Tunnel Vision Chapter Eight

First Flight part 1

By Captainkodak1

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Sunday, December 13, 1903

Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

Hearing voices, Ron looked up. Two men were bending over them. The first man placed one arm under Kim's knees and the other around her back and effortlessly hoisted her into the air. The other man bent down and presented his hand to Ron, who took it and, with his assistance, stood up. The second man then placed Ron's arm around his shoulder and helped him to stand. The two men were about the same height being taller than either Kim or Ron. The first had a deeply receding hairline and was clean-shaven. The second man had dark hair similar to the first but sported a mustache. He also had a receding hairline but not a bad as the first.

"I'm Orville. That's Wilbur. We'll get the two of you to our camp just over the dunes here. Then we'll send for help. The Kill Devil lifesaving station is just up the beach."

Kim squirmed for a moment until Wilbur put her down. "Thanks, but I can walk."

"You sure?" Wilbur asked. Kim nodded and took a couple of wobbling steps. Wilbur had to grab her before she fell.

"Okay, maybe I need a little help."

Kim gripped Wilbur's arm as he led all of them up off the beach and into the dunes. In the distance were what appeared to be a barn and a shack. Kim and Ron remembered pictures from their books. This was the place where powered airplane flight was born.

Ron glanced over to Orville. "What is today's date?"

"Today? Today is December 13th", Orville answered.

Ron nodded and glanced at Kim. They both remembered the year that he had set in his list: 1903. They had arrived just days before the historic flight.

They kept walking through the sand until they reached the shack. Kim and Ron noticed the camp was a simple tarpaper shack, with a large barn-like structure beside it. Orville and Wilbur led the two teens inside the shack and let them sit down in a couple of chairs. Kim looked around the small shack as she sat down. The interior was Spartan but clean. Along one wall was what appeared to be a kitchen area. Pot and pans hung from a series of hooks under the shelves. The shelves were full of canned goods and staples such as flour and sugar. Wilbur put a kettle on a stove that stood against one wall. Orville climbed a ladder at the back of the shack and pulled two blankets off the beds in the

roof area. He wrapped the two teens in the blankets and headed out the door.

"Wilbur, I'm going to set the flag up. We need to let the station at Nags Head know about these two. They may want to take a look and see if anyone else is out there."

The sound of a horse and wagon came from the north. Wilbur looked around the side of the shack and came back to the door. "It's Mr. Etheridge of the Life Saving Station with his family. I'll let him know."

A large man entered the cabin and knelt before the two teens. "You two okay? What are your names and what was your ship?"

Kim pulled the blanket closer around her. "I'm Kim Possible. That's my boyfriend, Ron Stoppable. We really don't remember what the name of the ship was."

Rob shivered a little. "We were in a rush to get a ride south out of Norfolk and we just jumped on the first ship that was available. It was a small cargo vessel heading south. We paid the Captain for our ride after we boarded. We found out later that the ship was in pretty bad shape and it was a mistake to get on board."

Etheridge nodded. He knew this was a common practice for people to pay passage on small ships. He also knew the ships that did this the most were the older ones, some not in good shape. They would do anything to make a buck, even take on passengers when they were not equipped to take passengers or if they should.

"Well, what happened? There was no storm." He asked.

Ron took the cup of tea that Wilbur offered him. "Everything was fine until last night. Kim and I went out on deck for a little bit. We really didn't know what happened but one of the crew yelled something about a wave."

Ron stopped to sip his tea. Kim shivered a little under her blanket as she accepted a cup from Wilbur. "Next thing Ron and I knew, a big wave crashed down on the ship. It washed us overboard. When we surfaced and looked around the ship was gone."

Kim stopped for a moment. Ron gave his empty cup to Orville. "We saw a light and started swimming toward it using some of the wreckage. When the sun came up we saw land. I don't know how long we lay on the beach."

Etheridge nodded and turned to a young boy who had just entered.

"Davy, unhook the horse and ride back to the station. Tell Daniels a ship went down last night and we have two survivors. He needs to get men out on the beach and someone up in the tower to see if they can spot anything."

The boy turned and ran out the door. A lady came in and started to look over the two teens. "I'm Mrs. Etheridge. Let's see if the two of you are hurt. Then we'll get you to the station to warm you up. Our son will be back in just a few minutes with some help."

Mr. Etheridge stood and faced the two brothers. "I was bringing my family to see the machine and it looks like I walked into some work."

Wilbur put his hand on Etheridge's shoulder. "Get these two taken care of and come back. We'd be happy to show your family the machine."

The sound of a couple of horses arriving outside came to Kim and Ron's ears. Two burly men came to the door. "Mr. Etheridge, Daniels is in the tower. He can't see a thing. There is some debris on the beach but we can't tell where it's from. These the two survivors?"

Mrs. Etheridge stood. "Yes, Williams, help me get these two in the wagon. David, hitch the horse back up so he can pull us back to the station."

One of the men stepped over and helped Kim to her feet. Ron stepped up to her side and took her hand. Kim leaned over and laid her head on his shoulder. Williams stood back with a smile and motioned Kim and Ron towards the door. The two teens stepped out of the building and saw a wagon pulled up to the side of the shack. Williams and the other man helped them climb up into the wagon, and then Williams climbed up into the seat at the front of the wagon and slapped the horse's back with the reins. The horse pulled off and started up the beach. As they looked back, they could see the two brothers guiding the family around the shack to the building standing beside it.

The horse pulled the wagon along a trail in the sand and soon they approached a small group of wood frame buildings. The biggest was a tall two almost three story building. A covered porch circled the first floor and a cupola stood high above the main roof line. Kim and Ron could see a number of people on the porch. A large barn stood next to the main building. The doors of the barn were open and the two teens could see what appeared to be a life boat on a cart sitting out front of the barn. Beside it stood another cart loaded with equipment.

The wagon jerked to a stop in front of the building and a number of men came down the steps. A couple of them came to the end of the wagon and helped Kim and Ron down. Mrs. Etheridge climbed down off the wagon and headed up the steps.

"Mike. Greg. Fix a bed up for the young lady in the children's room. Set the young man up a bed in the dorm. Get them some dry clothes out of the larder and let them get a bath. The girl can use our bath and the young man the main men's bath. After they get a bath and get changed, I should have a good hot meal ready. Then they can get some sleep."

One of the men nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Now, little lady, you come with me. Young man, you go with this other feller."

Kim slid down off the wagon and followed the first man up the steps. He led her into a small bath at the end of the hall. Just before she entered Ron walked past heading up a set of stair. Kim stopped and grabbed him by the arm. He smiled and bent down for a quick kiss. Kim smiled as she laid her head on his shoulder for a moment and then lifted her head to look at him.

"See you in a little bit, okay?"

Ron nodded. "Yeah. Okay."

Kim turned and entered the bath, closing the door. She could hear the thumping of Ron's feet as he climbed the stairs to the second floor. She saw a tub of water had already been drawn. She pealed off her wet clothes and settled down into the lukewarm water. She sighed as she grabbed a bar of soap and started to wash. She dunked her head back under the water to wash the salt out of her hair. After her bath, she got dressed in a light cotton dress that Mrs. Etheridge had brought to her. She was barefoot for now. It was relatively warm even for it to be December, but she had heard that weather along the coast of North Carolina could be warm one day and freezing the next.

Kim opened the door and walked down the hall where she heard voices. The smell of bacon and eggs came from an open door. She entered the room to see that it was the kitchen. Ron was sitting at the table with a plate full of bacon, eggs and toast. A pitcher of milk sat on the table in front of him. Kim sat down and gave his hand a squeeze. Mrs. Etheridge nodded at Kim as she sat down.

"You have a seat, little lady. Ron here has already eaten enough for the two of you, so if you want anything, you best dig in."

Kim dished some bacon, eggs and toast onto her plate. She started to eat and soon added more. The eggs were fluffy and warm; the bacon was crisp and delicious. Before she realized it, she had eaten eight pieces of bacon, three eggs and four pieces of toast. She washed all that down with three glasses of milk. She and Ron sat back as they let the meal settle. Ron tried to keep his eyes open but with the meal, bath and all that had happened to them, he was fighting sleep. Kim realized that she was nodding off, too. She closed her eyes just for a second.

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Mr. Possible took the note from the security guard. The alarms had startled them when they had gone off. Now he turned to face his staff, Anne and the Stoppables.

"It was Shego. She was here. She knows."

Those three simple statements brought horrified expressions to the faces of all present.

"She broke in somehow and got access to one of the computers. From what security could tell, she knows about the project, the accident and that Kim and Ron are out there in time. It's only a matter of time before she and Drakken try something. They don't have to do much. Any disruption in the signal and we could lose Kim and Ron forever."

Mr. Possible crumpled up the note and threw it to the floor. He stepped over and took a seat. One of his assistants brought him another piece of paper. He read it and smiled a bit. Anne came up behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Is that their new location and time?" she asked.

He nodded and passed the paper to her. She read it. The date was December 12, 1903. The location was some place called Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. She tried to think of the significance of the date but came up blank. She handed the paper to Mr. Stoppable. Jean came over and looked over her husband's shoulder. She took the piece of paper and glanced at it. She glanced over at Mr. Possible and waved the paper.

"Is this where they are?"

Mr. Possible nodded.

Jean sighed and smiled.

"Well, at least they're in a peaceful place."

Mr. Possible looked up.

"Do you know what that date and place is?"

Jean nodded. "It's the site and date of the first powered airplane flight. Remember the Wright brothers? Finally, they have landed somewhere where it's peaceful. If they have to survive for awhile at least they could where they are now. Ron was really interested in this and read a lot about the area and the Wright Brothers."

Ann sighed and sat down. "At least they finally caught a break."

Mr. Possible looked up. "But it doesn't change the fact that Shego will be coming back here to do her worst."

Wade's face popped up on a screen. "Dr. Possible, I have set up a new system to track Shego. If she gets near here we'll be ready for her. Dr. Director has already sent over additional security forces, plus she's sent some equipment that might be able to help give more power to our signal. I also have an idea. I'll need to research the families of Dr. Drakken, Shego and all the other villains and then send the data to Kim and Ron."

Anne looked at Wade. "What good would that do them?" Anne's faced changed when she thought about it. "I think I get the idea."

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Kim opened her eyes to see the sun shining through a window. She sat up and found she was in a bed in a room with a couple of other beds. Toys and children's clothing lay scattered about. She remembered what Mrs. Etheridge had said earlier and assumed someone had picked her up and put her to bed. Kim pulled the covers off and put on the shoes that lay beside the bed. She noticed the clothes she had on were stacked neatly on the floor under her bed. She opened the door to the bedroom and followed the sound of voices down the hall and out the front door. The sun was setting in the west. The sky glowed red on the scattered clouds in the sky. A cool breeze was coming off the ocean.

"KP!"

Kim jerked around at the sound of Ron's voice. He was sitting in a rocking chair on the porch. He walked over and took her in his arms. She hugged him tightly as she nestled her face into his neck. Her thoughts went to their sitch. For the first time since dropping into the time warp they were in a place where they didn't have to fear for their lives. They would be present she hoped for one of the most memorable moments in history.

"Well, I see you two are getting reacquainted."

Kim looked up to see Mrs. Etheridge standing there. Kim blushed a little and pulled away from Ron but still held his hand.

Mrs. Etheridge smiled. "Don't you worry, I don't mind. The two of you have had quite a fright. My husband sent out a message that a ship had gone down. We are waiting to see if a ship comes up overdue. It happens all the time here. Ships have been known just to disappear out there. It's almost suppertime. Do you think you two could give me a hand in the kitchen?"

Kim stirred a little but Ron squeezed her hand. "Sure, we owe you a lot. The least we could do is work a little to repay you. That is, until we can get passage out of here to our destination."

Mr. Etheridge came up on the porch. "Well, it might be a few days until we can get you passage out of here but you're welcome to stay. Besides, the Wright brothers might get their contraption in the air. That would be a sight to see. They were asking how you were doing. Maybe you could go over there tomorrow and visit them."

Kim and Ron followed Mrs. Etheridge into the kitchen. Ron went straight to the stove and helped cook while Kim set the table and helped serve the meal. Later, the two teens took a walk out on the porch. The oil lamps inside gave a faint warm glow as they sat on the steps facing the beach. The surf roared and crashed in the distance as they sat side by side. Kim pulled out the Kimmunicator while Ron kept watch. Kim quickly composed a message and transmitted it back to the center. She then called up the messages that had been received.

"Ron, they have trouble back at the center", Kim said as she read. Ron leaned over to read the screen with Kim. Kim felt for his hand as they came to the part where Wade explained what had happened with Shego. The message explained what they were doing to protect the center but also added information that would help the two of them build an identity if they were trapped in their present place in time. Kim shut off the Kimmunicator and just leaned against Ron.

"Well, I can think of worse fates than being stuck here with you for the rest of our lives", Kim whispered.

"Gee, thanks a lot, KP."

Startled, Kim tried to look at Ron in the darkness. She could not see him well but that Ronshine grin glowed in the dark. She punched him in the shoulder. "You know what I mean." She cuddled closer to him in the coolness of the night. "If I had to be trapped in time with someone, I'd want it to be you."

"KP, what if it does happen? What will we do?"

Kim pulled Ron's arm around her shoulder. "I guess live the best we could. We have an advantage over everyone. We know history. If we're careful, we could make a good life. We know when certain events would occur and use that knowledge to our advantage."

Ron kissed the top of her head. "As long as I have you, KP, I can live anywhere anytime."

Kim turned her head up to give him a little kiss. "Back at you, Ron. But right now I'm really tired, so let's get some sleep and see what tomorrow brings."

The two teens stood up and entered the house. Kim went to her room and Ron climbed the stairs to the room where the men of the station slept.

Shego walked into the main lab of Drakken's latest lair. He was working on his latest weapon to take over the world. The Mega Ray-X was built along the lines of the destroyed Ray-X, only this Ray-X gave you a cold instead of curing it.

"Think of it, Shego. I can give everyone in the world a cold unless they surrender to me."

Shego went up on knocked on his head with her knuckles. "Knock, knock! Anybody there? Remember who always stops you? Remember why I left?"

"Oh, yes, Kim Possible. Well, if she comes, I'll give her a cold that she'll never forget."

Shego groaned. "Doctor D, sit down, NOW!"

Drakken promptly sat on the floor.

Shego slapped her head with her hand but at least she had his attention. "Okay, remember when we realized that Kimmie had not shown up? I went to check some things out. I found out they had truly disappeared. No one and I mean no one has seen them for days. Now Global Justice is saying they are on a mission. Well, I checked with Killigan, Monkeyface and the others. No one is running an operation and no one has seen the Princess or that dopey sidekick of hers. So I went and checked things out in Middleton. It seems that Kimmie and Ron were visiting the center the other day and there was an accident. No one has seen them since."

Drakken started to grin. "You mean…."

Shego shook her head. "No, they're not hurt or anything, but when you were in school, did Possible ever talk of a time travel theory?"

Drakken thought for a moment. "Why, yes, he thought that using the power of a black hole and some other theories that he could…." Drakken's eyes popped open as he stared back at Shego.

She nodded with an evil smile. "UH-HUH, and something went wrong. Kim and Ron were in the lab and got sucked into some time tunnel thing. Right now from what I could find out they are lost in some time stream. We have the perfect opportunity to get rid of the Princess and sidekick for good. All we have to do is cause enough trouble at the center to break up the time stream. Then they'll be stuck in time forever."

Drakken stood up rubbing his hands together. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Shego put out her hand and pushed him back down.

"Hold your horses, Doc. We've got to plan this thing first, then we'll make sure the Princess and the buffoon never make it back."

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Monday, December 14, 1903

Kill Devil Hills Lifesaving Station.

Kim placed some of the dishes in the cupboard. She was helping Mrs. Etheridge clean up from breakfast. Kim had put on her jeans and a clean shirt along with Ron after they had gotten up that morning. Ron was outside helping the men of the station check the lifesaving gear. Earlier the two of them had climbed the stairs up to the tower over the station. They were impressed by the view as they could see for miles out over the ocean.

Mrs. Etheridge wiped her hands on a towel and turned to Kim.

"Well, young lady, you are a big help in the kitchen, least as long as you stay away from the stove. I hope you can wash clothes as well."

Kim smiled, recalling that her total experience with washing clothes was separating the whites from the darks and tossing them in the washing machine. She doubted there was a washing machine anywhere around. Her fears were confirmed when Mrs. Etheridge pulled a large metal tub from a closet along with a washboard. They took the basin out on the porch and set it on a table. Mrs. Etheridge handed Kim a bucket and pointed to a water pump. "Go ahead and fill the basin up and you can wash this first load."

Ron had painted before but now he had the entire side of the porch to paint. After breakfast, he had joined the men of the station in unpacking and repacking the equipment on the cart and in the lifeboat. Ron was especially curious about the Lyle gun, which was a small cannon that could fire a small cannonball with a thin rope attached out to a ship in peril. The men showed Ron how a rope could be pulled out to the ship with equipment tied to it. A heavier rope could be set up and a chair could be wheeled along the rope, transporting people to the shore. They also showed Ron how they would row the boat out into the surf to help people out of range of the Lyle gun. Stories were told of rowing for hours in sleet and rain to go to the assistance of a sinking or stranded ship. Ron dipped his brush in the bucket again and slapped a heavy coat of paint on the sun-bleached wood. His arms and face were splattered with spots of paint and he was sure there was some in his hair as well. He knew that Kim was washing clothes but had not seen her. Ron heard footsteps come to the edge of the porch and looked up.

Kim's legs and arms were sore by the time she had carried enough water from the pump to fill the tub. Mrs. Etheridge had shown her how to place the washboard in the water and use the bar of soap. Kim always prided herself as a quick learner but this was something that was not on the top of her list to learn. She had finished one pile and rinsed them out. Mrs. Etheridge came by and picked up the freshly washed clothes to hang out to dry. She looked down in the water.

"Dump that over the rail and put some fresh water in. Then you should be able to finish the other pile."

Kim blew aside a loose strand of hair hanging in her face. She looked down at her hands. They were shriveled by exposure to the water and harsh soap. First she had learned about washing dishes and cleaning rooms on the Titanic. Now, she was learning more about laundry. She wondered how her mother did it all. She would really appreciate it when her clean clothes were found clean and folded on her bed. Her nails were white and soft. Luckily, she always wore her nails short. She didn't need to take the chance of breaking a nail in a fight. She picked up the tub by the handles and took it to the side of the porch. She balanced the tub on the rail and dumped it over.

A gurgling "HEY!" came from below. She dropped the tub to the porch and looked down over the rail. Ron was standing up from the crouch he had been in while painting the porch. His hair was plastered down around his eyes, a paint brush hanging from his hand. Kim started to giggle; apparently he had looked up just in time to see the tub tipping over the edge of the porch.

"Very funny, KP. Ha, ha. It is to laugh", quipped Ron.

Kim covered her mouth so he wouldn't see her smile. "I'm so sorry, Ron. I didn't know you were there."

"Yeah, okay." Ron shook his head to get the water out and went back to painting. Kim took the tub back to the table. She noticed the bar of soap was getting small so she went back in the house to the closet to see if there was another bar. She spotted an extra bar on one shelf and grabbed it. Kim turned back to head for the porch when she heard water being poured into the tub. She noticed another stack of clothes by the door so she stopped to pick them up. She walked back out the door and placed the clothes down on the porch next to the table. She noticed that the tub was about half full, so someone had been filling it while she had been in the house. A slight cough caused her to turn around. There stood a still wet Ron with a large bucket in his hands and a grin on his face.

Kim started to back up and waved a finger at him. "RONALD DEAN STOPPABLE! Don't you even think about it!"

Ron continued to grin as he took a step forward. He lifted the bucket with one hand and placed his other on its bottom.

Kim backed up a little faster. "Ron! Don't you dare!"

He took another step toward her and shifted the bucket to his side.

"RON!" Kim screeched as she turned and ran. She made the turn around the porch and headed down the steps when the contents of the bucket hit her in the back of the head and down her back.

"Ron!" Kim turned to see her BFBF standing there with a smug look on his face and holding an empty bucket.

"Just you wait!" Kim mumbled as she mounted the steps back to her wash.

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The two teens were helping clean up from lunch. Both had clean and dry clothes on. To apologize for dumping water on him, Kim had helped Ron scrub off the paint stuck to his face and arms. He whined that she was taking some skin with it but the small kisses she placed on each scrubbed part quickly silenced any complaints. The station crew had gone back outside when Mr. Etheridge came in.

"The Wrights have their signal up that they need our help. I thought the two of you might like to walk over with us to thank them and to see the machine. I think they're going to run a test on it today."

Kim and Ron smiled broadly and nodded.

"YES, SIR! We'd love to go!"

Soon Kim and Ron were walking up to the Wright's Camp. The machine was sitting out in the sun. The two teens instantly recognized the craft. They both remembered seeing it in the Smithsonian. But here and now, they were looking at the real thing, before it ever flew. Orville walked over to them.

"Well, it's good to see the two of you looking better."

Ron shook his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Wright. We're both feeling better; at least dryer."

Kim stepped up to Ron's side. "We've heard of your machine from the men at the station. Are you going to try and fly today?"

Orville nodded. "The weather conditions are right. Come over here and I'll show you the machine."

Kim and Ron approached the craft as it sat in the sand. There were two wings, one over the other. The wings were made of wood and covered in cloth. A small motor sat on the lower wing and chains led from the motor to two large propellers on the rear of the craft. There were two small wings in front and two vertical vanes in the rear. Orville stepped inside the struts and motioned the two teens over. He climbed onto the lower wings and settled into a spot where his hips were in a cradle on the lower wing and one of his hands was on a stick in front of him.

"We lay here and fly the craft by using these controls. When we shift our hips, it will turn left or right." Orville shifted his hips to the left and the teens saw the rudder in the rear turn and also the wing tips shift.

"When we want to go up and down, we move this stick forward or backward." When Orville shifted the stick the two vanes in front shifted up and down.

Wilbur walked up as he cleaned his hands with a cloth.

"Well, well, if it's not our two intrepid swimmers. I'm glad to see that you are well. Orville, are you ready?"

Orville climbed out of the machine. "Yes, let's get the machine up the hill and mounted on the track."

The men of the station gathered around the craft and picked it up. They started to carry it up a nearby sand dune. Ron helped the men as Kim carried a box of equipment. They reached a spot on the hill where a number of two-by-four boards had been laid on edge in the sand. The men and Ron set the craft down so the runners were on the track. Orville connected a rope to the rear of the craft to keep it from rolling off. Then he leaned over and adjusted the motor while Wilbur pulled on one of the propellers and the motor started with a loud blast.

Orville made some additional adjustments to the motor and soon it was idling as the propellers spun. Wilbur pulled a coin from his pocket and flipped it in the air. Orville said something that only the two of them could hear because of the engine running. Wilbur smiled, climbed on and settled himself in the pilot spot. The men stepped back and Orville took a spot on the right of the machine. Wilbur increased the speed of the engine and attempted to release the rope holding back the craft.

Orville waved for a number of the men to push the craft back. As they did the rope came off. Orville waved the men clear as Wilbur gunned the engine. The craft started forward with a jump and Orville was barely able to stay with the machine. It slid down the rail, gaining speed with every second. Orville let go and soon it rose into the air just feet short of the end of the rail. It abruptly turned up and rose to a height of about 15 feet. It quickly lost speed, the left wing tilting down as the craft lost height. The wing hit the ground and the machine swung around, the front skids dug into the sand and one broke and twisted back, breaking the main strut and brace. One of the spars holding the front wing also broke. Wilbur turned off the motor and got off the craft. The two brothers gathered in front of the craft as Kim, Ron and the men from the station joined them.

Wilbur turned to the men. "Let's get it back to camp so we can fix it."

Orville glanced up at Kim and Ron. "Sorry that you really didn't get to see anything. It's going to take a day or so to fix, but we'll be ready again by day after tomorrow. "

Kim stood and watched as the men picked up the machine and carried it back toward the camp. "Ron and I are glad no one was hurt, Mr. Wright."

Orville scratched the back of his neck. "It wasn't too bad of a landing. It'll be easy to fix, though. Why don't you come back tomorrow and watch if you want. I'm sure the Etheridge's wouldn't mind."

Kim and Ron smiled. "That sounds great. As soon as we finish our work, we'll be over." The two teens helped the men pick up the equipment and carry it and the craft back to camp. The sun was getting low over the dunes as they walked back to the Wright brothers' camp.

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I hope that everyone is enjoying this somewhat calmer sitch that Kim and Ron are in. I thought they deserved a little break. They are in the midst of a significant achievement in the advancement of manned flight.

This is my home state and I have had the opportunity to visit the site of the first powered airplane flight. I hope that some of you some day will have the same chance. I have also had the opportunity to stay in the building known formerly as the Kill Devil Lifesaving Station. My description comes from that experience. Kim and Ron will get the chance to have a little fun at a place called Jockey's Ridge. This is a huge sand dune that at one time was the highest dune on the east coast. It is quite a lot of fun to climb up and even more fun to jump off of. Course you get covered in sand but that half the fun.

There were lifesaving stations all along the North Carolina coast. These stations had men ready to go to the rescue of vessels in distress. Most of the time survivors were taken back to the stations for medical treatment, food, clothing and rest. These men and stations were the forerunners of the U.S. Coast Guard. Sometimes the rescued persons would stay at the stations until they had recovered and they were able to travel.

Most of my research came from the internet and a couple of books from the library.

As always, I want to thank rancherod and rufusforever for their awesome help in research and betareading.