South Carolina

This post will be for Nov 18-21. From Burgaw NC. to North Myrtle Beach SC.

I left NC. and crossed the line into SC around noon today. It’s my 15 state of the trip. The welcome sign was at a welcome center and I made some lunch there. Tuna fish wraps. They were a nice change from my usual peanut butter wraps.

The road conditions have improved over the last few days. There has been lots of bike lanes and a few short bike paths.

After getting stove fuel at a Walmart, I headed toward Wilmington and the coast. Being inland didn’t help with the wind as much as I had hoped. I should of resupplied when I was getting a fuel cannister but it was crowded so I just got the fuel and left. I haven’t resupplied in a while. My diet has been pretty awful lately. When I get water I have gotten in the habit of buying Hostess and little Debbie snack cakes or the 2 hot dogs for a dollar deal. They are cheap enough I can stay within my budget but I can feel the lack of nutrition in my energy level. I’m going to get groceries tomorrow and try to think of some creative meals.

Wilmington was a big city and I got lost several times. They had a pretty good bike path system and it was enjoyable riding so I didn’t mind too much. I even found a Starbucks.

I really liked Carolina Beach. The sidewalks were lined with palm trees and the houses were colorful.

I left the Carolina Beach area early to get on the ferry from Fort Fisher to Southport.It ran once an hour so I wasn’t too worried about my time. I arrived around 30 minutes before it departed. The ferry was docked but the gates were still across the deck. The crew saw me waiting and yelled for me to come aboard and sit in the lounge where it was warm. The heater did feel nice. It was 39 and very windy outside.

The ferry ride was only about 35 minutes long and after unloading I went in search of a cup of coffee. Southport didn’t seem to be near as much of a tourist destination as Carolina Beach. I found a gas station and pulled in to get water and coffee. A man on a mountain bike parked near me. He looked and smelled as rough as I did. His bike was in desperate need of some maintenance. It was an older Klien Mantra full suspension. Brand new that bike would of sold for 3 to 4 thousand dollars and I hated to see such a nice bike so neglected. We talked a few minutes then he followed me into the store. I got my coffee and water and he purchased a can of beer. I assumed he was homeless and I wondered if the bike was stolen. Discretely I got some money ready to give him if he asked. We talked a bit more then he said he had to go because he left breakfast cooking on the stove. He invited me to come eat with him. My mind was saying no its a trap, him and his buddy’s are going to beat you up and take your bike and gear. I guess my belly won because what I said was ok awesome thank you so much! I followed him out of the parking lot and then we turned down a little sandy path through some heavy brush and pine trees. I struggled with my over loaded bike and narrow tires in the sand and he got a bit ahead of me. I came out into a little clearing and there was a small camper trailer with his bike leaned against it. An old Redbone hound dog with a scarred ear came out to greet me. I noticed the bottom half of the door was cut away to create a dog door and that help ease my worries a bit. Any one who loves dogs is usually a good person. And any one willing to cut their door in half and nail an old blanket over the gap must love there dog. The man motioned to his yard and said sit wherever the food would be done shortly. There wasn’t many choices, a fire pit had a few buckets around it and I carried two over to a stack of cement blocks that would work as our table. The yard had a fish net strung up between post around two sides of the yard. I asked if that was a start of a fence. He said it was strung up so he could repair it. Shortly he came out carrying two plastic bowls full of shrimp and grits. I noticed my bowl had quite a few more shrimp then his did. We both must of been hungry, we ate quickly with out talking or even looking up. “I don’t have any refrigeration here or I would offer you something to drink”,he said. I had my water off my bike so I was fine.I hoped the shrimp were very fresh haha. I asked him what he did for a living he replied “this or that whatever needs done you know what I mean? I did know. I knew exactly what he meant, my own resume has some pretty lengthy gaps in it that cause prospective employers to tap the page peer over their glasses and say tell us about these 8 months. We’ll Boss, I walked from Maine to Georgia then I did this and that for a few months because after being so completely free the thought of a real job is terribly depressing. I never asked this man his name nor did I ask to take a picture of him or his home. Somehow it didn’t right. Maybe it was just my guilty conscience. I really felt bad for thinking the worst of him. As a thank you and a secret apology, I took a few minutes to go over his bike. Mostly it just needed oil and I always carry that.

Here is a couple pictures of the first cows I have seen since Maryland. One of my readers appreciates cow pics so I always try to include them when I can.

Today I was stopped at an intersection and was looking at my phone for directions. A man named Scott came over to help. He was a cyclist and a wealth of knowledge about the bike routes. He was very kind and offered to buy me breakfast. I had already ate and it was a beautiful day for riding so I declined. I regretted it later though, not because I was hungry but because its the people I meet that make this such a great and interesting trip. It was nice meeting you Scott and thanks again for the meal offer!

I have forgotten to add my map pictures. So here is some for the past several days.