Often known as one of the roughest inlets (& toughest to navigate) along the eastern United States Coast - Oregon inlet is a major access point in the North Carolina region to the Atlantic Ocean from inland waterways. Fishing is a huge industry (professional & tourism) so this inlet has significant importance to the economic well being of northeastern North Carolina.
The inlet's name actually comes from a ship (The "Oregon") that moored in Pamlico Sound to ride out the hurricane (in 1846) that formed the inlet. The story is the crew of the Oregon were the first to see the inlet that had formed after the storm had passed. This formation of this inlet separated Bodie Island (to the north) from Pea Island (south).
As you can tell from the pictures this inlet is always choppy (this was a very calm day that I took these photos). The storms and often just northeastern winds make the shoal area very rough. There is a United States Coast Guard Station located on the north side. In the 1 picture you can see the old station that was completely vacated around 1988 (south side). The fear was that the inlet (due to natural forces) was moving southward and would eventually swallow up the station. This inlet is dredged on an almost continuous basis to remain navigable and has moved southward approximately 2 miles from where it was originally formed in 1846. That equates to approximately 60 feet each year!!
The final noteworthy item is the Bonner Bridge. Prior to the bridge ferries were used to travel between the 2 islands. The original bridge opened in 1963 and was built to have a 30 year life span. Much work has been done to maintain the bridge over the years. In 1990 a stray dredge hit and actually destroyed several sections of the bridge closing it for many weeks. Plane or ferry (several hours to the south) were the only way to access the island during this time. Traffic still uses the original bridge today, however, you can see the new bridge under construction in 1 photograph. It is still a couple years away from completion and long overdue.
The drive over the bridge and the walk along the beach here is really beautiful. It also makes you see first hand the power of nature. I can only imagine what it must be like there during a major tropical storm or hurricane. Seeing the turbulence in the water where the inlet meets the Atlantic was frankly scary! I would never even wade in there up to my waist. Thank you for reading as always and I hope my pictures at least give you a small sense of how incredible this place is!