Somewhere amid all the anger and glee of Obama's same-sex marriage comments, the Visit North Carolina Facebook page found itself the soap box for anyone and everyone with a message.

More here:
NC Gay Marriage Amendment To Affect Tourism Numbers?

These are more generally oriented natural history trips, but they will also visit the same Gulf Stream water where we go birding.

Get directions to the Wright Brothers Memorial. Wright Brothers National Memorial is open seven days a week, year round. The visitor center and Centennial Pavilion are open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily during summer months and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily September through May. Visit the Wright Brothers Visitor Center, where the Wright brothers story is told through exhibits. A full-scale reproductions of the 1902 glider and the 1903 flying machine is on display. Additional exhibits, movies and educational programs are available in the Centennial Pavilion. Climb Big Kill Devil Hill for a breath taking view of the area from sound to sea. Atop the Hill, stands the 60ft. Pylon – the site the Wilbur and Orville used for their glider experiments.Stand on the same spot where the brothers made their first flights. A large granite boulder marks the spot where the first plane left the ground.Visit the park via plane and land at the 3,000 ft. First Flight Airstrip. Spend a day visiting the place where flight started.