Apparently Ana did not get the memo that the hurricane season does not start until June 1. There was much angst around the breakfast tables this morning as people were weighing their options - ride into a tropical storm (with rain and potentially dangerous gusting winds from the north and northeast) or take the van ahead to the next hotel. The rain was pouring down as we readied ourselves. More than half of the group chose to not ride their bikes today. I was about the last to declare and ultimately the last to leave. I figured I would start out and if it got too bad I could call for a ride. By the time I was ready to go the rain had stopped and I had to delayer in order to ride comfortably. Once again the roads were good, often with a wide shouldler or bike lane, and traffic was light (Saturday). Once out there I rode with a bit of a purpose since there was a ferry crossing at 30 miles and it was a last minute decision for each crossing whether or not the winds were too bad to run. I did have one relatively short downpour along the way, but mostly pretty good riding. The town of Southport might have been worth poking around, but the ferry beckoned. I made it with lots of time to spare. Five of us made that ferry and it did indeed set sail.
Cute little snake waiting with us.
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Views from the ferry. I entertained myself watching the seagulls come into the wind for landings. Very skillful at snatching pieces of bread out of the air when one of the passengers decided to feed them.
The ferry crossed the Fear River from Southport to Fort Fisher. We had 10 more miles to go to our destination at Carolina Beach. I chose to bypass the Aquarium and Civil War Museum right after exiting the ferry. The forecast I looked at last night called for the storm to intensify around noon. Probably if I had looked at it this morning I would have seen something different. I made it in before noon. A few of us went to lunch at a lovely little seafood restaurant and then we browsed around the harbour and beachfront.
Met a young lady in a bike shop who had just assembled this interesting machine for herself - some adjustments still required.
All in all, a much better day than expected. Seems that the storm has stalled a bit and they're now forecasting the worst for tomorrow. Time will tell.....
Stats for the day:
60 km from Shallotte NC to Carolina Beach NC. One ferry crossing. Crosswinds and headwinds in the 40kmph range.
I try to catch up on your adventure on Sunday morning before Church. Happy Mother's Day to the Mom's on your tour and to your Mom! I rode in a Goldilocks ride yesterday.....it was 30, 60 or 100 miles. I was aiming for 60 but the weather was cold and wet. I only last to the second stop at 21....cold, wet, not feeling well, couldn't eat....so I quit and drove the whole root with Mark, Abby and Mattie who rescued me and came to cheer me on. A couple of the women finished the 60 in a 4hrs 10 minutes and 4 hrs 50 minutes, one dropped out at 46....one in the 100 mile finished 71....pretty miserable day with a really hard recovery due to the cold and wet. I will hit the 60 before I am 60, but it will have to be nicer weather and a lot less up hill.....last 14 miles of this ride was up hill! I hope your road conditions stay good and the traffic watches for cyclists. We are thinking of a trip to Alberta from July 4 - 11......will you be home anytime during that week? Let me know.....and stay safe! Love your blog!
ReplyDeleteGreat travelogue Sue! The notes with pics will be precious to you later. I kept a journal (pre-blog era) going around Aus and I look into it every now and again. I can't believe the tour people cannot find better biking roads. I know it's a trade off between several factors but still ... Of all the shots of beautiful houses and mansions the one I like the best is the Georgetown up-and-down fenced verandas with the Champion Oak in front. And the shadow rider is a keeper.
ReplyDeleteRide safe and fun. May the tall grass bend in your direction. Merv
Glad you were safe and not held up by ferry cancellations...
ReplyDeleteBy contrast, Joe and I were sweltering at Point Pelee looking at warblers (we saw 28 different kinds!) on a record-breaking weekend. We camped out with temps not falling below about 15c. All in all, we saw 104 different birds over 3 days!! Not bad!