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?
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!