Want to help the Outer Banks recover financially post-Irene while recovering your own lost youth post-childhood?  Go hang glide on Jockey’s Ridge.
 
I tried hang gliding for the first time this summer. It was awesome.  Actually, I tried it five times; five “attempted” flights that is, which is what you get when you sign up for one session with Kitty Hawk Kites.  I say “attempted” because flight number one was none too pretty.  Here’s the video, courtesy of my son Jackson, who was stellar from the get go:
 

 
As woeful as the first effort was, I found the “Wright Stuff” eventually.  Here is an effort that would have made Orville and Wilbur proud:
 

 
 
Whether you bite the sand once or twice as I did, or soar every time like Jackson “You Can Call Me Icarus on a Cloudy Day” Dellinger, hang gliding at Kitty Hawk is a blast.  And our fellow North Carolinians on the Outer Bank would be grateful for any and all tourist-generated income given the mess Hurricane Irene made of Labor Day Weekend.
 
Here are two other OBX trip tips:  (1) Whether you hang glide or not, Jockey’s Ridge is a magical place to take kids.  And its the best place to fly a kite I’ve ever been.  You could nearly fly a brick on the top of the East Coast’s tallest sand dune.  (2) Climbing Jockey’s Ridge — whether to hang glide, kite fly, or just enjoy the view — is a workout so fortify yourself first with a great breakfast or lunch at Stack’em High.
 
If you have ever hang glided at Jockey’s Ridge (or elsewhere), love to hear about it in the comment section below.