Island Deliveries

I celebrated my first Mother’s Day having lunch at the new Cafe 12, formerly known as the Pickled Steamer located in the Food Lion shopping center in Avon. Not much has changed, but the name. They have an extensive menu including flat tops which are now called “Hatteras Flats”, wraps, quesadillas, and an assortment of other sandwiches, apps, and salads. Food was excellent, and the portions are gargantuan. I had the artichoke and portobella flat served with some type of a vinaigrette dressing. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and could barely make it through half. The tasty parmesan green beans offered as a side item are a refreshing alternative to french fries. They changed the decor a bit since the last time I had been in there, but it still exudes a sort of Mediterranean charm. Very quaint little cafe! We left satisfied customers and would definitely recommend a visit for lunch.

Saturday May 24th @ the Avon Fire Station…

11am - 5pm- Games.. Food… Bake Sale… Silent Auction- some of the things being auctions off are a $50 gift certificate at Dolphin Den, Froggy Dog, Dirty Dicks, dinner for 2 at Avon Cafe(Hodads), Coastal Blue, Cafe 12(Pickled Steamer), Clothes from Surfside Casuals, Cooler from Ace Hardware, 1 night stay at Comfort Inn, and sooooo much more!!!

5pm - 7:30pm- Drug Abuse Awareness Speaking

7:30pm - 9 or so- local band PEER PRESSURE to perform live!

Please come out and show your support for Marshall Gray….

Marshall is a 20 year old native of Hatteras Island born and raised in Kinnakeet. On January 30, 2008 he was admitted to Pitt Memorial Hospital in Greenville, NC in a coma. Marshall has suffered a brain injury due to an accidental drug overdose. Marshall is now doing very well. His mental state is just fine and he took his first steps May 9th!! Unfortunately, when Marshall was admitted to the hospital he did not have medical insurance. As you can imagine, he now has medical expenses that the family cannot absorb.

You couldn’t ask for much better of a beach day than the gift beach goers were given today. The temperature hovered right around 70-72 degrees with a slight NW breeze for most of the early afternoon. The 10-15 mph NNW winds created the perfect offshore push creating fun, somewhat glassy, waist high waves for surfers south of ramp 55 in Hatteras Village for the early afternoon. Wetsuits are mostly retired as the water temp climbs into the upper 60s. Clouds seem to have rolled in bringing the temperature down slightly and the winds have switched to the east most likely blowing out what waves we had as of the time of this post about 4:30. The beaches were somewhat crowded, but I must wonder a little bit how much of this is based on how many people are here vs. how much of the beach remains open for use.

In 1999 I left Hatteras on a three month camping trip across the country. I visited 24 U.S. states, 7 national parks, and camped on various beaches along both coasts of our own country and in Mexico. It was one of the most wonderful, fulfilling, and educational experiences of my life. I marveled at the varied beauty our country holds. But, something drew me back to the Outer Banks. For me, Hatteras has infiltrated my very being as no other place has. There is a certain unspoiled nature not only to the land, but to the people as well. Its society in general seemed to be somewhat virginal in that until recently we had been magically shielded from the corporate and capitalistic natures that define much of American society. It has been such a gradual transformation that it is difficult to pinpoint exactly when and why it has all changed. I suspect many of the contributing factors were so small and seemingly innocent that we couldn’t even perceive the repercussions. Change is mainly intended to be progressive and beneficial, and the unfortunate truth is that even the most fruit bearing trees produce rotten fruit. The same improved highways that have increased tourism for our island have carried the cinder blocks here to construct the corporate beach retailer giants such as Wings or Deep Blue. The same agreement made with the park service 55 years ago that protected our beaches from greedy developers has resulted in the current beach closures. I absolutely love that Hatteras has always embodied small town, beach charm. Simplicity. No neon lights. No corporate chains. If I want 24 hour conveniences, I can move to the city. I feel safe here. It is a place where you don’t have to lock your doors. We are a humble community that thrives off of hard work and simple living. It is an unrivaled feeling of satisfaction and serenity to relax in the warmth of a beach fire as you listen to the soothing, rhythmic sounds of the Atlantic lapping at the shore and gaze up at the expanse of stars that has been dimmed in most parts of the country by city lights. I read on the Island Free Press today that beach fires are now prohibited from 11pm- 6am. Last year fireworks were banned for all of Hatteras Island. This means a child cannot have a lit sparkler on the beach for Fourth of July. I understand enacting rules to protect people, but it is difficult to enjoy life’s simple pleasures when there are so many rules delineating how and when we are allowed to do anything and everything. For me, it just takes all the enjoyment out of it. It seems the leash law applicable to pets also applies to humans. We just don’t see our leashes.

On the Beach in Hatteras 1982

Parts of the beach were already closed around ramps 43 & 45 near Cape Point due to least terns exhibiting nesting behavior or what is called “scratching” making the point virtually inaccessible via pedestrian or ORV traffic. Yesterday morning the National Park Service discovered a single least tern egg which prompted further closures of South Beach around what is known as the hook south of Cape Point. I work at Finnegan’s Restaurant located across the street from the access road to get to the point. I can personally attest to the fact that these recent beach closures has certainly affected our business. We rely heavily upon the patronage of many fishermen & women especially in the spring and fall seasons. Conversation among the tables in the restaurant are ruled by the beach closures and their expected and already noticeable effects. I was told that the Falcon Motel has received 4 calls canceling this weekend’s reservations, and that Monday several people turned their keys in early as a result of the news of the closures. Later in the evening I was informed that one of the campgrounds has experienced similar cancellations for the same reasons. I can only imagine what this small sampling could mean for the rest of the island’s business trends. Living in such a small community I have found that it is easy for rumors to spread and compound quickly, and I try to keep a level head about most things, wishing for the best. However, in light of the events unfolding before us it is becoming abundantly clear that we may not only be experiencing a nationwide recession, but one on a microlevel that could potentially prove to be extremely detrimental to our close knit, fragile community. Facing current challenges such as the mortgage crisis, a flailing stock market, and obscenely high gas prices may prove to be catastrophic for many of Hatteras Island’s residents if coupled with a major decline in our tourism industry. We are already at a disadvantage because we have no organized local government or media capable of fighting or aptly representing our cause. Yes, we have many individuals and organizations trying to band together and broadcast the community’s voice, but our words are drowned by megalomaniac special interest groups. For so long Hatteras has been able to exist untouched by the bureaucratic fingers of the archetypal American society. Is it too idealistic to believe that this little strip of land could remain that way forever?

More in depth info regarding the beach closures can be found at the following links:

Island Free Press

Outer Banks Preservation Association

As I was taking my biweekly trip to the metropolis of Nags Head this morning, I was again stopped on the Bonner Bridge by construction crews as I have been for the past couple of months. Since March there has been one lane traffic on about a half mile stretch of the bridge as they are obviously conducting much needed work on the Oregon Inlet Bridge. I wondered if this would continue throughout the season so I did a little digging and found some very interesting and informative updates on the North Carolina Department of Transportation web site. Apparently, a recent assessment of the bridge was recently posted on May 3, 2008. They are quoted as saying:

“The bridge, in its current state, is safe for use by the traveling public and does not require any
weight limit posting. Its “poor” rating is an indication of the bridge’s short remaining life span.”

There is a lot of interesting information on the site detailing problem areas and even displaying pictures depicting these problems. For anyone who is interested I would suggest checking out the report. The “bridge issue” has been a much debated issue in the forefront of Hatteras news for some time now. An in depth version of the report can be found at the following link:

http://www.ncdot.org/doh/operations/dp_chief_eng/maintenance/bridge/bonner/bonner.html

As far as whether or not the traffic stops will continue throughout the season the following contract synopsis implies that it will. In a nutshell, although work just began in March, the projected completion date is not until late 2010. I guess the bridge construction trucks will become as normal a sight as the dredges underneath the bridge and the bulldozers on the side of HWY 12 north of Rodanthe used to constantly push sand off the highway. We are in a perpetual race with Mother Nature on Hatteras Island.

The contract info already copied below can be found at the following link:

https://apps.dot.state.nc.us/traffictravel/progloc/ProgLocSearch.aspx

Although we enjoyed an unusually mild winter here in Hatteras, the winters can still seem a bit isolated at times. Well, okay maybe more than a bit…

So much is closed, and the island seems to hibernate as we impatiently await the opening of businesses and the arrival of visitors. That time is upon us and with Memorial Day right around the corner, it’s nice to see Hatteras slowly coming back to life.

Despite a little rain here and there, the weather is becoming consistently warmer and traffic a little thicker as we advance closer to the season. We experienced the first burst of activity last weekend with a fishing tournament in Buxton, the annual Pow Wow in Frisco, and bike week in the Outer Banks. A little bit of a lull has ensued, but there are a couple of things happening this week for anyone looking for something to do….

• Open Mic starts at the Fish House in Buxton this Wednesday, May 7th, at 7pm
• Jewelry Expo at Indian Town Gallery in Frisco this weekend, May 10th & 11th
• EZ & the Heat playing Saturday, May 11th at the Sandbar & Grille in Buxton

Nino’s Pizza has expanded! In addition to their existing location in Avon, they now have a Buxton location, Papa Nino’s, which delivers to the villages of Buxton, Frisco, and Hatteras. Exciting news to this Frisco resident who has already enjoyed delivery twice since their inception just a few weeks ago. The delivery time was very reasonable and the food was good! They have an awesome garden salad…gigantic for only $3. Thank you Papa Nino’s, I’ll be calling again!

Lately you can’t go anywhere on Hatteras Island without becoming entangled in conversation lamenting the recent court decision regarding beach access and its resulting closures. But, why wouldn’t it be in the forefront of our minds? These recent events will have a trickle down effect on all of us whether we live in Hatteras or just visit. I worry about the state of our economy and our very livelihoods. Yesterday the Bodie Island Spit in Oregon Inlet, Cape Point in Buxton, and the South Point of Ocracoke were all closed not only to ORV access, but to pedestrian traffic as well. These closures were a result of the discovery of plover and tern nests. Already the consent decree stated that as of May 1st all of Hatteras beaches would be closed to night driving between the hours of 10pm to 6am. This will most certainly have a devastating effect on the fishing sect of the tourist population as all of these closures took place at prime fishing spots.

It has been an emotionally charged couple of months in Hatteras as we anxiously await new news.

Here are a few links to learn more & keep up-to-date with beach closure info, other Hatteras news, & to join in the discussion:

• Island Free Press
• Red Drum Tackle Forums
• OBX Connection Forums
• Outer Banks Preservation Association
• North Carolina Beach Buggy Association

Photo by Don Bowers