| laborlitigator |
Any suggestions?
Rented a house down there in Corolla. I've got kids. Just wanted to know what the hightlights of the area are. |
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| perk |
I go there all the time. The biggest thing to do is take the X onto the sand. But make sure that when you do take it on the sand that you don't get squeemish and decide to slow down or stop at any place to see what happens. Keep the X moving, even when the damned traction control is retarding the engine to prevent wheel slippage, and keep your gas pedal down as far as you need to. Also, make sure to lower pressure in tires beforehand. Take a look here.
Be sure to see all the lighthouses while there. You can still go up into most of them, including the Corolla light (Currituck) and Cape Hatteras (Buxton).
As far as dining, I like Kelly's in Kill Devil Hills about a mile past Kitty Hawk Memorial on the same side of road. Have fun and tell us all about it. |
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| azfansinnc |
I've never had the X on the sand on the Outer Banks like Perk. I only did that in South Texas. However, definitely see the lighthouses. As far as I know, you can only actually go up two of the lighthouses, Carrituck Beach and Cape Hatteras. Both are well worth the time. Your kids would also enjoy the short (and free) ferry ride to Ocracoke. It's a neat little island and town with another lighthouse.
I also hear that the sea kayak tours through some of the sound are really nice.
The part of the OB you guys are heading to is the prettiest part. Enjoy! |
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| laborlitigator |
| I am so psyched for this trip. I've heard the drive there is a bit slow once you hit the smaller roads (we are coming from 95). |
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| zafer |
| ...so when you guys heading for to OBX? :D :( |
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| crmsnidol |
- Mako Mike's on Virginia Dare trail has great food and atmosphere.
- The NC State Aquarium in Manteo is about 30 mins from Corolla. Small but a fun 1/2 day.
- Also in Manteo there is an outdoor play about the settling of Jamestown. My wife and I went in 1998 and loved the show.
- Jurrasic Putt is a fun miniature golf course near the Tangers Outlet mall.
We've stayed in Nags Head in 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2002 and loved it. Last year was Disney, this year enjoying the new pool but next year we're going back to Nags Head. |
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| laborlitigator |
quote:
Originally posted by zafer
...so when you guys heading for to OBX? :D :(
Week of the 22nd. . . |
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| one4gatr |
I have been to Cape Hatteras on surfing trips 2 times. I got pulled over for speeding both times. Its been a while since I have been up there so Perk might be better able to address this but they used to have what I would call speed traps all over the place. You go from 55 to 25 in like a 1/2 mile. I assume its still like that. Beyond that its a beautiful area with plenty of things to do. I was amazed how big the grains of sand were on the beach. Kind of reminded me of baby peas compared to the sand in Florida. Also keep your eye on the weather forecasts (hurricanes) because there are only a couple of ways to get out and it can be a mess if you have a storm bearing down on you.
Oh also the outer banks host a wild herd of horses that if you are lucky you might get to see. |
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| laborlitigator |
| BTW, I'm taking 95 down but am wondering if I should go through Route 13 or just take the expressway all the way. |
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| crmsnidol |
| It took us an additional 3 hours via 95. Taking the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel cuts a lot of time off the trip. I thiink it's route 17 or 71. Mapquest should give you the option. |
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| laborlitigator |
| You're right, Mapquest also said to take that Chesapeake path. |
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| laborlitigator |
So we wen to the northern tip of the island where it says "SUV's only". So, confident that the MDX could handle anything, we drove along the beach for about 3 miles.
On our way back, we took the side closer to the dunes, and in turn softer and deeper. Well, to make a long story short, I slowed down too much and got stuck on top of the sand. The X got beached.
Fortunately, the people there, ordinary strangers, stopped by and attempted to help push us out of the predicament we were in. After several minutes of failed attempts, nothing.
Then, a Jeep Cherokee stops by with a chain. Again, a complete stranger. We hooks up to our front bumper and attempts to pull us out. The X doesn't even move. Now I should tell you that by now, I mistakenly turned off the X which was in 1st gear. I couldn't move the shifter into neutral.
Finally, a huge monster truck comes rolling down the beach. It had to have at least 40" rims and was elevated off the ground like 10 feet. Another complete stranger. He hooks us up and states that if my bumper flies off, he's not responsible. He pulls us out like we're a sleigh. While he's pulling the X, I'm able to immediately engage into neutral.
What an experience! But more importantly, I'm thankful to the kindness of strangers. |
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| laborlitigator |
Just got back from OBX. Absolutely loved it! I'd recommend it highly to anyone looking for a new place to visit.
As for the trip down there, it very much like the Jersey Shore on the weekend. Too many cars for the road. Just be patient.
I attached my youngest ones picture on the first day. It actually cleared up right after that and the weather was excellent. |
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| fatherlu |
| Between the commercials and other postings, it seems as though the Jeep Cherokees handles off roading pretty well. Besides the Overland edition of the Grand Jeep Cherokee, it seems as though on paper, other editions of Jeep Cherokees don't necessarily have any more horse power or torque than the MDX--I wonder why it performs so well on sand over the MDX? |
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| laborlitigator |
| I've never been stuck in my X over snow. I was a little disappointed at what happened on the beach. |
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| perk |
quote:
Originally posted by laborlitigator
So we wen to the northern tip of the island where it says "SUV's only". So, confident that the MDX could handle anything, we drove along the beach for about 3 miles.
On our way back, we took the side closer to the dunes, and in turn softer and deeper. Well, to make a long story short, I slowed down too much and got stuck on top of the sand. The X got beached.
Fortunately, the people there, ordinary strangers, stopped by and attempted to help push us out of the predicament we were in. After several minutes of failed attempts, nothing.
Then, a Jeep Cherokee stops by with a chain. Again, a complete stranger. We hooks up to our front bumper and attempts to pull us out. The X doesn't even move. Now I should tell you that by now, I mistakenly turned off the X which was in 1st gear. I couldn't move the shifter into neutral.
Finally, a huge monster truck comes rolling down the beach. It had to have at least 40" rims and was elevated off the ground like 10 feet. Another complete stranger. He hooks us up and states that if my bumper flies off, he's not responsible. He pulls us out like we're a sleigh. While he's pulling the X, I'm able to immediately engage into neutral.
What an experience! But more importantly, I'm thankful to the kindness of strangers.
Yep, I've both heard and told that story lots of times myself. Luckily, I've been going down there so many times that I now know not to ever slow down or stop in deep sand. Although I've never gotten stuck in the X, I've been in your shoes before and all the folks around seem to help out without a thought. Nice people.
What town did you end up staying in? |
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| laborlitigator |
Zafer,
Sorry no photos. Mrs. LL was pissed off enough. Although it did cross my mind.
Perk,
We stayed in Corolla. Lovely town. Huge houses. |
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| fatherlu |
LL,
How much did you decrease your tire pressure before embarking on the sand? |
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| laborlitigator |
| I didn't at all. I guess I should have. |
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