By Jennifer Latson
Houston Chronicle

DUCK – The Outer Banks seems wilder than many of its coastal cousins.

The string of barrier islands spanning 200 miles is home to wild horses, scenic lighthouses and the East Coast’s tallest natural sand dune, along with the historic dune where Orville and Wilbur Wright made their maiden flight.

But the beach is the main attraction. Pristine sand slopes into a surf formidable enough to satisfy body boarders, cold enough to refresh swimmers and so abundantly stocked that it attracts schools of fishermen at dawn and dusk.

A hearty wind proves a boon to kite fliers, parasailers and dune hang gliders, just as it buoyed the Wright brothers aloft more than 100 years ago. On the islands’ sound side, kayakers and Jet Skiers find shelter from the crashing waves, if not the wind.

When my family picked the Outer Banks as this summer’s vacation locale, we rented a cottage in one of the northernmost communities – the town of Duck – which markets itself as one of the more secluded spots on the Banks.

Duck, and its northern neighbor, Corolla, remained relatively untrod until recently. Duck itself was incorporated in 2002. Past Corolla, some beaches are still accessible only with four-wheel drive. While towns to the south such as Kitty Hawk and Nag’s Head have developed commercial strips to keep pace with the demands of tourist season, Duck retains its rustic charm, devoid of strip malls. But during peak tourist season, even Duck (populated in winter months by about 500) shakes the sand from its sleepy streets and rumbles with the traffic of thousands of vacationers.

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