Saturday, June 28, 2008-Frisco Campground, NC

I have temporarily closed down our web site for this summer's vacation at www.bobsuegregg.com.  I will reopen  it when we get to Big Meadows Campground in Shenandoah National Park.

Today is Sue's "Civilization Day". We left the campground early and drove to Kitty Hawk for the day. We started the audio book of Moby Dick. When we arrived at Nags Head, we stopped at the Dunes Restaurant for breakfast. We ate here when we first came to the Outer Banks in 2002. The food is plentiful and well prepared. From there, we drove to the Wal-Mart store and did our shopping.  Sue found her books and we stocked up on paper products and other supplies.

After shopping, we drove to the  Wright Brothers Monument and Museum and  spent most of the late morning and  early afternoon there. We viewed a video about how the Wright Brothers developed their flying machine. An interesting aspect was how they used trigonometry in calculating the drag and lift capabilities of the wing design. They needed to find a wing design that had the greatest lift with the  least amount of drag. When they used existing engineering data to build the glider, they found the data was incorrect. As a result, they were the first to design, build, and use a wind tunnel to measure the effect of different wing profiles. Without that data, they could not have built their airplane. They were then able to build a glider that had lift, turn, and pitch control. After they perfected the glider, they were ready to add a motor that would provide a means of power for the first manned flight. They needed a motor that weighed less than two hundred pounds and produced eight horsepower. When the went to the motor companies, none of them had that powerful of a motor. They designed and built their own motor that produced twelve horsepower, more than they needed to sustain flight. Before the video, I didn't really appreciate the engineering and research ability of  the Wright Brothers. They were truly innovative and creative inventors.

After that, we drove back to  the campground and extended our time here for four more days. The rangers prefer that campers only extend their stay by two  days, since they cannot give refunds. They always forget that I have a senior discount and charge me the regular rate. That dollar amount is actually for four days at the discount rate. It's easier for them to give me four days than cancel the purchase and resubmit it with the correct  amount for two days.

This is truly an awesome campground. It doesn't have electricity, water or sewer connections, but what a view of the ocean in the distance and a breeze that is soothing and refreshing. Even the rainy days are cool and relaxing, and the many birds are entertaining and enjoyable.