A Good Laugh

Day 11

Start: Boykins, VA

End: Richmond, VA

Daily Distance: 82.47 miles

Cumulative Distance: 835.12 miles

Average Speed: 12.3 MPH

Daily Riding Time: 6 Hours 43 Minutes

Net Elevation Change: 128 Feet (712 up and 582 down)

Cumulative Elevation Change: 109 feet

Cumulative Flats: 2

I was woken up about 4am this morning by thunder.  I figured it was going to be a wet start.  After the past few days of riding wet, no biggie.  I checked the weather and saw that there would be a break in the rain later in the morning before a second wave arrived.  So my mission was to get out there, get wet, air dry, and arrive before getting wet again.  Success!

I did take a short break when I saw a shed and shelter shop.  There was an awesome shelter that I hung out under for a little bit.  I didn't stay too long since it was cold and not riding while wet made it colder.

After the shelter stop, the rain lightened up and the route took me onto a nice road through a quiet neighborhood.  What a difference from the busy roads with all the vehicles and road spray.

I did get a good laugh.  I was getting close to my stop for the day and saw a sign that said "Road Closed Ahead - Local Traffic Only".  I continued down the road to see how far I could get.  I reached the closure and thought maybe the bridge was completed enough to walk over.  I thought better since it was not even close to being complete.  I checked to see how far I had to go to get around the detour.  It was thankfully only about 2 extra miles.  All I could think when I got the the closure was, "Dude...where's the road?"

Leaving it there for now.  Safe and sound just north of Richmond, VA.  Tomorrow, I should make it to Stafford, VA with a nice weather forecast.  Hooray!

Sunshine 🌞

Day 10

Start: Washington, NC

End: Boykins, VA

Daily Distance: 85.44 miles

Cumulative Distance: 752.65 miles

Average Speed: 12.1 MPH

Daily Riding Time: 7 Hours 6 Minutes

Net Elevation Change: 39 Feet (318 up and 279 down)

Cumulative Elevation Change: -19 feet

Cumulative Flats: 2

Early start and an uneventful trip through the remainder of North Carolina and into Virginia.  

After living on and off in Virginia for 30 years, I have always wondered why "Virginia is for Lovers".  In 1969, a $100-a-week copywriter named Robin McLaughlin in the Richmond advertising agency Martin & Woltz came up with the slogan “Virginia is for history lovers” that could be adapted for beach lovers, mountain lovers and so on. The agency owners thought that might be too limiting and shortened it to simply “Virginia is for Lovers.”  Today, the Virginia Tourism Corp. promotes the broad version of “Virginia is for Lovers,” referring to lovers of everything from sandy beaches to craft beer. (RecreationNews.com)

It was almost perfect bicycle riding weather today.  The fact that it was Saturday was helpful too.  More relaxing without all the commuter traffic and trucks.  Funny thing is the truck drivers are the most aware on the roads.  They usually give plenty of space when passing.  It is the regular cars and pickup trucks that sometimes buzz by a little too close.  I'm pretty sure they don't expect a bicycle rider.  

Tomorrow looks to be another longer than average day.  I will see how that goes.  The forecast is calling for more rain.  I will also be looking for more photo opportunities.  The same pictures of long, tree lined highways are pretty boring.

A Little Rain, A Little Heat, A Little Humidity

Day 9

Start: Jacksonville, NC

End: Washington, NC

Daily Distance: 80.23 miles

Cumulative Distance: 667.21 miles

Average Speed: 12.2 MPH

Daily Riding Time: 6 Hours 58 Minutes

Net Elevation Change: -13 Feet (161 up and 174 down)

Cumulative Elevation Change: -58 feet

Cumulative Flats: 2

Three days in North Carolina and it has rained each day.  That is more rain then I saw during my entire cross country ride and my Pacific Coast ride.  All part of the experience I guess.  

I didn't take any pictures today since I was riding a lot of miles and was on a mission to get to my destination.  I used a picture from yesterday and played around with it a little.  It kind of lets everyone know how I'm feeling.  

I should make it to the Virginia border tomorrow!  

Rain, Rain, and More Rain

Day 8

Start: Shallotte, NC

End: Jacksonville, NC

Daily Distance: 89.70 miles

Cumulative Distance: 586.98 miles

Average Speed: 12.4 MPH

Daily Riding Time: 7 Hours 23 Minutes

Net Elevation Change: 10 Feet (276 up and 266 down)

Cumulative Elevation Change: -45 feet

Cumulative Flats: 2

Not a lot to post today.  Long wet ride.  I watched the weather report last night to have an idea of what to expect.  Unstable air mass was the phrase that I knew meant I would likely see rain.  Sure enough, after several miles, the clouds started to look ominous.  Then the sky opened up.  This time, there was no where to hide.  So I just kept pedaling.

I was soaked from helmet to toes.  Once I was wet, there was no reason to stop.  The sun would come out for a little while, then more rain.  I think the worst part is the cars and trucks that pass by.  Most are kind and try to move over, but even with that, the road spray is awful.  I am so happy to have a hotel for the night to get a good shower to clean all the road dirt washed off.

Welcome to North Carolina - with Some Heavy Rain

Day 7

Start: Pawleys Island, SC

End: Shallotte, NC

Daily Distance: 67.20 miles

Cumulative Distance: 497.28 miles

Average Speed: 12.5 MPH

Daily Riding Time: 5 Hours 22 Minutes

Net Elevation Change: -3 Feet (341 up and 344 down)

Cumulative Elevation Change: -53 feet

Cumulative Flats: 2

Leaving Pawleys Island this morning was a cool early morning departure.  I had the privilege of getting to ride along the South Carolina coastline and see several beaches.  Garden City Beach, Seaside Beach, Myrtle Beach, Atlantic Beach, and Cherry Grove Beach. 

Scenery and pictures like this never get old.

Flat tire today.  I found this nice picnic table and used it as a staging area.  It made the tire change go smoothly.

When I made it to North Carolina, I was a little bummed that this was the only sign welcoming me to the state.

Then right after I put the phone camera away and got started riding again, the official welcome sign was not far away.

After I got to North Carolina, I was carefully watching dark clouds moving in.  I wanted to get to my stop before it rained.  I was about 5 miles from my stopping point and I felt a few little rain drops.  Then the sky opened up.  I found a business on the side of the road and took cover under an awning.  It rained heavy for about 20 minutes. 

I had to get back on the road.  I was dreading it because the road was full of water and vehicles spraying it all over the place...including on me.  Yuck!

About a mile from my destination, the roads were dry.  The rain only fell to the south.  I am just thankful I had the shelter because if not, I would have been soaked from head to toe.

Tomorrow I ride to Wilmington, NC.  Short ride day.

Abundant Roadkill

Day 6

Start: Mt. Pleasant, SC

End: Pawleys Island, SC

Daily Distance: 70.47 miles

Cumulative Distance: 430.08 miles

Average Speed: 12.1 MPH

Daily Riding Time: 5 Hours 47 Minutes

Net Elevation Change: -13 Feet (220 up and 233 down)

Cumulative Elevation Change: -52 feet

Cumulative Flats: 1

I spent most of the day fighting a nasty headwind.  It was a steady 10mph right in my face with gusts even higher.  It slowed me down to a point where at times I wasn't even averaging 9mph on the bike.  

I tried to find things to think about other than the wind.  I noticed a lot of roadkill in my path.  There have been a lot of armadillos and raccoons along the way, but today I saw a few snakes and frogs.  I was wondering what the heck with all the frogs.  Then I saw a large area of water off the side of the road.  It was full of lily pads.

Further along the route, I came to a quick stop when I saw screws scattered all across the shoulder.  I hopped of my bike and carefully walked through to avoid getting a flat tire.  There were actually three areas where I did this.  Once for screws and the other two times for nails.  Like I need any other debris to avoid.

Another thing that caught my attention was all the logging that goes on in this area of the country.  The trucks are back and forth all day long taking the logs from where they are cut down to the mills.  It is a shame to see so much beautiful scenery getting cut down.  The other negative is all the remains that are left behind on the side of the road from the trucks.

It wasn't an all complaining day.  I did enjoy some very nice scenery.  I did not realize how close to the coast I have been tracking.  I really enjoy these pictures of the refreshing water.

I just had to add one of me doing some remote work.  Zoom call.  The others on the call were probably wondering why it was so noisy on my end when I came off mute.  Its kind of hard to avoid 18 wheelers when they speed by.

Tomorrow, I should make it to North Carolina!

Rainy Days and Mondays...

Day 5

Start: Jacksonboro, SC

End: Mt. Pleasant, SC

Daily Distance: 39.68 miles

Cumulative Distance: 359.61 miles

Average Speed: 12.1 MPH

Daily Riding Time: 3 Hours 15 Minutes

Net Elevation Change: -49 Feet (469 up and 518 down)

Cumulative Elevation Change: -39 feet (I guess I am below sea level?  At least according to Google)

Cumulative Flats: 1

Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.  It did rain a little bit this morning.  Not enough to disturb the ride though.  The bigger challenge was the Monday morning traffic.  I got used to a quiet Saturday and Sunday.  There were a lot of vehicles back on the road today and they were not all kind with giving a bicycle rider some space.  Especially on a very small shoulder.  At times, there was no shoulder and I could not even ride on the white line since it was painted on the rumble strips.  To be cautious, I would ride a few miles and then pull over to decompress.

As I got into Charleston, I slowed down a bit to enjoy the scenery.  I actually turned around to get a picture of a cool bicycle outside a bicycle store.  It was like 8 feet tall.  I would have loved to take it for a spin around the block.

In order to get from Charleston to Mt. Pleasant, I had to cross an enormous bridge.  Thankfully, there was a bike path on the side called Wonders Way.  The bridge was 2.5 miles long and what a view at the peak!

The bridge was named after Arthur Ravenel, Jr. who was a retired US Congressman who ran for the South Carolina Senate with a goal of solving the funding problem holding up the building of the bridge that was to replace the old bridge that was no longer safe. He helped to establish the S.C. Infrastructure Bank and worked with local, state, and federal officials to create partnerships that helped to materialize the final funding.  What an awesome undertaking and as a bicycle rider, the dedicated path separated from the traffic, was a terrific addition.

Once over the bridge, I entered Patriots Point to check out the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown.  It had several planes on the deck.  It is a museum piece now that can be toured.  I also checked out a few of the other memorials in the park.  One was a submarine, or parts of a submarine, that were buried in the ground making it look like it was partially submerged.  Very cool and a great memorial to all those lost over the years.

What a great way to end the day.  It was a short riding day mainly due to the lack of places to stop once leaving Mt. Pleasant.  Tomorrow I head to Georgetown, SC and likely a little further to Pawleys Island.

One pedal stroke at a time.

 

 

Road Gravel Galore!

Day 4

Start: Garden City, GA

End: Jacksonboro, SC

Daily Distance: 81.71 miles

Cumulative Distance: 319.93 miles

Average Speed: 13.2 MPH

Daily Riding Time: 6 Hours 10 Minutes

Net Elevation Change: 10 Feet (141 up and 131 down)

Cumulative Elevation Change: 10 feet

Cumulative Flats: 1

Cold start to the day.  After the rain passed through yesterday afternoon/evening, it cooled off.  It was in the upper 40s when I got on the road.  I almost stopped and got out my jacket, but then I warmed up enough to keep going with my long sleeve shirt.

What could be better than seeing this first thing in the morning.

I was on a back road when crossing the state line, so I wasn't sure if I would know when I entered South Carolina.  Right on schedule, there was the welcome sign.  State number 3!

There was some really nice scenery today.  I entered the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge.  It was established in 1927 as a sanctuary for migratory birds, most notably wintering waterfowl. The refuge lies in both Georgia and South Carolina, divided by the Savannah River, and encompasses over 30,000 acres of vital wildlife habitat, including tidal freshwater marsh and bottomland hardwood forest.  The sanctuary for birds could not be more true.  There were birds everywhere and all over the road in front and behind me.  I was hoping I wouldn't run into any of them.

Not too far from the refuge, the open areas continued with a lot of water.  So awesome to ride through.

About the half way mark for the ride, I noticed a bicycle trail.  It was on the official map, but I had altered my route for the day, so I forgot to include it.  It was the Spanish Moss Trail.  It is a rail trail that uses the former Port Royal Railroad right-of-way now owned by Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority, the dedicated trail follows a north–south path from Seabrook to Port Royal while passing through Burton and Beaufort.  It is a smooth, wide concrete trail with tree coverage that was great for getting off the busy traffic filled road.  Rail trails are great!

I was looking forward to getting to the Harriet Tubman Bridge since it was a milestone that meant I was getting real close to my stopping point for the day.  When I got there, it was just a sign and the bridge was very unimpressive.  

Along the last half of today's ride, the official maps from Adventure Cycling and Google Maps try to move you onto side roads.  I understand why.  The shoulder was decent, but there was so much loose road gravel on the shoulder, it made it challenging to stay in the little three feet I had to ride on.  Regardless, the alternative would have added over twenty miles to the day and I didn't want that.

When I arrived at the Edisto Hotel, the owner was so hospitable.  She is a southern gal for sure and wanted to talk.  I learned all about the history of the hotel and also about the routes that cyclists take coming past the hotel.  She said the route I took was the most scenic even though the road gravel was a pain.

Tomorrow, I head into Charleston, SC and then onto Mt. Pleasant.  I am told that they are both impressive locations.

Nothing Much to See

Day 3

Start: Darien, GA

End: Garden City, GA

Daily Distance: 62.87 miles

Cumulative Distance: 238.22 miles

Average Speed: 14.1 MPH

Daily Riding Time: 4 Hours 26 Minutes

Net Elevation Change: -16 Feet (125 up and 141 down)

Cumulative Elevation Change: 0 feet

Flats: 1

I got started early this morning because the forecast called for afternoon thunderstorms.  I wanted to make sure I got to my stopping point before any weather.

The ride was much like yesterday.  All on one road.  U.S. Highway 17 has become my friend.  The scenery was just a lot of trees and swampy areas.  So not a lot of opportunities for pictures.

I did see one neat place. The sign said "Smallest Church in America".  The sign had an arrow pointing to the church because it was so small you would miss it if you didn't know it was there. 

 It was literally about as big as an outhouse.  There were two motorcycle riders that stopped and checked it out.  It was so small, only one could go in at a time.

About 40 miles into the day's ride, it happened.  I knew it had to happen, but I hoped it wouldn't be so soon.  I got my first flat tire.  I was riding on the shoulder and saw some debris.  There was too much traffic to avoid the debris, and sure enough, I felt a bump and heard a metallic sound bouncing from under the rear tire.  Then came the familiar feeling of the squishy bike rear end.  Flat tire #1. 😞

I found some shade fixed the flat then finished the ride.  No biggie.

I'm in Garden City, Georgia for the night.  Heading on to South Carolina in the morning.

A Welcomed Quiet Day

Day 2

Start: Yulee, FL

End: Darien, GA

Daily Distance: 72.12 miles

Cumulative Distance: 175.35 miles

Average Speed: 13.3 MPH

Daily Riding Time: 5 Hours 24 Minutes

Net Elevation Change: 3 Feet (177 up and 174 down)

Cumulative Elevation Change: 16 feet

A welcomed quiet day compared to yesterday.  I was on one road almost the whole way from Yulee, FL to Darien, GA.  There were a lot of trucks on the road, but the shoulder was wide enough for me to feel comfortable.

Ten miles out, I reached the Florida/Georgia border.

Goodbye Florida...

...Hello Georgia

                                                                        

Most of the ride today was straight and not much to see.  Here is what I was looking at for about the first 40+ miles.

The road ahead                            and                            the road behind

           

About 5 miles from my stopping point, my directions said turn right onto Mentionville Road.  I turned and said, "WHAT?"

It was a dirt road.  Actually a SAND road.  I had to get off the bike and walk since I could not ride through the sand.

Great day of riding.  It was peaceful and the weather was beautiful again.  Cool in the morning with nice tree coverage.  Warm enough to be comfortable.

Tomorrow onto Savannah, Georgia.

A Day of Detours and Sadness

Day 1

Start: St. Augustine, FL

End: Yulee, FL

Daily Distance: 91.80 miles

Cumulative Distance: 102.23 miles (counting yesterday's ride to St. Augustine Beach)

Average Speed: 12.4 MPH

Daily Riding Time: 7 Hours 17 Minutes

Net Elevation Change: 26 Feet (the biggest "hills" were the bridges over the rivers)

The morning in St. Augustine was just about a good as it gets. 

                                                          

    

Then this smiling Floridian showed up to send me off.  Thank you Lowrider for being there for me!

The first 20 miles (of the supposed total 78 mile day) were spectacular.

                      

                                                

Then the first detour.  About 9am after riding 20 miles, there was a multi car accident on A1A that shut down the road in both directions.  It was very serious and the police were going to be there until at least noon doing their investigation since there were fatalities.

My options were to wait until the investigation was complete or turn back and ride probably 30 to 40 miles out of my way to get back on the route.  Thankfully, I was able to use a friendly homeowners beach access to get my bike onto the shore.  I pushed it through the sand for about a quarter mile and got just past the accident on the other side.  After about an hour of trying to figure out what to do, I was back on the bike and on my way.

After about 40 miles, I was excited since I was thinking I was half way for the day and was going to get a brief rest on the Mayport ferry.  Then I saw the sign saying the ferry was closed.  Oh no!  I was told that to get back on route, it would be a 23 mile detour.  I used Google Maps to find a better solution that took me on a more direct route to my stopping point for the day.  I ended up going through downtown Jacksonville.  Total detour miles were about 14.  Not too bad, but the total mileage for the day ended up being 93 miles.  Not really how I wanted to start the trip, but I made it and I can't complain about the weather at all.

I spent quite a few miles praying for the families of those that lost their lives in the accident and the others that were severely injured in the accident.  That is one of the best things about solo bike riding.  Plenty of time for prayer.

Tomorrow, I will be heading on to Georgia - state number 2.