Posted these pictures after the blog was written about 2 weeks ago. I
am about 70 miles northeast of Wilmington which puts me at about the
halfway mark.
Since my last post I have slept on the floor of a baptist Church in
Virginia, slept in the guest bedroom of an older couple in North
Carolina and stayed with friends on the southern tip of Ocracoke Island
on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The generosity has been
overwhelming and the solitude has driven me to start a number of
conversations that I wouldn't have otherwise. Just the other night I
had a run-in with a group of folks that camp regularly in a small town
called Otway for the weekends. They pull in large caches of oysters
from the nearby saltwater creek and carry on in the evenings drinking
Bud Lite while telling stories about each other. I made a remark about
how good the food smelled as I walked by and that turned into 2 hours
of chargrilled oysters, bud lite, and steak. It was apparent that these
people rarely meet strangers.
One place that I have enjoyed thus far has been Kill Devil Hills right
near Kitty Hawk, NC. I am a pilot and obviously a bicycle enthusiast.
At Kill Devil Hills, two bicycle makers from Ohio flew the first
airplane here in 1903. If you dress like Elvis, you will most likely
one day go to Graceland. Muslims from Mecca to Medina. This was my
Graceland... a spiritual place.
I have taken a few ferries to get from island to island on North
Carolina's Outer Banks. A series of developed barrier islands, most
resemble that oh-so-common stretch of beach that is now seen these
days: stores selling hermit crabs, skim boards, hair wraps, henna
tattoos, and nets. The only exception has been Ocracoke Island.
Ocracoke is a 14-mile-long stretch of protected ground with a small
town at the southwest end with a population of 800. If there was ever a
typical island community, this is it. A small marina, an handful of
locally owned restaurants, shops, and groceries, a lighthouse, and a
populace where everyone know everyone is what makes this place unique.
Fortunately I was lucky enough to have friends to stay with as they
were able to give me a personal glimpse of what life is like in this
small town. Thanks Matt and Claire, you were excellent hosts; I hope
the wedding was fun.
Since the Outer Banks basically sit in the middle of the ocean, there
is a constant wind that blows. Somehow, the wind was a headwind every
day of riding. The apex of which when I arrived by ferry from Hatteras,
NC to Ocracoke. Ocracoke runs from northeast to southwest and as I
mentioned it is 14 miles long. The wind was blowing quite hard. When I
checked the weather, I learned that the wind was blowing directly in my
face form the southwest and that I would have to ride directly into the
wind for fourteen brutal miles. It was 14 miles of daggers shooting
into my soul; I almost fell down a few times it was blowing so hard.
But I made it, and the end was worth every pedal stroke.
I have pedalled 872 miles thus far. I can't wait to make the turn west
near the Florida/Georgia border. Hope all is well and I appreciate the
comments.
PS- Don't forget to donate
http://www.neworleansmusiciansclinic.org/donations.php
