Beachin' It

This week is my kids' Spring Break, so we got up Monday morning, and drove down to the Outer Banks for a few days of fun. I made arrangements with my dad a few weeks ago to coordinate a trip down while he was off work.  So we are staying in the Holiday Inn Express Kitty Hawk (a dump. really.), and I will never stay at this one again. Jay's travel for work thing gives us points for the Holiday Inn family of hotels, so we try to use them as much as possible, but this hotel didn't even have the gift bag they normally give priority club members- much less platinum members. (Do you even KNOW how many nights Jay has had to leave me to get platinum status?!)  The guy even wanted to charge me for a roll-away bed.  Wha?!
So enough of the complaining.... I really am not unhappy, it is just kind-of not really a nice hotel, and I would rather have spent that money on a local hotel if the service wasn't going to be that great.  We stay in Holiday Inn hotels often, and have come to expect great service.
So yesterday when we got in, we drove down to the Southern end, and went to Hatteras Lighthouse and climbed to the top. The view was gorgeous! I am so glad my dad suggested driving down.  The lighthouse was moved in 1999, and I hadn't seen it since the move.  They moved it a LOOOONG way! I took pictures, but I don't think they do it justice. Here are pics of the move.

Getting all the kids in one good picture is like herding cats.

The service houses were also moved with the lighthouse.

Me with my kids at the top.

Zach and Maddie were amazed.

Looking back at the old site.
Straight ahead above the new parking lot.
Nearly on the beach.

My kids with Nana and Pawpaw.

The kids at the base after coming back down.

This is what the floors looked like inside.
It is marble and slate tile, with an iron spiral staircase.

I know this picture is not perfect,
but my dad is smiling, and he never smiles.

Me and my parents outside the keepers house.