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.
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