Burgaw N.C.

The weather has been sunny and warm. Today got up to 77. The past few days have been a little tough. There has been a mild but persistent headwind that is more annoying then it is physically demanding. It seems like every time I get up around 12 mph the wind catches me and brings my speed down to 8 or 9 mph. I left the coast and headed Southwest quite a bit in the hopes that inland the wind wouldn’t be so bad. I’m sure it has helped a lot but I’m not sure if it was worth it. I traded beautiful scenery for a green and brown tunnel on roads that have deteriorated. Slowly the shoulder has disappeared and traffic has become pretty heavy. Every one is nice and patient though and gives me plenty of room. After a few miles of route 53 and the log trucks, I looked for quieter roads.

The little back roads were great. No traffic and that was a relief after route 53. The problem was they didn’t really go any where. They were a few mile long, in the shape of a U or a dead end. Yesterday I went over 9 miles on a perfect gravel road only to come to a gate and no trespassing signs. 18 miles is a lot of bonus miles! At least I had a tailwind on the way back. Haha.

On one of the smaller county roads I stopped for lunch today. It was in a remote and desolate ghost town. Only the crumbling shell of the buildings remained. Kudzu vines climbed in and out of windows with broken glass. In the bright noon sun the holes where doors once swung were dark with shadows. The road side resembled a landfill. Household items such as televisions, old furniture, tires and microwaves had accumulated over time. In the shade cast by half of a still standing wall, I sat on a rusted freezer and fired up my stove for coffee. While it brewed my imagination crossed the darkend thresholds and I imagined the town in more prosperous times and the families that called these houses homes. I dozed off briefly until a brand new cream colored Caddilac hesitantly stopped, the first car I had seen in well over an hour. Two elderly ladies seemed to be having a minor disagreement. Clearly very frightend the driver put her window down about an inch and asked me something. I didn’t know what she said so I just smiled and said it was lunch time. Craning her neck back to direct her words out of the little space between the glass and door frame she asked again if I knew where Interstate 41 was. I took off my helmet and got up from the freezer to walk over so we could talk easier. I made it about 3 steps when the driver floored it and took off, peppering me with gravel. I guess I need a hair cut pretty badly.

After many miles I did have some excellent riding. Quiet roads past farms and some huge berry fields. Maybe blueberries? And earlier I was on a 4 lane road where the break down lane was separated by a rumble strip. That is my favorite if traffic is heavy. Cycling for 6 or 8 hours a day allows plenty of time for pondering. Today I decided it should be called a broke down lane not break down lane. Nobody goes in that lane to break down, only after they have already broke down.

I saw and stopped at the first Dunkin Donuts I have seen in a while. I was happy! It was across the street from a fitness center. If I was a member at that gym it would not of worked out. Cardio or coffee? That’s a rhetorical question! Haha. When I was placing my order the lady behind me asked, sir,may I please buy the coffee for you? I was a bit flummoxed at being addressed so politely and formally. I managed to stutter a sure yes thank you ma’am. Her name was Sharon and she liked to talk. I happily drank my vanilla latte and learned about her children, grandchildren, her neighbors, and her pot bellied pig. Not once was my trip mentioned which was a nice change.

I lost my hat on the ferry to Cedar Island. It was really windy that day. Somehow the wind snatched it and carried it straight up in the air over the the top of the ferry and into the crashing waves. I guess it wasn’t really mine anyway. I just borrow them from the road. The road always provides one when I need it. I had picked that one up out side of Crisfield MD. They usually last a few days or a week and then I lose them somehow. The same day I lost mine I found this one. Usually I just find ball caps. I hope when this hat’s time has come to return to the road, the next person appreciates it as much as I do. I’ve grown fond of it.