Hatteras-Ocracoke Ferry to Ocracoke Island

Now that we were worn out from the climb, we headed to the ferry.
While we paid $7 for the opportunity to climb a light house, this ferry is FREE. Yes, that's right...FREE.

But don't worry, I'm sure that will change soon.

Here's the captain's deck.

The ferry runs twice an hour during peak season from about 5 am to 9 pm. Pretty convenient for FREE, huh?

Wild horses roamed Ocracoke in the years prior to its establishment as part of the National Park Service. When the National Park Service took over, the wild horses were fenced and given their own pasture so as to not compete with the native wildlife. The herd currently numbers between 25 and 30...and they don't APPEAR too wild anymore.

We ate at this waterside restaurant.

When the ferry began in 1955, cars had to drive off into the water!

Look! Ocracoke has its OWN light house...not open today though.

This stump was open for climbing though.

Uh-oh! Everybody wants to go back to Hatteras at the same time. Luckily, the ferry was able to hold us all.

The birds...the birds...

Not far from the ferry, we passed by this product of post-war Finland...the Future House. About 100 of these polyester plastic and fiberglass houses were built during the late 1960s and early 1970s. When the energy crisis of the mid 1970s made the manufacture of plastic extremely expensive, the houses were taken off the market. Anywhere from 60 to 100 of these homes are thought to survive today.

Marlon made it back to the beach and wants Doug to snap this picture before his feet get wet.

For a video of our day at the Cape Hatteras Light Station and on the Hatteras-Ocracoke Ferry, click below. For more pictures, go to http://public.fotki.com/Marlonfleenor/1/2008/may/ocracokeislandferry/ pictures 50-121.

To be continued...