Cape Lookout

After convincing the husband to play 'hookie' yesterday, we took a day trip to Cape Lookout. We drove over to Harkers Island (north of Beaufort) and took the 15 minute ferry ride over to Cape Lookout (CL, for short). Due to the proximity of many of the barrier islands, we had to ride by the north end of Shackleford Banks where the band of wild horses are located. With it being early morning and a bit overcast, we had numerous horse 'spottings' on our way to CL.

The day was great! Being overcast weather kept it a bit cooler (as cool as it can get for Coastal Carolina in mid-July); there was a constant breeze, which kept the ferocious biting bugs at bay (but did give lunch and drinks a gritty characteristic) and TS Bertha churned the ocean enough to provide us with some visual entertainment.

The first Cape Lookout lighthouse was built in 1812. It didn't take sailors and captains long to realize that the 107 foot structure was way to short to keep boats off the dangerous shoals surrounding the barrier islands. In fact, the beam of light from the lighthouse could only be seen 6 or 7 nautical miles. So, in 1859 they completed a 'new' lighthouse. Standing 163 feet tall, the 1000 watt bulb can be seen up to 25 nautical miles. Did you notice the paint job on the lighthouse? Kind of fancy, huh? Well, it is also practical. Painted with what is called a 'daymark' pattern,' the lighthouse can tell you direction like a compass. The black diamonds run North-South, while the white diamonds go East-West. Impressive! Those North Carolinians were just ahead of their time!