First of all, a happy birthday to my wonderful wife, Linda. To celebrate, we loaded up the bikes, and spent 8 hours on the road to get to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
We left out this morning around 8:30 from Florence. Rather than go the traditional route (I-95 to Raleigh, then west and south to US 64), we (I) elected to go the back route, using US 76, US 74, and apparently as many back roads as the Garmin could find.
I figured out after about 200 miles where I went wrong. When planning the route in MapSource, Garmin's PC mapping application, I changed the Road Preferences, sliding the bar a notch toward "Prefer minor roads." This allowed the software to take us off the beaten path. It held true to it's programming!
This is the Google equivilent of the route I chose to take. We headed out of Florence on US 76, and rode through Marion, Mullins, Nichols, then into Fair Bluff, North Carolina, a town that doesn't seem to have changed in 50 years. That's not a criticism, it's still a really nice town!
The going was a bit slow for a while, as we went from 55 to 45 to 35 and back again over and over. The temperature was in the low 70's, and it was a nice country ride.
We made up some time when we hit US 74, a 4-lane divided highway with a 70 mph speed limit.Traffic was light, and we were really moving. We turned off on Highway 11 (General Howe Road), a two-lane blacktop frequented by logging trucks and other 18-wheelers. While the turn was at the 100 mile mark, there wasn't any place to stop for the 100-mile break (see my last post). We had to travel to Burgaw, another 30 miles, before we re-entered civilization. I swear I could hear Dueling Banjos playing!
We stopped for lunch in Jacksonville, and took a break. We followed the planned route, and somewhere around Washington, we managed to miss a turn. We only thought we were in the country before! We ended up traveling another 10 miles down tiny blacktop roads before we found our way back to 17 North.
Around New Bern, there's a lot of construction on 17. Apparently, they're changing the route a bit, and the April update to the Garmin doesn't show the new road. At one point, the screen showed us racing across the fields (we were on a brand new, really nice and long bridge), until we joined back up with 17 again.
At the next 100 mile break, we found a country (a real country) store for drinks. Finally we hit US 64 east, and the speed limit went between 55 and 70, with little traffic. An awesome road that took us across to Roanoke Island.
The US 64 segement of the trip is beautiful. As you pass over the East Lake bridge and the Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge over the Croatan Sound, the view is spectacular, the bridges rival the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, or the Half Moon Bay Bridge in San Francisco. Combine that with very light traffic, and it made up for the long runs on the back roads.
While still on the mainland, we saw a couple of signs that said "Watch for bears," and Linda spotted an "Alligator Watch Zone." So, watching for dogs, deer and goats isn't enough? Thankfully, we didn't see any of them.
We pulled into the Travelodge parking lot in Kill Devil Hills around 4:30, and were greeted by a group of Vietnam Vets having a reunion at the hotel. We had to show them the bikes, and all the features before we could check in. Nice bunch of guys, all about our age (or older).
We're on the third floor, and don't have a view of the ocean (across the street, behind the dunes). But we do have a view of the Wright-Brothers Memorial, which we plan on visiting tomorrow.
They tell me that it's lit up at night. That should be something to see!
On the way in, we saw several billboards for Dirty Dick's Crab House("I got crabs at Dirty Dicks"). For some reason, I have a hankering for seafood. We asked at the desk for a good seafood restaurant for tonight. She told us we should go to Dirty Dicks to get a T-shirt, then go to the Kill Devil Grill, or Awful Arthur's for good seafood. I'll take her at her word on that.
Saturday, September 18th
It's about 6 am, and I'm just getting up. For me, anything past 5 is pretty good.
Last night, we headed up to Awful Arthur's for dinner around 7 pm. We had to circle the small parking lot a few times before we grabbed a just-vacated spot. As we approached the front door, someone coming out announced that it was an hour and a half wait for a table. IMHO, there's no restaurant that's worth waiting that long for, so we turned around and headed for the Kill Devil Grill.
The place is an old-time diner, with a counter up front and a small dining area added on the back. There was a small wait for tables when we got there (the line got longer when we left), but there were spaces at the counter, so we sat there.
The counter had been kept authentic, from the individual juke boxes mounted there (they didn't work. One guy asked, "I wonder what happens if I put in a quarter?" I quipped, "You lose your quarter, that's what!"), to the original stools. The girl behind the counter had an Eastern European accent as she announced the specials for the night.
Linda had the Crab Cakes (Lump crab, no fillers), and I had the special, Firecracker Shrimp. Linda said the crab was good; the shrimp I had were large, with a tasty breading that seemed to get spicier as you ate. I enjoyed them. We shared a large slice of key lime pie that was very tasty, and more than enough for the two of us.
Back to the hotel by 9, and the monument was ablaze with light, with a spotlight at the top that circled like a lighthouse. We sat on the balcony and had a beer, enjoying the mild weather and the moonlit view.
In bed by 10, and asleep soon after.
I've been wondering about Virginia Dare, the namesake of the bridge over the Croatan Sound, and of the road along the coast, the Virginia Dare Trail. According to Wikipedia, Virginia Dare is the first child born in the colonies from English parents, in the short-lived Roanoke Colony. While she has been legendized, no one knows much about her, and don't even know when she died.
Linda is sleeping behind me, and I'll start planning our itinerary. We have to see what's available regarding the Wright Brothers, and do a little souvenir shopping. It's a short trip, so we'll have to "git 'er done" in one day.
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Travelodge has a simple breakfast available, but it's enough to get you going. Linda and I had a bagel and cream cheese and coffee while we planned the day.
At 9 am we were at the Wright Brothers Memorial. I have to say, it's inspiring. The twelve-second, 120 foot flight, only 20 feet off the ground, truly changed the world. It only took 66 years from that day in December, 1903 for us to get to the moon!
We first went to the memorial itself, and took a 360 degree video around the base. The climb up Kill Devil Hill was steep, and we had to work to get to the top. Kudos to Linda! While her knees worked against her, she was determined to reach the top, and she did! I have the video, but it's about 285K, and it's gonna take too long to upload. I'll put it on my iPod when I get home.
The Memorial is set on a 5-pointed star base, and is similar to markers used for air races in the early 20th century (only a lot bigger). There are bronze busts of Orville and Wilbur in the front, and the view is spectacular.
We drove around to the back of the circle to the sculpture of the First Flight. I took pictures from behind each of the figures, to provide a perspective from each viewpoint.
We hit the Visitor's Centers next; there are two There is a replica of the original glider, and of the powered plane that they used for "thousands of test flights" (I didn't know that) before they built their powered craft.
There are several things I didn't know. From the flip of a coin, Wilbur actually made the first attempt, from the top of the hill. The craft stalled and crashed, but it would have been a cheat anyway. The challenge was to have a powered, controlled flight from level ground.
Orville took the first actual flight, the one that lasted twelve seconds and travelled 120 feet (shorter than the wing span of a 747, btw). John Daniels, a member of the Kitty Hawk Lifesaving Team, took the famous picture of the flight. Mr. Daniels had never used a camera before, and his family claims he never used one again. They didn't even know if they had gotten the picture until they returned to Dayton, Ohio!
There were four flights that day, the last one traveling 825 feet and lasting 59 seconds. A fifth flight was planned, one of about 4 miles (?!?) to the Post Office, but a sudden gust of wind lifted the plane off the ground and it turned over, destroying the engine. Mr. Daniels tried to hold the plane down, and ended up tumbling over and over as it crashed. Till he died, he claimed credit for having survived the first plane crash.
We spent way too much on souvenirs, and headed down to Roanoke Island, where we visited the NC Aquarium (one of three). To tell the truth, while it was nice, it paled in comparison to the Ripley Aquarium in Myrtle Beach.
We saw signs pointing to the "Lost Colony," where Virginia Dare was born. We followed them to the park where the remains of the earthen Fort Raleigh can be found. The fort is actually a star-shaped hollow with built-up earth that's actually quite small. The Lost Colony is still, well, lost. There is an area that they think is where the original colony existed, but nothing remains.
Between 1855 and 1857, attempts were made to establish an English settlement in the New World, to compete with Spain (the Spaniards settled as far north as Camp Lejuene, not too far south of here), and the attempts were funded by Sir Walter Raleigh. After three years without supplies from England, the colony either moved on or died. The current belief is that they tore down the houses to build boats so they could head north to Chesapeake, but they have no evidence to support it.
We had done quite a bit of walking, and we were done in, so we headed back to Nag's Head and Kill Devil Hills. We ended up eating a late lunch at Dirty Dick's Crab Shack (yes, we bought T-shirts that say "I got my crabs from Dirty Dicks"), and spent the rest of the afternoon poolside.
It's 7 o'clock now, and we have a long trip home tomorrow. I don't expect to do much tonight but pack for the ride. Three days is too short, but it's been a lot of fun so far.
Sunday, September 19th
I was right last night -- we had a few beers and fell asleep (one of the problems of a hotel room -- no place to watch TV but laying in bed). I was up at 5 as usual, checking the weather and studying the maps for the return ride.
Our waitress at Dirty Dick's has taken the trip from the Outer Banks to Columbia many times, and recommended the US-64 west to I-95 south route. The maps show it as an hour less travel for about the same distance. While we enjoyed the ride in along the back roads, the constant stop and go for small towns, and following the log trucks on the two-lanes got to be a bit much, and we were ready to get home, so I checked it out.
Linda got up early (for her) and we had a light breakfast before packing the bikes. The discussions around the breakfast area were mostly about travel home, and getting an early start. We left before most of them, at about 7:30. It was about 70 degrees, and we wore our jackets. It was warm to begin with, but as soon as we were up to speed, the cool air made us glad we had worn them.
US-64 West was almost empty, and we sailed across the bridges, and through the (swamps? marshes? not sure what the area is -- mostly wetlands and lakes). Besides the "Don't feed the bears" signs we'd seen on the way in, we saw a "Red Fox Crossing, next 10 miles" sign as well. Thankfully, we saw no bears or gators, or foxes. We did have a doe and a fawn run across in front of us (about 100 yards ahead), but they were well off the road by the time we got there. We did see a red fox later, but someone had already run it over. Yuch!
We were traveling at 60, about 5 mph over the limit, but at a particularly long straight stretch, we had some impatient drivers that passed about 5 cars to get in front of us -- crazy, but I had no plans to go faster. With all the wildlife crossing potential, there was a reason for the speed limit. Most of the rest of the crowd behind us passed us once we hit Columbia (NC), but they never did get very far ahead of us.
After Columbia, the highway opened up to 4 lanes, and the speed went up to 70. This highway was in better shape than most of I-95, and the miles rolled smoothly under our wheels. The road isn't very straight; it twists back and forth, and it was a blast. There were some bends that I had to push the bike through, and one that I turned off the cruise to get control. It was a tight turn at 70, and there was an exit ramp in the middle of it. I almost took the exit by mistake!
Don't worry. At no time did I feel out of control, or in danger. It was exhilirating, and it was fun, but it was in control.
We made it all the way to Rocky Mount on our first run, and stopped for gas and rest rooms about 10 miles from the Interstate, about 10 o'clock. It was about 82 degrees, and we left the jackets on for the time being.
Sunday, September 19th
I was right last night -- we had a few beers and fell asleep (one of the problems of a hotel room -- no place to watch TV but laying in bed). I was up at 5 as usual, checking the weather and studying the maps for the return ride.
Our waitress at Dirty Dick's has taken the trip from the Outer Banks to Columbia many times, and recommended the US-64 west to I-95 south route. The maps show it as an hour less travel for about the same distance. While we enjoyed the ride in along the back roads, the constant stop and go for small towns, and following the log trucks on the two-lanes got to be a bit much, and we were ready to get home, so I checked it out.
Linda got up early (for her) and we had a light breakfast before packing the bikes. The discussions around the breakfast area were mostly about travel home, and getting an early start. We left before most of them, at about 7:30. It was about 70 degrees, and we wore our jackets. It was warm to begin with, but as soon as we were up to speed, the cool air made us glad we had worn them.
US-64 West was almost empty, and we sailed across the bridges, and through the (swamps? marshes? not sure what the area is -- mostly wetlands and lakes). Besides the "Don't feed the bears" signs we'd seen on the way in, we saw a "Red Fox Crossing, next 10 miles" sign as well. Thankfully, we saw no bears or gators, or foxes. We did have a doe and a fawn run across in front of us (about 100 yards ahead), but they were well off the road by the time we got there. We did see a red fox later, but someone had already run it over. Yuch!
We were traveling at 60, about 5 mph over the limit, but at a particularly long straight stretch, we had some impatient drivers that passed about 5 cars to get in front of us -- crazy, but I had no plans to go faster. With all the wildlife crossing potential, there was a reason for the speed limit. Most of the rest of the crowd behind us passed us once we hit Columbia (NC), but they never did get very far ahead of us.
After Columbia, the highway opened up to 4 lanes, and the speed went up to 70. This highway was in better shape than most of I-95, and the miles rolled smoothly under our wheels. The road isn't very straight; it twists back and forth, and it was a blast. There were some bends that I had to push the bike through, and one that I turned off the cruise to get control. It was a tight turn at 70, and there was an exit ramp in the middle of it. I almost took the exit by mistake!
Don't worry. At no time did I feel out of control, or in danger. It was exhilirating, and it was fun, but it was in control.
We made it all the way to Rocky Mount on our first run, and stopped for gas and rest rooms about 10 miles from the Interstate, about 10 o'clock. It was about 82 degrees, and we left the jackets on for the time being.
The more I ride on I-95, the less I like it. The road surface isn't the best, and with the trucks, campers, and stupid drivers, you can't maintain a decent speed. You have the passive agressive guys that will race up on you, then slow down and ride just off your rear, preventing you from moving over to pass, and having to slow down. This is not just something I've experienced on the motorcycle; it happens in the car as well. The only solution is to pre-empt them by pulling into their lane long before you need to, and let them sit behind you until you've passed the slower vehicles.
The road continued to disappear beneath us, and the mile markers flew by. We were back in Florence by 1:30, and headed over to Longhorn for a good steak dinner before coming home and crashing.
All in all, it was a great weekend. The Travelodge was very good: quiet, friendly, clean. The Wright Brothers Memorial was more than I expected, and inspiring. We ate some delicious seafood, and packed a heckuva lot of stuff into the one day we were there. The next time, we'll take 4 days, and see if we can hit all four of the local lighthouses.
Hope you enjoy our adventures. They're not always exciting, but I try to provide an idea of how the trips go. If I'm succeeding, let me know.
