Dateline Florence, August 9, 2014

Final blog entry for the trip to Hatteras and the Outer Banks. There wasn't much to post from Thursday. We drove down Hwy 12 to Hatteras Village, and got in line for the ferry to Ocracoke Island at about 9:45. There were two lines of cars ahead of us, and what we figured out was that the ferry could take about one line at a time.

The Hatteras to Ocracoke Ferry is free, and no reservations are needed. A lot of people take this ferry to a very tiny island. I'm told that most of them are just for the day, and they return later. Of course, many of them head directly to the Ocracoke to Cedar Creek Ferry. That one is "reservations required."

As we were being loaded, they were once again filling the line to our left, which meant that there were enough cars waiting to fill 7 ferries!

We waited for about an hour before we were loaded. They don't understand how motorcycles should be loaded, and the guy told us that, since Linda was on a trike, to be on the same ferry we would not be loaded first.

The problem is, if the bike is facing forward, and the boat is rocking side to side, there's a risk that the bike will fall over. Most ferries will put the motorcycles in the front, turned sideways so the rocking of the boat isn't an issue. I secured the bike as best I could and hoped for a smooth ride.

The actual distance, point-to-point, is only a few miles, but because of reefs, rocks and shoals, the boat has to travel in a half-circle, away from the island, then circle to the Ocracoke terminal. It takes about an hour. One guy we spoke with told us he was scheduled on the 1 o'clock to Cedar Creek. The rules call for you to be at the ferry 30 minutes before loading or you can forfeit your reservation, and be put on standby. You don't necessarily get on the next ferry; you get on the next ferry with an opening. Could be the next day!

Ocracoke is 12 miles long. We got off the boat on Ocracoke at about noon, plenty of time for those continuing on to be at the terminal by 12:30, except for the sand dune replenishment halfway down the island. We all got to the village about 12:20, so they got lucky.

As for us, we stopped by the hotel (in sight of the terminal), and parked the bikes, then walked across the street to sMacNally's and took seats at the outdoor bar, facing Silver Lake.

The Shimp Po Boy was great, especially washed down with a couple of Corona's. Linda enjoyed the Shrimp Salad on a Pita roll. We talked with the locals, just enjoying the peace and quiet. Later, after we checked in, we walked around a bit, and found a few stores, even one that sold Ocracoke School paraphenalia, including t-shirts for the Ocracoke Dolphins sports teams ("Beware the Pod!"). It hadn't occurred to me that there would be a school here, but of course there is -- if there are children, there has to be a school, right? I found the OcracokeCurrent, an online news feed for Ocracoke ("WE DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DO, WE JUST WANT TO WRITE ABOUT IT!"). The school graduated 10 seniors this year.!

The next morning, we were up early, and packed, ready to go with plenty of time. Had breakfast at the harbor store (a tiny room behind sMacNally's). The dock dog, a small brown with some lab mixed in, came over to be friends with Linda, who had a danish. I just kept the dog at bay with my foot (no, I didn't kick it, just nudged) to give it the idea that there wasn't any food. The dog just lay down at my feet, with that pathetic look that's supposed to make you feel guilty and share. It didn't work. As soon as someone else came out of the store with a muffin, the dog was up and begging. Not aggressive, just persistent.

We were early for the ferry, and arranged to go on near the front, where they could transverse-park my bike. Great people that work there, helpful, friendly.

Two different ferry runs depart from here -- on the left, the Cedar Creek departs for Swan Quarter; on the right was our ferry, the Swan Quarter, that traveled to Cedar Creek. Weird, eh?

This is the Cedar Creek, departing for Swan Quarter at 7:30. The Swan Quarter, the newest in the fleet, is to the right.

We were entertained on the 2 hour 15 minute trip by a group of musicians traveling across. Guitars and mandolin strummed out bluegrass, country, and even old Beatles tunes like "Norwegian Wood." Helped to make the time go faster. We were back on the road by 12:30, and headed down Hwy 12 towards Beaufort (in NC, it's pronounced "BO-furt."), about 38 miles away. Beautiful scenery, lots of water with views of the ocean on occasion. A long line of cars with nowhere else to go. followed behind us as we wound our way to the other end of Hwy 12 -- yes, we achieved our goal, and traversed the entire highway -- where we merged onto US 70. By the time we gassed up and had a quick lunch, it was after 1 o'clock before we were on the road.

We had checked the weather for today -- scattered thunderstorms up and down the coast, so we elected to try and make it home rather than risk another day of rainy riding.. We also decided that, rather that go across Road 53, a two-lane blacktop, we'd stick to the main US Highway system. So, from US 70, we headed south on US 17 (towards Myrtle Beach), then at Wilmington, we headed West on US 76/US 74, arriving at 4 o'clock, the beginning of Friday's rush hour. We had a bit of delay, but we made up time once we were pointing west. Apparently they're working to make the 74/76 highway into part of the Interstate system, and it's smooth, four-lane, and fast. We were rolling along at 75 mph at one point (in the 70 mph zone), and the miles disappeared in the rear-view mirror quickly. By 5:30 we were crossing into South Carolina, south of Fair Bluff, and we arrived home at 6:30. A long day, but only 5 hours of riding, and we traveled about 280 miles, start to finish, and average of 56 mph.

All in all, a great week, lots of great food, terrific rides, interesting sites, wonderful, friendly people everywhere. Linda, as always, is the perfect travel companion, ride partner, teammate. I'm already looking forward to our next adventure!

Dateline Buxton, NC, August 7, 2014

Wednesday was as good as it gets, weather-wise. No more than a 20% chance of isolated thunderstorms, high expected to be 81° and lots of sunshine. Let's ride!

After wiping down the bikes, cleaning off the rain-spatter and making them shine, we headed out around 9. Our goal: the northernmost tip of NC Hwy 12, above Corolla. It's about 84 miles north of our hotel.

In the bright sunshine, we got to see what we'd missed coming in on Sunday. You can see it on the map, but you can't really get it until you're on it. The road from Hatteras Island to Kill Devil Hills is a sandbar, with small areas of wide spots that people have built villages on. Throughout most of that section, the Pamlico Sound is visible to the west, but the view of the Atlantic Ocean to the east is blocked by sand dunes 20 feet high in places, most of them naturally formed from the constant wind pushing the sand towards the land. At this time of year there is a constant flow of traffic, north and south bound, and cars parked on the shoulder for much of the 45 miles between Buxton and Kill Devil Hills. These brave souls have to park, then climb the dunes with their beach paraphernalia, or hike through the scrub to get to the Sound.

In August of 2011, Hurricane Irene roared across the Outer Banks, cutting a new inlet across Pea Island (named for the peas that used to be grown here). North Carolina officials rushed to build a "temporary" bridge to reconnect the two sides. 

I tried to find an image from Google Map's street view to show you this, as it is about as rag-tag a bridge as you'll ever see. Corrugated steel plates that appear to have (at one time) been covered with concrete create a patchwork road surface; steel railings are reinforced with wooden beams. The locals call it the "Lego Bridge," laughing at the term "temporary." Road crews are constantly reinforcing the ocean side where nature continues to cut away at the land. And critics are recommending a ferry system instead (source: New York Times). I didn't get the pleasure of seeing this emergency repair on the way down due to the driving rain. When you're on the bridge, you can see how it got its nickname.

At the northern tip of Pea Island is the Oregon Inlet, created from a hurricane in 1846 that swept across Nags Head. The Bonner Bridge is 2.7 miles long, connecting Pea Island to Bodie Island.

It's a beautiful bridge with long sweep causeways with  a raised bridge in the center. The Department of Transportation has given it a 4 out of 100 safety rating, and everyone agrees it must be replaced. The problem is, no one can agree on the options, one of which is a 17-mile bridge that would parallel Hwy 12 from Bodie Island to Rodanthe, on Hatteras Island, bypassing Pea Island altogether (Source: Surfline.com).

We continued north along Hwy 12 through Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, and Kitty Hawk. It's a picturesque ride for the most part, with most residences resembling Cape Code style houses on stilts. The speed limit is 35 mph, and about every 100 yards are crosswalks. NC law required vehicles to stop for pedestrians in these crosswalks so it was slow going all the way through. The temperature had risen to about 83° by this time, and the humidity was high, so it was getting warm.

We passed through the town of Duck, a large area with a 25 mph speed limit, and the only police car I've seen all week, sitting on the side of the road with an officer watching the radar.

Finally, we reach Corolla, and except for the hotels and rentals, the only thing that stood out is a bright yellow strip mall. When we approached the end of the highway, we began seeing new signs (newer than the Street View in Google Maps): "Only vehicles with 4-wheel drive allowed ahead," "Lower the air in your tires to drive on the beach," and such. Almost there!

As we rolled around the curves, the sand encroachment on the road brought it down to a single lane, and we finally arrived at the end of the pavement.

Apparently, they consider the beach to be part of the road for another several miles, but there was no way I was going to take the bikes out there. Here's a close-up of the signs on the right:

I would have like to parked and walked out for more pictures, but as you can see, that would have been a no-no.We did reach our goal, so we turned around in the sand-covered road and made our way back. It was about 12:30, 3½ hours after we started, and we were getting hungry. 

Stopping at a convenience store down the road for water, we asked the clerks for a decent place to eat lunch. They suggested Uncle Ike's, just down the road on the left. "You can't miss it," he said.

Here's a picture from highway 12. Behind the trees on the left, you can see the red awning. I think that's Uncle Ike's. And yes, we missed it.

We continued south, back to Duck, where we found the Sunset Grill & Raw Bar, and stopped for lunch and air conditioning (the temp, supposed to be 81°, was 88°). It was a good choice. There's a beautiful view of the Currituck Sound, and the land you see across the water is a peninsula, jutting out from the mainland.

Linda enjoyed a Seafood Roll, "Homemade seafood salad consiting of shrimp, lobster, langostino and white fish on a New England soft roll." Actually there were two, and she reports they were really good. I had a Yellowfin Tuna sandwich, with a fresh tuna steak. I may not be able to go back to canned tuna! 

Cooled down and hydrated, we sprayed ourselves with SPF 50 and headed south. We cheated a bit, taking Hwy 158, a 4-lane, 50 mph highway through Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills (past the Wright Brothers Memorial -- impressive), and cut back to Hwy 12 in Nags Head. There we encountered a thunderstorm to the west, and rode through what we thought might be a drencher that only lasted a few minutes, cooling us off. 

Back on Hwy 12 and southbound, we encountered several brushes with the storm (we later found out there was an official thunderstorm warning), and headed back south to the hotel, arriving around 4. Total trip was about 190 miles, and 7 hours. A good day's ride.

We felt better after showering, but had to wait to go to dinner. Apparently the storm caught up with us, and it was raining hard. We finally headed out at 8, over to the Diamond Shoals Restaurant, where Linda had shrimp and scallops, and I had what was supposed to be an 8 oz sirloin that I think was more like 12, and a skewer of barbeque'd shrimp. So much food, we couldn't finish, but it was good.

We've changed our plans. Today we'll take the ferry over to Ocracoke Island, but we're going to spend the line at the Anchorage Inn, right on Silver Lake, minutes from the Cedar Island Ferry. We've got our reservation for the 10 am ride on Friday, so we'll have the day in the little village at the southern tip of the island.

Dateline Buxton, NC August 6, 2014

Weather started improving yesterday. Very cloudy, 60% chance of isolated or scattered storms. Not enough to stop our intrepid explorers. We carried our rain coats just in case.

After breakfast at Diamond Shoals Restaurant, we took the short ride to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. It's listed as the tallest brick lighthouse in North America. It's a beautiful structure, and a nice area to visit.

In 1870 the lighthouse was positioned 1,500 feet from the ocean. By 1970, the natural erosion that occurs in the Outer Banks had pushed the shore back until there were only 120 feet remaining. In 1999 the lighthouse was moved 2,900 feet to its present location, 1,600 feet from the shore.

When we left the lighthouse area, we headed to the end of the road, where we found a beach entrance. Very wide, and off to the right were cars and pickups; you can get a permit to ride on the beaches here.

I'm still looking to find a new pair of riding gloves to replace the ones I destroyed on the trip up here (rain and leather really don't work well together). There is, according to Google, a place called Island Choppers on Highway 12 in Frisco, south of here. So we headed south. 

We got to where the store was supposed to be, and found a tattoo parlor instead. When I checked in at a sporting goods store, they told me that Island Choppers had moved to Buxton. Well, we'll check it out on the way back, but we continued south to see where the ferry to Ockracoke Island would be. 

There were times along the road that we could see the ocean on the left, and the sound on the right as we headed for land's end. We continued on past the ferry, and went to the point, where the Graveyard of the Atlantic museum is located. Standing in the parking lot, there was water on three sides of us. 

This museum is mostly displays about the wrecks around the Civil War era, but there were references to over 30 wrecks that were the result of German U-Boat attacks during World War II. I didn't realize that they were this close to the US coast. 

One item of interest was about the electrification of the island. Hatteras Village got electricity in the mid (Southern tip of the island1930's; the rest of the island had to wait until the early 1950's. Source: Hatteras Guide.

In the entrance to the museum, you can see the original light from the Hatteras Lighthouse. Many of the fresnel lens sections have been removed, but it's still in pretty good shape.

We headed back north, and never found Island Choppers as we passed the hotel and continued up to Avon.

 We did go through patches of rain, some light, some heavier, but each quit after a mile or so. We passed the hotel and headed north. Avon is a wide spot in the road, just before the long stretch that takes you to Kill Devil Hills. We stopped before heading further (that's on deck for today).

I called the number for Island Choppers, only to find it disconnected. Oh, well. We headed back towards Buxton and stopped at the Froggy Dog for a late lunch. Excellent food -- Linda said her hand-made crab cake was delicious, and the barbecue chicken sandwich was terrific. We watched the bartender struggle to bring one of the taps on line, and she kept running pitcher after pitcher of foam. My first thought was too much pressure.  I called my friend Jimmy Deaton from Southern Hops to ask him what may be the problem. He concurred, and advised what may help. I think she was reluctant to try it, but hey, I tried.

Too much good food, and we really didn't get hungry last night. We decided not to go out for dinner. 

Today, it's supposed to be sunny and 81° so we're heading north to Nag's Head and beyond, to see what we can see. Should be the best day of the trip.

Dateline Buxton NC August 5,2014

Yesterday was a washout -- literally. It rained all day, making touring by motorcycle a general pain. We did get some things done, though.

When I made the reservations here, it didn't occur to me that the hotel had no elevator. With Linda's arthritic knees, climbing the stairs to the second floor (and back down again), is painful -- for her to do, for me to watch.

I stopped at the desk Monday morning, and discussed it with the manager. They were very accommodating, and had us a new room within a few hours. They even offered help to move the luggage. OK, it was after I had lugged it all back down again, but it's the thought that counts, isn't it?

By the time we got settled in, it was time for lunch. Still raining, we donned our rain coats and walked to the Diamond Shoals Restaurant, just down the road. Nice place, the food was delicious. Linda said her grilled grouper was excellent, and the fried clam strips I decided on were perfectly done. I had to have a cup of their "Award Winning" clam chowder. Creamy, loaded with clam, delicious! I had a few of Weeping Radish's Black Radish beer. Dark and tasty, very smooth. We sat next to a couple from New York that were staying at the hotel. They drove over (remember, within easy walking distance) in their 2014 Camaro convertible.

Back to the room for a quick nap, and when we looked out, the rain had stopped. We suited up (the bikes were still wet) and headed down the road on the trike to Conner's, what appears to be the only supermarket on the island. It looks like they just put the groceries up wherever they chose, with no rhyme or reason. Groceries in the trunk, we continued south on Highway 12 for a few miles, just happy to be riding. The maps showed some nasty showers coming back in, so we didn't go far.

The Hatteras Island Inn claims to have "WiFi in the lobby." They're not kidding. While we were on the second floor we were able to hijack the neighbor's wifi, but it was very slow. Now, on the other side of the hotel, there isn't any connection available. I'm using my iPhone hotspot when I need to (and I needed it for work yesterday, so I'm really glad I have it).

I've been working with Garmin's Base Camp mapping software, and since its base map doesn't have much detail for Hatteras Island, every route I try to calculate shows a straight line, "as the crow flies." I did learn how to import tracks from Google Maps, but when I convert them, they straighten right out. Frustrating.

We're heading out soon while the weather holds. The weather calls for Scattered and/or Isolated storms today, so we won't go too far, and we'll carry the suits. There's a place called Island Choppers, where I want to look for new riding gloves (the rain destroyed my other ones), and new glasses (lost a nose guard). The Lighthouse is just down the road, so we're probably going there as well. The picture is from the observation tower in the hotel.

Tomorrow's weather is our best shot for a ride up to Corona. Fingers crossed!

I found this Buxton Visitor's Guide this morning, thought I'd give it a link.

Dateline Buxton, North Carolina, August 3rd

At the end of may last post, I suggested that we would have an "easy ride" today. Well, it was only 179 miles, around 4 hours. But that doesn't count the rain.

It was raining in Goldsboro when we went down to breakfast, and the forecast wasn't very good. It was nice of the Country Inn hosts to let us park under the front canopy; as wet as they were when we got there, covering them would have been useless.

We never met the rider with the White Goldwing Aspenglide and just parked around him. Kinda patriotic, no?

We packed up, put on the rainsuits and headed out around 8:30, letting the Garmin direct us to US Highway 13 North. I changed my mind on the actual route, and decided to follow 13 all the way to US 64. Garmin pestered me for over 10 miles until it finally gave up and waited for me to get back on track.

The rain never stopped; it went from a light mist to a steady shower, but it rained all day. We had to stop and clean the glasses and face shields a few times as the water found its way to the inside. The roads were in good shape but I kept to the speed limit to be safe. In fact, on the sections of 13 and 64 that were 70 mph, I kept to 60 (in the right lane, of course).

We had to a-holes that cut us off, but I could see it coming and reacted well in time to avoid trouble. I think that, if we'd been in sunshine, the ride would have been terrific. It was work.

We finally got within striking distance of the Outer Banks, and hit the "Lindsay C Warren" Alligator River Bridge, a draw bridge over the Alligator River to the Alligator River Wildlife Refuge. The ride is nice, through the trees (in the sun). We were constantly barraged with oncoming traffic as the previous week's tourists were leaving. More water thrown at us (wipe the shields, keep going). The center of the bridge, where it opens, is corrugated steel plate, not the most pleasant thing to cross on two wheels.

On the other side of the refuge, the Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge crosses the Croatan Sound. If you don't know, Virginia Dare was the first child of English parentage born in the New World. She was part of the Lost Colony of Roanoke. The entire structure, causeway and bridge, is over 5 miles long, and curves gracefully over the water. A little nerve wracking in that there was a sign "Subject to Cross Winds." Just what we need in the rain.

Finally, connecting Roanoke Island to Cape Hatteras is the Washington Baum Bridge, less than 500 feet long. Immediately at the end, a hairy little turn onto Highway 12, and we were 47 miles from Buxton, our destination.

I know I've said it before, but this would be so cool in sunshine and dry roads. You travel down through the Cape Hatteras National Park, along a very thin strip of land on a two-lane black top, passing through tiny little communities. But the traffic moved slowly, there were spots where water covered the road, and visibility was very poor, as nature saved its best for last as the rain came down harder as we closed in on Buxton.

Soon enough, we arrived at Hatteras Island Inn, and checked in just after 1.And, of course, you guessed it -- the rain came (almost) to a stop, certainly much less than it had been, as soon as we got in our room.

We got the bikes unpacked, and walked across the street to the "Shipwreck Grill," where one is tempted to ask, "what's it like to work when you're high?" So, you  say I was tired, and therefore too critical? Let's see: I checked my phone when we sat down at 2. At 2:15 I asked a passing waiter if we might get some menus to look at. At 2:20 our waitress stopped by and took our order, which she got wrong. By that time, we ate it anyway. Linda said the burger had no flavor, I had slaw on my barbeque (didn't ask for it) and she had fries instead of the slaw she asked for. The waitress never came around to refill our glasses, and finally stopped by with the check at 3 -- the wrong check.

We hit a grocery store for milk an essentials, and headed back to the hotel. We're probably in for the night, as we both look like we've been "rode hard and put up wet." Hey! I think we were!

Honestly? We knew we were going to be challenged on this run. It's part of the excitement of riding the bikes to new places. Yes, it was stressful. I had to use all of my training, my experience and my skill, pay attention ahead, watch Linda's travel (yes, I will always worry, even though she's an excellent rider), keep wiping the face shield (inside and out). But, we made it, safe and sound, and the adventure is just beginning.

Outer Banks -- August 2 - 8, 2014

Dateline Goldsboro, NC, August 2nd.

I've heard it said many times: "If you ride a Goldwing, you don't get wet." OK, we're going to get to put that saying to the test. In the next few days, the forecast between Florence and the Outer Banks is for Scattered or Isolated Thunderstorms, between 20% and 60%, depending on the time of day. Well, that's why we bought the rain suits; now we'll try 'em out.

We ridden in the rain before, from sprinkles to downpours. I've had to dry out my wallet until I started tossing everything in the trunk if there was a chance I'd be riding in the rain. You just have to take it slow, ease around the corners, and watch out for the other guy. But this is the first trip we're taking in the rain.

We're avoiding the Interstate, especially since I find I-95 through North Carolina to be about the worst road to travel. So we're going through Marion & Mullins, up the US Highway system, through Goldsboro, then up to US 64, and across to Kill Devil Hills, before heading south to Hatteras.

Here is a link to the Google Map for the route.

We left the house at about 9 this morning. Temperature was 70° and the humidity felt like 90.  We ran through small pockets of rain every couple of miles. Not enough to get our clothes wet, but the windshields would start throwing water over the top and splash on the face screens. So, our faces got wet, but as long as we were moving forward, the rest of us stayed pretty dry.

We rolled on through Marion, Mullins, Nichols, then crossed the border into North Carolina. It struck me that, right at the border, there was a small section of road that had not been repaved; must be a disagreement over who should spend the money to pave 50 feet of road!

On through Fair Bluff, Cerro Gordo, Chadburn to Whiteville, where we turned north on 701. We were getting a bit hungry, but we had to travel several miles to Clarkton, where we stopped for a quick bite and put on the rain jackets. It wasn't so much the rain as the chill from the damp air.

The ride through the country, with all the small towns and picturesque landscape, is a much better way to travel than the Interstate, even if the rain dampened our enthusiasm a bit (pardon the pun). Knowing we would be traveling slower than normal, we planned to stop around halfway for the night. We've got the whole week, and we're in no rush.

As it turned out, by the time we reached Goldsboro, the on and off rain along with the traffic we were tired enough to decide to stop. We checked in at the Country Inns and Suites in Goldsboro. The chain has always been a good place to stop, and the AARP rate of $89 was a welcome addition.

As it turns out, the rain caught up with us within 30 minutes of checking in, and it's raining now. We'll get a nice dinner later, a good night's sleep, and an easy ride to Hatteras in the morning.