Day 1 We have to deal with a thunderstorm that is passing through early in the morning. Our start time at 6am has to be pushed back about 30 minutes until we determine the storm will pass to the east of us. We bicycle through the darkened streets of Beaufort to the outskirt of town and the the local McDonalds where we grab something to eat. At about 7am we head out on a busy road. Previous "coastal rides" have utilized the same road but we have never done this on a weekday with commuter traffic. The majority of traffic is headed toward us with just a trickle going our way. However, the inability to pass us due to the oncoming traffic, was a persistent problem for that trickle of vehicles.
We have only 3.5 hours to bicycle the 46 miles to Cedar Island Ferry, so it is a power ride to catch the ferry. We are cruising at 17-18 mph with little effort due to the tailwind. This keeps up all day and after a couple hours, we realize we can take it easy and even add a detour through the towns of Sea Level and Atlantic.
Just outside of Atlantic, we stop to take a photo of this house on jacks. We noticed several others were also jacked up throughout the morning. The owner came out on his porch, which was well above us. He is from NY but down here fixing up this 1916 house. The twin hurricanes took a toll on this area. Almost every home we passed had some noticeable damage. This fellow told us FEMA was reimbursing homeowners $30,000 to raise their homes. The issues associated with that were, not everyone could afford or even borrow the money and wait for a reimbursement and now that a number of houses are on jacks, they can't get concrete or masons for months. Thus this guy is using that ladder. I'm sure that gets old fast.
We manage to roll into the ferry terminal about 15 minutes before loading. Our SAG (super awesome girls) are already in line. We add the bikes to the rear rack and roll on the ferry for the 2 hour 40 minute ride.
Once on Ocracoke, we take a sightseeing tour including the British Cemetery (in the background. The gravestone pictured is an oddity. I can't decide if it has any truth to it.
Springer Point is about the only trail on the island, except the MST which doesn't resemble a trail.
We met a fellow at our hotel who was getting a private tour of the lighthouse. So we hung out there for a while, hoping he'd show up and we could weasel our way into the lighthouse. Not today.
High water markers in the middle of town.
Yes, we had to go see the "wild" ponies of Ocracoke. They are in a paddock now and don't seem too wild.
Day 3, we are back at it. After catching the 7am ferry out of Ocracoke headed to Swanquarter, we are back on the road about 10am. Our SAG leapfrogs us all the way into Belhaven. The 30 mile ride is briefly aided by a tailwind but turns against us shortly thereafter. We arrive in Belhaven about 1pm and head to a restaurant. Then it is off to explore. First we tour through the old town of Bath. It is loaded with historic markers. Then a quick tour of Goose Creek State Park. There was a lot of construction which looked like some type of overnight facility. My impression of the state park was that it was prime mosquito breeding habitat. Keep your windows up.
We ended the day with a walk along the riverfront in Washington before eating at a local restaurant.
Day 4 we are off for an early start so we can catch an early ferry. We are there in plenty of time and cross the Pamlico River. Now the wind is against us and we struggle. Once we arrive in Aurora we stop for a break at the Courthouse. There a kid from NY was waiting outside taking a smoke break. He tells us a weird story of coming here with his father and his father leaving the next day, leaving him with just the clothes he had on (and the cell phone he carried).
Stopping again at a gas station for some fluids and something to eat, we get into a conversation with a fellow who grew up here, left for a military career, then retired back here. His career took him all over the world but most of the time he worked in a Boston skyscraper listening to North Korea radio transmissions. Whenever, someone defected from North Korea, he got to interview them to determine if they were genuine or impostors. Of the 200 or so that defected, only a handful were genuine. He told us he had seen footage of real defectors being shot and dumped in graves.
Back on the road, the wind is in our faces and ferocious. The road to Bayboro was not traveled much so we could ride side by side most of the way. Then the final leg to Oriental was on a very busy route 55. It was Friday afternoon and everyone was headed to the boat show at Oriental. It was a long struggle but finally we were in town and could relax. The boat show had the road closed in from of our motel. We were not permitted to walk through the area so had to walk around the show to get anywhere.
Day 5, again an early start and we get to an early ferry across the Neuse River. It was a short crossing. There were some sprinkles on this final stretch into Beaufort but the road was busy busy busy and the wind unfavorable. Once in town, my car battery was dead so we had a delay before getting on the road home. Fun trip but I'm glad to get off the bicycle on the last day.
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