxis and others big enough for the Behemoth.

Our first experience with the ferry system was a trip to Cape Lookout National Seashore.
Cape Lookout and the Shackleford Banks can be reached by private boat or by ferry from the National Park Visitor Center at Harker's Island.

Wild Banker horses at the Shackleford Banks, Cape Lookout National Seashore

The National  seashore is made up of 3 barrier islands. Island Express Ferry Service carried us the 3 miles out to Cape Lookout with a short stop at the Shackleford Banks to drop off 4 passengers who were interested in shelling. We were told that the long narrow beach of Shackleford is one of the best in North Carolina for shell hunting.  Shakleford is also home to a protected herd of wild horses whose ancestry is linked to Spanish Conquistadors by local legend and proven by DNA testing. We were able to see a few of them grazing on the sea oats as we got close to the drop off point.

View from the dock

Island Express dropped us off a short distance away at the dock near the Cape Lookout lifesaving station. The island is only a few miles long and about 3/4 mile wide. We started our exploration on the bay side where the Cape Lookout Lighthouse and museum are located.
The National Park Visitor Center was manned by a couple from Charleston who were volunteering at the lighthouse for 3 weeks. Charlotte explained to us that they spend 5 days on island with 2 days off each week.  Their duties include manning the Visitor Center, watching over the museum, and keeping the public areas neat. It sounded like a great way to spend 3 weeks and we put it on our list of possibilities for a future visit.

Trails on island are a combination of sand and boardwalk to protect the fragile dunes. One of the boardwalks lead us to the lighthouse and the Lighthouse Keepers quarters which now serves as a museum. The lighthouse is usually open through the 3rd weekend in September but closed early this year due to threat of storms.

Cape Lookout Light is painted white and black in a distinctive diamond pattern. It is 163 feet tall and can be seen almost 20 miles out to sea.
The museum tour is self guided and told us a lot about the southern Outer Banks.  Area history is rich with stories of storms and shipwrecks as well as its roll in the Civil War and in WWII when German U boats sank more than 80 vessels in North Carolina waters.

The back porch of the museum had a row of rocking chairs that invite you to rest a while and enjoy looking out over the bay. Bayside is where those with private boats drop anchor. There were several boats the day we visited and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves floating in the water and visiting back and forth.

Oceanside beach

Fred enjoyed the waves

Cape Lookout's ocean beach was voted #1 in USA Today's 10 most beautiful National Park Beaches contest for 2016.  It was easy to see why.  We walked the boardwalk path across the dunes to find waves rolling onto a pristine sand beach dotted with seaweed and seashells. There were surfers and body surfers and surf fishermen with plenty of room for them all to play.  Fred couldn't stay out of the water and I must have walked a mile down the beach.  It was lovely. We stayed until we started to feel crispy from the sun and then headed back to the dock.
Island Express sent a smaller boat to bring us back so the ride wasn't as smooth but we did see plenty of pelican's and a couple of dolphins in the channel.

NASA in Virginia?

NASA Wanted Poster

Drive along route 13 in the Virginia portion of the DelMarVa Peninsula and turn East at T’s Corners. You will be on  Chincoteague Road and on your way to Chincoteague Island.

Many years ago, before retirement and our fulltime RV life, Fred and I turned off on this road on our way to Virginia Beach. We wanted to take a look at the Assateague Lighthouse.

Northup Gruuman E-2 Hawkeye in flight near NASA's Wallops Flight Facility

As we drove the narrow road we began to notice Navy jets  in low flight performing  touch and go maneuvers. High chain fences and a large Satellite array made us wonder aloud and then we saw the signs that welcomed us to NASA and the Wallops Flight Facility.   We saw a rocket display and the Visitor Center on the right, but we had limited time so didn’t stop. We vowed to return to visit this division of NASA that we had never heard of.  Last week we returned and spent an hour or so at the Visitor’s Center learning about the facility and its missions.

NASA’s Wallops Flight facility is one of the oldest flight facilities worldwide. It has many active missions.

Those military jets we noticed?  They are Navy pilots training for carrier landings.  Wallops Flight Facility provides airfield services to the US Fleet Command. All E-2 and C-2 pilots operating from an Aircraft Carrier must complete Carrier Qualification training here before practicing on an actual carrier. There can be up to 5 planes in the flight pattern at any time and they practice night as well as daytime hours. No wonder we saw so many.

Wallops Command and Data Acquisition Station is responsible for the satellite views that you see on evening weather reports. The data collected from NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental satellites is used to analyze coastal waters, provide meteorological data, and track hurricanes and tropical storms. They have been operating since 1966.

NASA has been monitoring Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets since 2009 with Operation IceBridge. This mission provides an annual 3D view of those ice sheets.  The data is then used by scientists in trying to understand sea level rise and it’s relation to polar ice melt.

NASA at Wallops provides launch opportunities for Suborbital Sounding Rockets. NASA supports around 20 launches a year. The last launch from Wallops was in August of this year in collaboration with the Colorado Space Grant Consortium. We will plan our next trip around a launch.

I would also like to see one of those enormous high altitude balloons take flight. Again, next time.

The Visitor Center has information and displays that explain many of these missions.

There is no charge for admission.

MInds full of Space facts we continued down the road to Chincoteague Island.

Assateague Lighthouse

Assateague Lighthouse is in the Chincoteague Island National Wildlife Refuge which is administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. We had been to the lighthouse before but never when it was open for climbing. This day we were in luck and were able to climb the 175 steps to the top. We walked out onto the catwalk and into a brisk wind. The 360 degree view was beautiful even on this windy and cloud covered day.

Chincoteague Island is possibly most well  known for its wild ponies.  They were made famous by Marguerite Henry in her children’s book Misty of Chincoteague published in 1947.  

The ponies run free on the island. It is not unusual to see them at the beach or walking along the road. We were lucky enough to see them running in the marsh this trip.

Wild ponies at Chincoteague Island National Wildlife Refuge

 We finished our visit with a stop for lunch at Bill’s Seafood because when you are this close to the water in DelMarVa one must enjoy crab cakes.