There is a stretch of North Carolina highway 12, north of Corolla, NC, that runs approximately 10.5 miles along the beach to the Virginia state line. The road is not paved here ... the beach itself is Hwy 12. This is a gorgeous area of the NC outer banks and is a place that is rather desirable to live for those who don't mind a high risk of losing their house to a hurricane! This photo shows the sand dunes that have been erected over time to give the home owners some degree of protection from potential storm surges. Similar dunes can be found all up and down the NC coastline but the dunes in this area are particularly impressive for what they are.