Wright Brothers National Memorial

Yesterday we drove south from our campground. Today we drove north.

What did we see? A light house!

This light house, Body's Island Light House, will soon be restored for climbing. Right now though you can only LOOK up the stairs.

Just in case you wanted to know how to find this light house...here's its coordinates.

Next we arrived in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina to visit the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Marlon tries to fly...but fails.

This is a full-scale reproduction of the original 1903 Wright Flyer.

The 4 initial successful flights occurred here December 17, 1903. They were in succession 120 feet, 175 feet, 200 feet and 852 feet long.

The 60-foot high granite monument sits atop 90-foot high Kill Devil Hill.

The monument was completed in 1932 with a budget of $213,000.

To see the view from the top of Kill Devil Hill and hear the fierce winds on the day we visited, click below During the Centennial of Flight in 2003, participants attempted to recreate the legendary flights with varying degrees of success.

The Wright Brothers designed this wind tunnel to teach themselves what makes a wing work well.

Near the Outer Banks Visitor's Bureau in Kitty Hawk, we found these monuments to 100 years of flight.

Did you know that pilot Chuck Yeager first flew faster than the speed of sound in 1947?

Did you know that this 945 pound Marlin fish weighs several hundred pounds MORE than this Marlon human? As Ripley says, "Believe It or Not!"

For more pictures, go to http://public.fotki.com/Marlonfleenor/1/2008/may/wright-brothers-mem/ .

To be continued...