Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the tallest brick lighthouse in the United States, 198 feet of black and white spiral stripes that look like a barber's pole drawn by someone with ambition. It was finished in 1870 to warn ships off the shoals that stretch far out from the cape. This is the Graveyard of the Atlantic, where the Gulf Stream and the Labrador Current meet and the shoals have claimed hundreds of vessels. The lighthouse is the answer that the age of sail gave to a very practical problem.
What is truly unusual is that the tower is no longer where it began. By the late 1990s the sea had advanced so far that the tower stood close to the surf, and in 1999 engineers moved it inland about 2,900 feet along a track, in one piece, over several weeks. It is now back on safer ground, with a park around it and a small museum nearby. Climbing it is possible in season, though the stairs are many and narrow, and you may prefer to look from the foot.
The ride along NC 12 is the draw. The barrier island is thin, with dunes on one side and sound or marsh on the other, and the road runs flat and straight with the Atlantic constantly on your shoulder. It is not a technical ride, and the speed limit is low, but the light on the grasses and the sight of the sea over the dunes make it memorable. The wind is the real factor. A strong northeaster can push a bike across the lane and blow sand over the tarmac, and storms sometimes close or flood the road. Summer is crowded and hot, with long lines at the visitor areas; spring and early autumn are calmer.
Insect repellent is wise in summer, especially in the evening, and sunscreen is wise at all times. Park rangers at the lighthouse can tell you about beach conditions. The beaches here are wide, windswept and lovely, but the surf is dangerous with strong rip currents.