A WRECK OF A DAY . . .

Our day was not intentionally put together as it may seem. Being our last full day here on Hattaras Island we wanted to go to the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum while still taking Jett along.  

So the plan was to hit the museum first taking turns watching Jett outside, then get a bite to eat. However the only place in town that allows dogs on their outside dock is ... The Wreck Tiki Bar. Then come to find out The Wreck Tiki Bar is just ramping up for the season and their current hours are 11:30 AM to 3 PM. 

Tim really wanted to attend a seminar at the Wreck Museum that began at 2 PM. In the end we decided to switch things around and go eat first then visit the museum. 

Look at what we found just outside The Wreck Tiki Bar. Come to find out it belongs to the owner. It's a 1965 Chevy pick-up. I love the flat black and dark stained wood in the bed. It only gets Tim more excited about getting back home to work on his 1961 Chevy Pick-up ... which by the way we just got it to the house right before we departed for this trip. 

Our lunch was pretty tasty. Tim had a The Wrecked Italian Panini and I chowed down on The Luau Sandwich that had pork tenderloin with Island Slaw that had pineapple. Super yummy! Jett enjoyed her time on the dock as well. Meeting new people and enjoying the nice sea breeze. 

As soon as we finished lunch and our cold beer we jumped over a block to hit the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum at Hatteras. The Wreck Tiki Bar sits on one side of the ferry dock and the museum sits on the other side. The building is super cool with the front overhang supports mocking the ribs of a wrecked wooden sailing ship. 

North Carolina's Outer Banks has more than 2,000 shipwrecks off its coast. The dangerous mix of severe weather, shallow waters and strong currents gave the area it's nickname 'Graveyard of the Atlantic' where so many ships met their fate. 

There is a nice exhibit within the museum that tells the story of Blackbeard and how his ship the Queen Ann's Revenge sunk in 1718 just off the North Carolina coast in Beaufort Inlet.  The ship lays in just 20 feet of water and was discovered in 1996. The museum houses a few artifacts from this shipwreck. The museum also has other displays of shipwreck history off the coast from the late 17th century through 1945. 

Tomorrow will bring another moving day farther up the Outer Banks got us. We have plans on 'taking many steps up' along the way to get there.