So I had some minor hesitation starting out this morning, that it wasn't going to be easy to cross the north Carolina border. My first road fails me because it cuts through a military base where hay are launching fighter jets into the air that almost explode your ear drums. So my iPhone renavigates the roads for me because I couldn't get into the military base. But the iPhone comes through.
I ride through a small town with windswept sand all over the road. It's one road with houses on both sides. Sandpiper road and everybody names their house like people name boats. I though it was cute, it inspired to name my bike, Zelda, because the kid who rides it is a legend...haha.
I ride into back bay wildlife refuge, it costs me 2$ and there are tons of neat looking exotic birds but I don't know crap about birds so I just say oh that's nice and ride right on through.
Then it's onto false cape state park, this is where I knew it would get tricky. The ranger assures me I could cross into the NC cape. He says it's about 6 miles and I may encounter 2 sand dunes I might not be able to ride through. Well 2 didn't seem so bad I think. But the problem is once I cross the state line it will be about 1pm and high tide is at 1pm. He says my best bet will be getting to the beach and riding it during low tide. I think well one obstacle at a time and start on my way through the false cape trail. 5 miles in I have to admit it was a remarkable ride not a person in site and just beautiful. I encounter my first sand dune with about 1.5 miles to go. It's bad real deep and walking the bike that has about 80 lbs of gear on it is a monster task. The bugs start buzzing and sticking to my sweat covered head. I rip my helmet off and start cursing....hahaha. This is funny now! I knew I only had to put up with it a mile or two and I asked god why he was making me suffer, he said if it was easy everybody would do it. I said oh ya right good point.
I fight on through and make it out into NC after hoisting my bike over a 6' horse fence. I drop into NC and think now WTF? I see horses and deer and sand roads??? Which way? I pull out my little paper map from the ranger and see the way to the beach.
Pushing my bike on the beach for a bit in midday is tough work! I remove my shoes and jump into the ocean much better now. Back to pushing on the compact sand close to the water waiting for my redneck saint to carry me to highway 12. It's about 10 miles from where I am. I'm wAlking barefoot with my shoes wedged somewhere on my bike. Probably about 20 mins later I see there is a shoe missing. F$&@! I look back and see it !, leaving the bike behind and run up to it. When a guy in a white pickup pulls up heading my direction. I tell him my situation and he says ya no problem! He was just on his way to the local hardware store and driving on corova beach is the only way to get there from his house! Awesome!
I get my lift to the pavement and I'm glad to be back on the bike doing my thing. I ride through kitty hawk, naggs head, and I'm not that impressed. It's nice and all but I think I was expecting more. So 50 more miles till my destination, Oregon inlet camping ground. I make it! Get there late there was nobody at the desk to register so I get another free night sleep.
While setting up the bike tent an older man approached me in amazement of the tent, we start talking. He just completed an 800 mile ride across NC. Nice guy he is he hands me about 20 power bars! He said he never wants to eat another one again, having just lived off them for 3 weeks. I gladly accept. I take a cold shower because there is no warm water and settle in to an evening inside my tent because the mosquitoes are pretty bad outside.
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