Core Banks is a favorite spot for fishers during the fall of the year. 



of the trash," says Tom Monaco, president of 

 the Core Banks Surf Fishing Club and head 

 of the Horticultural Department at North 

 Carolina State University. 



Today, you see only a scattering of 

 engines, hubcaps and other rusted car parts on 

 part of the beach. 



"There is an old saying: That an old car 

 is under every sand dune," says Barringer. 

 "If you go out today at low tide, you can see 

 dozens of cars in one place." 



Recreational l/ehfcte* 



During the 1990s, more people began 

 bringing their recreational vehicles to the island. 



At the southern end, near the Willis 

 ferry dock, the parking lot is packed with a 

 variety of recreational vehicles with distinct 

 names — from "Junkyard Dog" and 

 "Destiny's Child" to "Free Spirit Club" and 

 "Drumwagon.com." 



When Barringer brought his white 1976 

 Winnebago to the island, he dubbed it 

 "Nirvana" for the "utopia and bliss" on the 

 island. "I spent 40 days down here last year," 

 he says. "I park on the beach. Sometimes I 

 never see anyone for three or four days." 



The RVs come in a variety of colors and 

 styles. An old school bus called the "Byrd's 

 Nest" is painted white and blue. Another 

 vehicle is painted like the Cape Lookout 



Lighthouse with black and white diamonds. 

 It has a dartboard on one side and porch on 

 the back. Farther back, a gray truck supports 

 a homemade plywood trailer on its top. 



Flags adorn many of them — from 

 American and Confederate flags to the red 

 and white colors of NC State and orange and 

 white of the University of Tennessee. 



The insides of the campers also reflect 

 the personality of the owner. 



Jay Honeycutt's "Jay Bird," which is 

 fully equipped with a kitchen, is decorated 

 with maroon curtains and a fish clock. You 

 can climb a ladder to a second floor that 

 was made from a truck bed and has a queen- 

 size bed. 



"I have been coming here for 12 years," 

 says Honeycutt of Concord. "It was my 

 dream since I was 16 years old to have a 

 vehicle and bring it on the beach. I started 

 coming in a pickup truck. Then I got this RV 

 and built the second floor on top." 



Honeycutt brings his wife, children and 

 grandchildren. They park on the beach. 



"We used to go to Hatteras," he says. 

 "I'd just as soon go to Myrtle Beach as 

 Hatteras. I use (the RV) to get away from the 

 hustle and bustle of crowds." 



Even on Core Banks, the number of 

 recreational vehicles has increased such that 

 the parking lot near the Willis ferry dock has 



been enlarged in the last three to four years, 

 according to Vogel. 



"At some point, we will need a plan 

 that allows the use of vehicles, but looks also 

 at the vehicles' impact on cultural and 

 natural resources," he says. 



Also, more people are visiting the 

 southern end of the national seashore. The 

 number of ferry passengers carried by Alger 

 Willis Fishing Camps jumped from 7,893 in 

 1992 to 10,934 in 2001, according to the 

 Park Service. 



Overall, the number of visitors to all 

 three islands in the national seashore has 

 escalated from 340,081 in 1992 to 571,949 

 in 2001. 



Because of the rise in visitors and 

 conflicting visitor uses, the Park Service will 

 begin developing a commercial services plan 

 that identifies services, activities and 

 conditions that are and are not appropriate 

 within the park's boundaries. Examples 

 include the availability of rental cabins, ferry 

 services and four-wheel drive tour services. 



That plan will take about a year to 

 complete, according to Vogel. Over the next 

 year, the Park Service also hopes to begin 

 developing a new general management plan, 

 which could include anything from 

 development to management of the wild 

 horses. 



"All of our planning efforts are done to 

 provide enjoyment for today's visitors while 

 still preserving the park's unique resources," 

 he adds. 



Where else in North Carolina and the 

 United States, do you have this "serenity, 

 natural beauty and lack of development?" O 



Cape Lookout National Seashore is 

 accessible only by private ferry or a private 

 boat. For ferry information, visit the park's 

 Web site: www.nps.gov/calo. To book a ferry 

 or cabin at Alger G. Willis Fishing Camps, 

 call 252/729-2791. To get a ferry or cabin 

 at Portsmouth Island, call Morris Marina 

 Kabin Kamps & Ferry Service at 252/225- 

 4261. Core Banks Fishing reports also are 

 available online at www.drumwagon.com. 



10 AUTUMN 2002 



