Stockton Rest Day and Assateague Visit

It turns out that I picked a good day to not bike, as it was very cold and a threat of snow when Wilfried headed off in the morning.  I wish him the best of luck as he completes his trip around the world, http://travellingwithoutemissions.blogspot.com/  After a sleep interspersed with cute chick noises, I had breakfast and Thomas and I headed off towards Assateague Island National Seashore.  We passed Wilfried on the road and I was amazed by his perseverance in such strong, cold winds.  It was certainly chilly when we got out of the car at Assateague, but it was beautiful and we were greeted at close proximity by two energetic horses as we arrived over the island bridge as well as some groups that I got to see further off in the marsh as we toured around a bit. I didn't get a ton of pictures of the horses themselves as I was too busy gawking, but I did take some before we bundled back into the car with the dogs to run some errands and head back to Thomas'.  I really enjoyed being shown around and Thomas was happy to answer my zillions of questions about the region.

Mr Benjamin

Small blogs=ponies...I was too excited to take any proper photos

It started snowing as we drove back to Thomas's.  Certainly a good day for non-biking.  Didn't stick, but some large flakes were to be seen by my standards

When we got back to the house, I had some lunch and enjoyed a quiet afternoon of reading, napping, computer-ing, and just recharging a bit in solitude (with my roommates, of course).  With a warm house, cats and dogs to cuddle with, and it attempting to snow outside, it was great to enjoy a nice cup of tea as I pondered future cycling routes. 

My roommates, some week-old chickens

My lovely warmshowers host in Stockton with Nancy.  Thanks for a great stay, Thomas!

Virginia Beach to Stockton

When Wilfried and I realized we were headed off in the same direction, we were both keen to ride together at least for the first while and share some company on the road.  With full bellies thanks to Kim, we headed off as it got light to navigate Virginia Beach to reach the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.  There, we had to be shuttled across in a pick-up truck as bikes are not allowed to ride it.  While it was a much faster pace at which to take in the sights than I am used to, it was certainly a cool piece of infrastructure.  The rest of the day was beautiful riding, with a large shoulder on the 'main highway' up from Cape Charles and a lovely country road for the second half of the ride.  We found a nice church step on which to eat lunch and Wilfried had all sorts of treats that he was kind enough to share with me as we approached the Maryland border.  We were greeted by Warmshowers host Thomas, Mister Benjamin, and Mister Scooby to the Mountcastle Manor and quickly made ourselves at home.  Thomas prepared a delicious supper and, when we were talking about seeing the horses and how I should go about it, he offered to show me around the area and the beach.

View from the bridge tunnel, note Nancy's handlebars in the rearview

Wilfried and I enter Maryland.  Check out his trip at http://travellingwithoutemissions.blogspot.com/

Virginia Beach, a wee bit of rest

Courtney, Zack, Sam and I shared a nice slow morning of savouring each others' company before parting ways.  Courtney and Zack were going to spend a few days visiting with her family and resting up for the next leg of their adventure while Sam and I were splitting off to go our respective routes to DC.  I was keen to go up the Delmarva peninsula to see some wild horses at Assateague (think Misty of Chincoteague, childhood book of awesome) while Sam wanted to take the inland route through more historic areas of Virginia and get to Washington a bit sooner.  So, we waved goodbye to Zack and Courtney (thanks for the fun and to Courtney's family for the warm welcome!) and Sam headed off to navigate crazy traffic across town while I rode to a warmshowers host a dozen miles away to make the next day's ride a bit shorter.  Kim was there to welcome me during her lunch hour and let me into the house, so I got to spend the afternoon lounging with her two dogs.  Some napping, some television, some cuddling with canines.  All good.

In the evening, I really enjoyed spending time with Kim, Dave, and another Warmshowers cyclist by the name of Wilfried.  Kim is a long-time cycling enthusiast and I really enjoyed hearing how she felt about different aspects of it and what she enjoys most, as well as Dave's newfound love of two-wheeled self-propelled transportation.  Wilfried is cycling around the world from his home in Sweden and it was great to hear about his experiences.  All of this was made even better by the amazing meal Kim made.  Stuffed mushrooms, saucy spinach, pasta, homemade hummus...my mouth waters just thinking about it, even though it was nearly two weeks ago as, yes, I am that behind on my blogging.  Caught in the act of catch-up.  Seriously though, a lovely evening with inspiring people all around.  

Kill Devil Hills to Virginia Beach

With some tasty rice cereal in our stomachs and a few treats from Linda, we headed out into the misty grey morning towards Courtney's family in Virginia Beach.  It wounded up being a bit wet and windy, which meant cutting it a bit close for the midday ferry sailing from Currituck to Knotts Island.  The ride from Knotts Island was unexpectedly awesome as it wove through marshy areas and quiet roads.  Sam and I were pedaling along when we saw some dinosaurs by the side of the road, followed by a sign for an aviation museum.  With Sam's love of aviation and my appreciation for weird combinations and tacky decorations, it was calling our name.  We wandered in and the friendly folks in there were glad to give us a quick walkaround the main area for free as it was so close to closing time.  Very cool, even for a non-pilot-lay-person like me!

Dinosaur head on the left to attract roadside attention, info sign on the right for this aviation museum. Well worth the stop.  Also, Sam was rocking the elf-look on this rainy day with the shoe covers.

 The last few miles of riding were a wee bit treacherous thanks to less than thrilled drivers, but it was quickly remedied by some downtime in a Starbucks before heading to Courtney's family's for the evening.  We spent a lovely evening with Courtney's family chatting, eating, and just generally enjoying each others' company.  While the warmshowers hosts and other people I've met along the way have certainly made for many homes away from home, it was really great to be part of the atmosphere that only large family dinners can bring, so thanks Courtney for the warm invite and welcome (not to mention sharing grandma's famous slaw!).

Bettie to Nags Head to Kittyhawk

We woke up nice and early to pack up camp and head off in the direction of the Cedar Island ferry.  While I'd rather not disclose how early it was, suffice to say we had ample darkness while bumbling around putting tents into panniers and I made sure to be lit up like a Christmas tree for the first hour or two on the road.  All in the name of seeking tailwinds!  It was a beautiful morning of riding, to the point where I did much of it with my camera around my neck so I wouldn't have to stop every 30 seconds to pull my Nikon from my bag.  As we reached the 'safe' 10 mile vicinity of the boat terminal with lots of time to spare, Zack and I slowed down to a more leisurely pace and stopped at the convenience store just a mile before the dock so we could have a snack and use the restroom.  With lots of time for chatting, we somehow wound up with an invite from a fellow named Tony to taste a fresh seafood fritter.  There was no way we could pass that up.  So, with a clear timeline of when we needed to dash out the door to make the ferry sailing, we followed his car the half-mile back to his house where he whipped up some seafood, ham, and vegetarian sandwiches with delicious homemade slaw for us to eat there and pack for the road.  I was so taken by his gesture and generosity and was really pleased that Zack was there to share it with (not to mention eat the seafood as I could not have it because of the crab).  We ran out the door, hopped on our bikes, and met up with Sam and Courtney just in time to walk onto the boat.

A friendly Ocracoke ferry worker who had lots of insight about the area he was happy to share.

A fellow Canadian on the boat with his wife

The crossing was really enjoyable and I wound up talking to several different people who had lots to share about the region and things to do in the area.  We got off the boat and headed down the road to a highly recommended spot where I got a local fish burger.  Delish.  The ride up Ocracoke to the second ferry crossing was simply glorious, with a huge shoulder, little traffic, a tailwind, and beautiful surroundings.

Zack enjoying the ride on Ocracoke

On the second ferry, we had a pow-wow of decision-making.  The verdict was:  book a hotel in Nag's Head, about 50 miles from the dock.  Now, riding this far after 4pm might not seem like a logical choice, but with sweet tailwinds and brutal headwinds to follow the next day, I thought it made sense.  Riding in the dark on a flat island with great winds is not ideal but certainly worth avoiding slogging against 25mph gusts the next day.  To summarize, we all made it there in the end.  I actually really enjoyed the ride as there was very little traffic and beautiful stars and moon.  The minor flooding and sand spots on the road as well as bridges certainly made it an adventure, but it made that evening's pizza and refreshments that much better.  It was a day of 'personal growth' perhaps, for the group, but I'll never forget almost hitting a deer with my bicycle.  Turns out that the headlights of a bicycle are even more mesmerizing than that of a car sometimes!

The next morning, we headed out slowly north from Nag's Head in search of a St Patty's day parade.  We wound up coming across a float of cyclists and were invited to be in the parade.  By the magic of circumstance and kindess that bicycle travel seems to attract, we wound up being shown around to free hotdogs, a community celebration, the Wright brothers memorial at Kittyhawk, some lovely bike paths, and made some new friends!  Valerie and Robert even led the way to their friend Linda's, our WS host for the nights.  Linda was kind enough to let the four of us take over her kitchen and we got to share a delicious meal with everyone cooking up something.  The contrast of the past 48 hours, with a 100 mile day followed by one of 25 miles, was a reminder that there is no 'better' way but that we are all simply along for the ride on an adventure such as this.

Zack and Courtney in their St. Patty's Parade attire, staying warm and cheerful in the cold winds

Sneads Ferry to Bettie

Fed and well-rested, the morning of riding did not go quite as planned but, well, does anything?  We had a brief wrong turn which was quickly forgotten when we came to the sign that read "Military access only, 2 miles ahead".  Oops.  I had recalled seeing something about this at some point and had mentioned it in passing to Sam, but we did not think much of it and figured we would just try going this route that would avoid an extra 20-30 miles of detour up through Jacksonville, NC.  Not so much. Luckily, thanks to my morning cereal and peanut butter with banana, I was out of yesterday's funk and simply turned around to start pedaling the longer route.  Sam had been in touch with Zack and Courtney, another pair of cyclists headed to the Outer Banks, and it seemed like fate that we would meet up with them as this 'alternate route' would make us certain to overlap.  Another morning of ACA map following meant beautiful riding on country roads to skirt the edges of Jacksonville and, when I did stop for a snack break, I turned mid-chomp to see a trio of riders coming up the road!

Zack and Sam had been in touch for awhile due to the magic of internet-cycling-trip-partner-seeking, so it was great that the four of us could get together.  The two of them had started out of Charleston and were headed to Maine where Courtney will be working on an organic farm for the season while Zack will then continue on a wee jaunt around the world.  OK, not a wee jaunt.  An epic adventure, perhaps?  They had been concerned about whether Sam and I would fly by them with greater prowess and mileage, so when it seemed like riding together through the Outer Banks at least was a possibility it was very exciting for all.

Zack, partway into his around the world adventure by bicycle!  Check out his blog at http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=11660&v=As

Courtney's sweet thrifty pannier setup using buckets

Courtney is riding from Charleston to Maine where she will work on an organic farm!

I rode solo for some of it, not feeling like keeping up at their pace, and was joined by Courtney for some as well which was lovely.  The four of us met up at a Subway later in the day, where Zack and Sam were just finishing and Courtney and I sat down in the parking lot for a snack, and we decided to ride until dark and find a spot to camp in the hopes of making the next morning's 10am ferry.  Courtney and I opted for one route, which was a bit more direct and went through Beaufort (which several people had told me was worth a stop) and Zack and Sam opted for the ACA inland route that was likely a bit calmer in terms of traffic and no doubt scenic.  Needless to say, we all had some great riding, I had a great cinnamon roll in Beaufort around 6 in the evening, and the sunset lighting was spectacular.

Courtney and I were surprised to discover when we met up as darkness got closer that the guys were a few minutes behind us.  Not keen on riding in the dark without a destination in mind, we set out on finding a spot to camp.  Courtney managed to get in touch with the pastor of a church who not only said it was OK for us to camp in the field behind it, but he also offered to come by and let us access the washroom and kitchen for a few hours.  Awesome!

Beaufort was certainly worth the detour, especially with the beautiful lighting on the harbour at that hour (not to mention the tasty cinnamon roll)

Just past Beaufort, some gorgeous marsh-gawking riding next to the water

Playing around with the camera with camp set up.  

We pitched our tents, cleaned up a bit, had a snack in the church kitchen, and agreed on a pre-dawn departure in the hopes of making it the 30 miles to the ferry before 10.  I was very keen on this as, while I'm not generally one to rush, the day promised great tailwinds with strong headwinds the next day, so I wanted to make the most of Saturday's winds and bike less on Sunday.

Wilmington to Sneads Ferry

A leisurely morning of breakfast, packing up, pondering, and chatting had us ready for the ride to Sneads Ferry.  With promises from Paul and 'Abby' to come and visit the West Coast, Nancy and El Torro were loaded up and we headed off.  For perhaps the first time, we followed the ACA maps quite closely to get out of Wilmington and this made for some scenic, low-traffic riding that was especially appreciated in sections with headwinds.  A quick section on route 17 was not the most awesome given the traffic level and lack of shoulder, but it did not last long.  Sam and I wound up meeting up on the road.  Unfortunately for him, I was feeling rather out of sorts, so when we bumped panniers and I nearly went flying (unbeknownst to him as he rode off ahead) I was not super pleased.  A trip into the grocery store for some sustenance put my blood sugar and our friendship as back on track as it was going to get for the day given my headspace and we headed off again at our own paces.

Some back and forth for the Atlantic Intracoastal waterway meant that there were beach towns and communities to be seen, though I never did spot the location that Sam had suggested we meet at.  Turns out that it did not exist (failure of Google Maps, perhaps?), but the bagel shop near our hosts' house certainly made up for it as a warm place with food to eat.  We went and bought some supplies to make dinner for Ray and Melinda and headed over to their place.  We arrived a bit before them and had time to be amazed at their beautiful property and mellow out on the dock.  Perfect end to the day of cycling.  Sam and I both really enjoyed talking with the two of them as well as getting to cook some pasta for dinner to share.  In celebration of Pi Day (March 14th), which I was super stoked about, we had picked up an apple pie for dessert!  What a special place to celebrate such an important holiday.

We said our goodbyes to Ray and Melinda in the evening, as they would be leaving quite early, and made our plans to get as close to the Cedar Island Outer Banks ferry departure as possible the next day.

Atlantic Intracoastal waterway with the ocean just beyond

View from a bridge, the only 'hill' in sight.  I'm going to get clobbered when we leave the flatlands....

Evening view from Ray and Melinda's piece of paradise, taken amidst dinner preparations

 

Myrtle Beach to Wilmington

We loaded up on another hearty breakfast at the highly recommended Serendipity Inn before heading out northbound.  The roads were not ideal nor was the traffic, but it was not so bad as it could have been, say, at rush hour or if there had only been one lane.  I was just starting to settle in to the day's ride when, distracted by something and having taken my eyes off the road, I heard a loud smash/bang/pop/hiss.  I had managed to ride over some small glass object, maybe a tiny bottle or something, and my rear tire was not pleased.

Walking up a little ways, I then settled into flat-fixing mode which, for me, entails being even slower than usual and having a snack while pondering life.  Unfortunately the glass had really cut through the tire itself and, while the tube was certainly irreparable, my beautiful Schwalbe Marathon Supreme was not looking so hot either.  I had heard that a temporary fix involves putting a $1 bill as a patch, but I only had 20's and the amount of weird unidentifiable slime that has appeared inside the tire made me hesitant.  So, I cleaned things up a bit, popped in a new tube, and decided to hope for the best.  I had a feeling that it was not going to last the day seeing as the tube was pushing out of the slash in the tire, but figured I would get as far as I could and then likely wind up sticking out my thumb by the highway.  

In what might not have been logical to anyone but me, I went by the air stop at the gas station and put an obscene amount of pressure in both my front and rear tires.  The logic: if I was only going to last for a bit on the tire anyhow, I may as well enjoy excellent rolling speed.  Go big or go home, I suppose.  

Long story short, I make it to the North Carolina border and, beyond that, all the way to Wilmington!  I found Sam at the house of Phyllis and Paul, our Warmshowers host, and after quickly cleaning up and explaining the situation I gladly supported a trip to the local bike shop.  The guys at Two Wheeler Dealer were great.  They listened to my convoluted story, helped me in my stubborn desire to try and fix the mutilated tire, offered some alternatives for replacement tires, and did it all with a smile.  While they may understandably have been a wee bit smug when I finally wound up accepting that a new tire would have to be bought (their original diagnosis of the situation), I appreciated their help and allowing me to come to my own decision.  I got a narrower replacement (28" Continental, if anyone cares) and figured I would hang on to the old Schwalbe in case of problems as it would probably hold up for a few days in a pinch.  

The evening and supper with Paul and Phyllis was filled with laughter, good fun, and tasty pasta with accompaniments.  Sam and I had a tough time doing any route planning as we were both pretty tired, but we found a last minute warmshowers host about 50 miles away that would set us up well to head to the Outer Banks.

The Meat Market (aka Myrtle Beach)

After yesterday's ride neither Sam nor I were hurting to any amount of concern, just tired and, well, going down stairs was rather entertaining.  There was a delicious breakfast at the Serendipity B&B and lots of friendly folk to chat with over eggs, muffins, freshly-baked coffee cake, and other morning treats.  There were even some fellow Canadians with whom to talk about hockey, the Vinyl Cafe, and other gems.

Thanks to the suggestion of a couchsurfer by the name of Cathy that I had emailed at the last minute for suggestions of things to do around town, Sam and I biked into the main area of town to find a suggested coffee shop for some mellow time.  Perhaps you can see a pattern of seeking out coffee shops on rest days.  I suppose I could try and argue that I am simply dragged along by my hipster companion who wants to sit and read Dickens with an espresso, but I really do appreciate sitting still in that sort of environment after being on the move so much.

I explored a little bit by myself in the afternoon, both on foot and by bike, and located some frozen yogurt along the way.  My alternate name for this place, as seen in the title of this post, was given that in the time between leaving the coffee shop and finding Sam for dinner I had three less-than-wholesome offers of places to sleep.  While the thrifty side of me was cursing the fact that I had even bothered to pay for a place to sleep, one of the offers was out of a rattling truck window while I tried to bicycle through an intersection with froyo in one hand and a gust of cross-wind.  Not helpful.

Cycling back towards the B&B and a hungry Sam, I came across a beautiful beach scene and a surfer-ridden area that was calling my name to gawk for a bit.  Not only was this spectacular to watch, but it made dinner at a recommended restaurant all the more delicious as us two bicycle riders, disguised in plaid and non-biking shoes, pondered life and trip routes over some tasty local shrimp.

Charleston to Myrtle Beach

With food in our stomachs and rejuvenation that only sunshine, great people, and two bike-free days can bring, Sam and I headed out as soon as it was light.  Riding through the city at such a quiet hour was quite a change from the bustling weekend scene we had experienced, and I certainly enjoyed the glimpse into a different side of the city.  The ride over the bridge out towards Mount Pleasant was stunning with beautiful views seen from a cyclist/pedestrian-only zone thanks to the work of cyclist advocates in the region.  Huge moment of appreciation felt on that bridge for all of you pushing for bike-friendly infrastructure!

The ride towards Georgetown, destination of the day, was nothing short of lovely.  Not to sound overly positive and sugary, but the tailwinds, quiet roads through a national forest, and mellow yet ground-covering pace was awesome.  A few raindrops loomed here and there, but thanks to Murphy's Law as soon as I stopped and put on my pannier rain covers the clouds seemed to keep to themselves.

It was about 3pm when I reached the outskirts of Georgetown and, while I had certainly ridden enough to call it a day, I figured that the thought niggling at the back of my mind was likely on Sam's radar as he had likely just arrived to the town centre.  After some cell-phone communication, meeting up in town, and a nutrition break at Burger King, Sam sorted out a place to stay in Myrtle Beach for us about 35 miles down the road.

I was unsure how my body might react to the rate at which I scarfed two veggie burgers and hopped back on the bike, but no trouble.  At that point, calories are calories and I believe that I owe the enjoyment of those 35 miles to that snack break.  The riding was certainly less relaxing than earlier in the day thanks to the traffic picking up near the beach communities, but the tailwind made maintaining a reasonable pace was pretty doable and there was even a bike path that appeared for part of the ride that paralleled the highway and weaved through the woods.

I wound up chatting with a fellow cyclist along the bike path and rode with him and his wife for the next while.  Taking their route wound up adding a couple of extra miles, but at that point I was rather indifferent and simply enjoyed hearing about cycling in the area.  While I had a destination, their offer of a yard to camp in was much appreciated before we parted ways and I continued to what seemed like a hallucination.

At the risk of overgeneralizing and sounding judgmental,  Myrtle Beach is weird.  Perhaps partly because I had spent the day cycling the backroads and arrived at dusk, but the abundance of mini golf courses and hotels made me think I was visiting Vegas.  That is bearing in mind that I have never been to Las Vegas, so at least based on how it looks in the movies.  Like I said, weird.  I took my time cycling up the 'main drag' (that was exceptionally long given that the B&B was on the far end of town) primarily because the gawking and people-watching was abundant: families going for a post-dinner walk, spring-breakers on the prowl or headed for a late dinner, older couples out walking their tiny canine bits of fluff.

It was surprising to not be a total wreck in the evening given the amount of mileage covered, and a shower, snacks, and walk to the beach gave way to a well-deserved sleep after a 200km-ish bike ride of the day.

Couldn't resist taking a picture of this hotel sign as I rode into a weird land of overabundant minigolf courses, neon 'spring break' T-shirts, and more than one establishments related to 'Ripley's believe it or not'

Relaxing in Charleston

The weekend in Charleston was a great decision on our part.  Two bicycle-free days meant that we got to exercise our walking and lounging muscles without feeling rushed.  On the first day, Sam and I took the bus into the historic downtown and each spent time wandering, pretentious-coffee-drinking (ahem, Sam), and taking photos of random people (that would be me).  Missy was kind enough to make us dinner, with the highlight for me being the okra and bean dish, and it was great to spend the evening together chatting and hearing about her family.  I didn't really "do" a lot, but simply enjoyed the sunshine, people-watching, and meandering around the streets.

Friend from the dungeon tour

Market St in Charleston

Museum sign.  No comment.

Day 2 of rest in Charleston was equally enjoyable, especially thanks to our host, Missy Fox.  She took us out for breakfast to a spot on the water with delicious grits, shrimp (had to try one), eggplant, and a Greek omelet.  She was kind enough to drop me off so I could spend some more time wandering with my camera while she took Sam to see an old submarine at the other end of town.  Actually, more than just an old submarine, but I don't feel qualified to explain at length at this point.  Missy had also offered spots to a Men's Chorus concert which was simply amazing in terms of the music as well as the beautiful theatre.  En route over, I got to see their 'pedestrian day' in which some main blocks of town are closed and people mill about.  Very cool in terms of how many people this car-free shindig attracts as well as the sheer amount of characters there.  We were treated to another supper prepared by Missy and had some time to relax at the Fox house, quickly meet some family, and get ready to head out.