ALL ABOARD
Tour the coast with the North Carolina Ferry System

by Deborah R. Huso

There is nothing quite like summer on Roanoke Island, the tiny stretch of hammock and sand lying between the Outer Banks and North Carolina's mainland just east of Nags Head.

There, it's common to see folks rocking the afternoon away on the upper veranda of The Roanoke Island Inn, or watching the sea breeze rattle the salt marsh in Shallowbag Bay under the shadow of the replica Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse. Here, in the quaint waterfront town of Manteo, a traveler can feel a million miles away from the crowded beaches. And that is precisely the point.

One of the best ways to see the North Carolina coast is from the water, so take a slow, summertime amble by land and sea along the coast via scenic roads and leisurely ferries, where the journey becomes the destination.

Summer by the sea
The easiest route for beginning this North Carolina ferry tour is to take U.S. Route 64 east through the soupy lowlands of the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge to Roanoke Island, where an overnight stay at the historic Roanoke Island Inn sets the slowdown tone for the journey.

The inn's breeze-catching porches, backyard gardens and wonderfully stocked innkeeper's pantry, all overlooking Manteo's recently revitalized downtown waterfront, make for a delectable visit.

The English established their first settlement on Roanoke Island in 1585, their fate lost to the ages when a ship coming to bring them supplies found only the word “Croatan” carved in a tree but no sign of the settlers, including firstborn American child Virginia Dare. Today, the mysteries of that historic drama are played out nightly during the summer months at the Waterside Theatre at the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site in “The Lost Colony.”

A short drive from downtown are the pine-needled paths of the Elizabethan Gardens, where azaleas, hydrangeas, and formal gardens serve as a memorial to Roanoke Island's lost English colonists.

The next morning, set off across Roanoke Sound and head up the narrow barrier known as Bodie Island, cross the water again at Kitty Hawk, and make a visit to the tiny village of Currituck, where a 45-minute ferry ride offers passage across Currituck Sound to the isolated peninsula of Knotts Island and the Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge consists of more than 8,000 acres of marsh, lowland and some hardwood forest, where birdwatchers can see almost 200 species of birds, including herons, geese, and tundra swans.

In the afternoon, set off back down the Outer Banks and take a leisurely drive along N.C. Route 12 through the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. At the end of Hatteras Island, take an early-evening ferry across Hatteras Inlet to isolated Ocracoke Island, which has a local population of just over 700, though the island's numbers can swell to as much as 7,000 during summer months.

This once was Blackbeard's haven, but today visitors come here to sunbathe, swim, fish, and watch the Ocracoke ponies. Spend the night at the Ocracoke Harbor Inn, and enjoy the sunset over Silver Lake from a private deck.

The next morning, take the 7 a.m. ferry to Cedar Island. The crossing takes slightly more than two hours, offering plenty of time to hang over the railings of the ferry and watch seagulls follow behind, taking in the slightly cool morning breeze. Once across Pamlico Sound, take a slow morning drive through the Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge to the quaint waterfront town of Beaufort, home to the North Carolina Maritime Museum.

This region is known as North Carolina's Crystal Coast, and among the attractions here are Morehead City's recently revitalized downtown waterfront with its art and antique galleries, restaurants, bakeries, and scenic marina area on Evans Street. Downtown also is home to The History Place, a museum of coastal artifacts from early Native Americans through World War II.

Crossing inland waters
After spending the night across the Bogue Sound on Atlantic Beach, take U.S. Route 70 back through Beaufort and drive up N.C. Highway 101 alongside operation areas for the Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station.

At the Neuse River, take a short ferry ride from Cherry Point to Minnesott. Here, N.C. Highway 306 traverses North Carolina lowlands all the way to the Pamlico River, where you can take the Bayview/Aurora Ferry across the water and make a side trip to the village of Bath. This is North Carolina's oldest town, incorporated in 1705. Enjoy a late-afternoon picnic along the water on Front Street, then explore some of the village's restored homes, as well as St. Thomas Church.

Take N.C. Route 32 north through the East Dismal Swamp back to U.S. Route 64 — and to your journey back home.

Deborah R. Huso is a freelance writer based in Blue Grass, Va.

Eighteen copies of Exodus, the second book of the Bible, have been discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls. This fragment, part of a scroll that originally included the biblical books of Genesis and Exodus, comes from a thick, well-prepared piece of leather. The text on display contains the biblical scene of Moses at the burning bush. This is the first time in the biblical text that the God of Israel reveals his name, the tetragrammaton, or the four consonants “YHWH.”
photos: Israel Antiquities Authority

DEAD SEA SCROLLS UNVEILED IN RALEIGH

The Dead Sea Scrolls — objects of great mystery, intrigue and significance — are widely acknowledged to be among the greatest archaeological treasures ever discovered. The scrolls, some of which are more than 2,000 years old, are our bridge to a period that laid the foundation of western traditions, beliefs, and practices throughout the past two millennia.

These treasures are making their way to the Triangle this summer. From June 28 to Dec. 28, the Dead Sea Scrolls will be on exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh.

Among the scrolls are approximately 207 biblical manuscripts that represent almost every book in the Hebrew Bible, or Christian Old Testament, and that pre-date any previously known copies by more than 1,000 years. Thanks to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), the museum will display 12 authentic Dead Sea Scrolls during the six-month exhibition — with six different scrolls on display for each three-month period — including fragments from Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Isaiah and Jubilees, as well as the Damascus Document, Blessing of the Community, and Thanksgiving Scroll, among others. Four of the fragments are being conserved especially for the museum and have never before been on public display.

Also included in the exhibition will be more than 100 authentic artifacts from Qumran, the ancient settlement on the northwestern shores of the Dead Sea in Israel that is nearest to the caves where the scrolls were discovered.

The scrolls were uncovered by Bedouin herders and then by archaeologists between 1947 and 1956 in 11 caves near Qumran. More than 100,000 fragments were discovered and pieced together into more than 900 separate documents. In addition to biblical manuscripts, sectarian manuscripts were recovered that reflect a wide variety of literary genres, including biblical commentary, religious legal writings, liturgical texts, and compositions that predicted an impending apocalypse. These scrolls, some of which also will be on exhibit, are a testament to human creativity and provide a rare glimpse into a culture that eventually gave rise to Judaism and Christianity.

Most scholars believe that the scrolls were copied and composed by a group that broke away from mainstream Judaism to live a communal life at Qumran. This group saw themselves as the “true Israel,” and viewed those living in Jerusalem, including the priesthood at the temple, as corrupt. It also is believed that when the Romans invaded Qumran around 68 A.D., the community hid their manuscripts in nearby caves.

In addition to displaying scrolls and ancient artifacts, the museum also will explore the scientific interpretation, conservation and preservation of the scrolls, as well as the natural history of the Dead Sea region.