North Carolina’s Outer Banks, a long stretch of barrier islands, is not only beautiful, serene, and a fantastic vacation destination, it’s also the spot—Kill Devil Hills—where the Wright brothers first took to the air.

Of particular interest to writers and Nicholas Sparks fans, Rodanthe (Nights in Rodanthe) is a town on the Outer Banks. In fact, portions of the film adaptation of Sparks’ book were filmed in Rodanthe.

Our first stop on the islands is Jockey’s Ridge (above photo), the tallest sand dune in the eastern United States. The height of the dunes vary from 80 to 120 feet depending upon the weather and winds.

Jockey’s Ridge is located in Nags Head, N.C., home of world-record fishing, shipwreck remains, and the pirate, Blackbeard.

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in the country. Standing at 208 feet tall, it’s also the tallest brick lighthouse. The light’s beacon can be seen from 20 miles out to sea, warning sailors of the dangerous Diamond Shoals off the coast of Hatteras.

The waters off Cape Hatteras are so dangerous to passing ships, the area is known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic.

In 1999, the 6,250 ton Hatteras Lighthouse was moved further inland due to an ever-eroding shoreline. A circle of stones marks the lighthouse’s orignal site. In the photo above, the lighthouse can be seen in it’s new location. By the way, Cape Hatteras is the nearest point of land to Bermuda (563 miles as the pelican flies).

Names of former lighthouse keepers are engraved in each stone in the circle.

The Currituck Beach Lighthouse in Corolla, N.C. was first lit on December 1, 1875. It remains unpainted to distinguish it between the two nearby black-and-white-striped lighthouses.

The marsh near the Currituck Beach Lighthouse.

Walkway through the marsh.

 

A family of geese enjoy their protected status.

Beach at Nags Head.

Nags Head coastline.

Footprints in the sand are the only sign of human presence. Part of the attraction to Nags Head is the seclusion.

As we approach the close of National Police Week, we would like to take a moment to pay tribute to the 41 officers who died in the line of duty so far this year.

I wish the list would stop here, never reaching 42, unfortunately it won’t. The number of fallen officers is already 21% above this same time last year. In the previous five years alone, 765 law enforcement officers died while serving their communities.

In police agencies all across the U.S. and its territories, the following officers are no longer here to answer roll call. They’ve each reached the end of their watch.

You gave your all to protect and serve us, and for that we are eternally grateful.

Agent Mayra Ramírez-Barreto

Puerto Rico Department of Justice

 

Correctional Officer Eliezer Colón-Claussells

Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

 

Officer Kevin A. Tonn

Galt California Police Department

 

Trooper Michael Slagle

Tennessee Highway Patrol

 

Sergeant Rick Riggenbach

Chitimacha Tribal Police Department

 

Officer William Michael McGary

Conway Arkansas Police Department

 

Sergeant Patrick Divers

New York City Police Department

 

Officer Patricia A. “Patty” Parete

Buffalo New York Police Department

 

Deputy Sheriff Billy Ray Grimsley

Portsmouth Virginia Sheriff’s Office

 

Public Safety Officer Keith Lawrence

University of Southern California Department of Public Safety

 

Officer Michael Crain

Riverside California Police Department

 

Detective Jeremiah MacKay

San Bernardino County California Sheriff’s Department

 

Detective Christopher Simpson

Chesterfield Missouri Police Department

 

Officer Josh Lynaugh

St. Paul Minnesota Police Department

 

Senior Officer Specialist Eric Williams

United States Department of Justice – Federal Bureau of Prisons

 

Sergeant Loran “Butch” Baker

Santa Cruz California Police Department

 

Detective Elizabeth Butler

Santa Cruz California Police Department

 

Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati

United States Department of Justice – Federal Bureau of Prisons

 

Sergeant Gary Morales

St. Lucie County Florida Sheriff’s Office

 

Corporal Terry Johnson

Sebastian County Arkansas Sheriff’s Office

 

Master Trooper Junius A. Walker

Virginia State Police

 

Village Public Safety Officer Thomas O. Madole

Alaska State Troopers

 

Police Chief Randy Boykin

Enterprise Mississippi Police Department

 

Executive Director Tom Clements

Colorado Department of Corrections

 

Sergeant Gilbert Cortez

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

 

Director Larry Johnson

Fifth Judicial District Arkansas Drug Task Force

 

Trooper James Sauter

Illinois State Police

 

Trooper Tage Toll

Alaska State Troopers

 

Correctional Officer Brandon Elliot Kountz

United States Department of Justice – Federal Bureau of Prisons

 

Sheriff Eugene Crum

Mingo County West Virginia Sheriff’s Office

 

Detective Eric Smith

Jackson Mississippi Police Department

 

Deputy Sheriff Hans Fifer

Faulkner County Arkansas Sheriff’s Office

 

Chief of Police Anthony Q. Barfield, Sr.

Barwick Georgia Police Department

 

Officer Donald Bishop

Town of Brookfield Wisconsin Police Department

 

Assistant Warden Peggy Sylvester

Opelousas Louisiana Police Department

 

Officer Sean Collier

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Police Department

 

Deputy Sheriff Chad Christian Key

Grayson County Texas Sheriff’s Office

 

Deputy Sheriff Douglas Leon Hanna

Washita County Oklahoma Sheriff’s Office

 

Master Deputy Sheriff Joseph “Shane” Robbins

Polk County Florida Sheriff’s Office

 

Patrolman William J. “Jerry” McCarthy, IV

Shenango Township Pennsylvania Police Department

 

Officer Tim Huffman

Arizona Department of Public Safety