I had to leave relatively early, as Andy and Sue had an appointment they had to go to. Saying our goodbyes was sad, as I'm finding is usually the case with the nice people who take me in as their own for a few days. I was rather cold out as I headed to a bike shop to get the bottom cog on my tensioner checked out, as it had been driving me nuts. I was pretty sure it was just because I had inadvertently cleaned out all the thick greasy lube when I was trying to get out the sand that had made it's way into the bearings, making the most obnoxious squeaking noise. The bike shop wasn't very helpful. It was the same one that had flat out ignored my existence when I had rolled in a few days ago looking for a chat. The guy put it up on the work stand and took a look at it, and poked and prodded it in an obligatory fashion before telling me that the part was bad and it needed to be replaced, but because it was a specialty part I would need to order it. I also had him look at the shifter cable, as I had discovered it was hanging on by only a thread at a scary 90 degree angle when I went to make a simple adjustment, because attempting to shift had started making my bike act funny. I had simply shoved it all back in and hoped for the best, but it made me nervous.
I headed on, and stopped at a gas station to use the bathroom and get some hot chocolate. Really, I was looking for some refuge from the cold and wind, and was a bit disappointed that there was no where to sit. The bike trail that would lead me out of town was nearby, but crossing the street was kind of scary, and I wondered why there was no crosswalk connecting the two sides of the trail. I was glad that there was a bike trail at all, although the very poor condition of the pavement made me snort at the picture of the racer type images on the sign. Some parts made me wish it wasn't paved at all, as it was so bad. I later got my wish when the trail turned to single and double track. I didn't mind too much as it was a very peaceful ride, if very slow, as I picked my way through the jaggedy gravel paved dirt. I got to a freshly graveled (read: loose gravel) causeway, and the wind sweeping sideways over it was so strong that I ended up getting off and walking for a few miles, as I was afraid it was going to push me onto the sloping side where the gravel would finish the job, sliding me right into the water, bike and all. But it was still a beautiful ride, and I stopped to look at all the water birds and a pair of curiously large whirlpools that had formed on one side.
Eventually, I had to get back on the road. I stopped at Bojangles to double check my route and watch the traffic for a while. I was excited to be taking mostly frontage roads from here on out, as they should be pretty much empty. Unfortunately, there were a few long stretches of unavoidable nasty highway that still needed to be dealt with, mainly due to the fact that there are only so many bridges. I had originally planned to stop at the Caw Caw Interpretive Center for a break, but they were closed. The leaving-side gate was open, however, and I did sneak just inside the fence to sit and grieve for my situation for a few minutes before sucking it up and moving on.
Finally, I got to another frontage road. It was so peaceful in comparison to the highway, and I took my time riding down it, enjoying the smell of jasmine and honeysuckle. One of the few good things about South Carolina roads are the fragrant flowers you chance upon sometimes. Unfortunately, the frontage road turned to sand about halfway through, and I took a few minutes debating whether or not I really wanted to go that way. I remembered the last time I got stuck on a sand road and the barrage of mosquitoes I had endured, even though the cold and wind were keeping them at bay today. It was a very hard decision. Eventually, I decided to head back to the highway. I was surprised and pleased to see another set of tracks in the sand just like mine! Another bike tourer had been this way within the last day, pushing his bike in the sand as well, and really working at it too, judging by the way his toes had dug in. I couldn't help but wonder which way he was going, and exactly how long ago he had come through, and if I might catch up with him at some point down the road.
After only a few minutes on the highway, I turned back off onto the very next street, deciding that I would take my chances with the sand. I was rewarded with the pleasant surprise that the road had turned back into pavement! This was short lived, however, as it turned back into sand at the next street coming off it. I decided to just push through it. This road, in all, was one of the least busy roads I had been on. In the hour or so I had been riding it, I was passed by maybe 3 cars, including one cop. I found a lonely, grassy, gated road in a stretch that had wild forest on both sides for quite a ways. I stopped to investigate a little, but decided it was still a bit early to be thinking about stopping, and I was hoping to get in about 10 more miles today.
I got up to the highway, intending to only ride it for about 100 yards before turning left, as the road I was on continued on the other side there. I thought about how it was probably unpaved as well. The traffic was so bad I couldn't even find a place to cut in, much less hope to cross, so I turned back around and went back to the unused road I found. There were no "No Trespassing" signs, no houses, no anything except for the gate, so I went ahead and slipped past it. The grass had been low before, but it quickly grew up to a height of well past my knees, and up to my hips in some places, with delicate mosses also interspersed. No one had driven through here in a long time. I parked my bike behind a particularly tall clump of vegetation, just in case a random car decided to pass by, and started investigating the woods to one side. It didn't take long to decide that this was where I was going to spend the night.
I took the bags off my bike and carried them over the little hill walling in the lost road, before rolling my bike over as well and parking it in the little ditch on the other side. It was so peaceful. For the first time wild camping, I was so sure I wasn't going to be found that I felt comfortable enough to strip down and have a proper wash. I decided not to cook, however, as there was too much leaf litter around, and I didn't want to leave any evidence of my having been there. I then surprised myself with how tired I was when I went to bed around 7:30, just as the sun was setting.
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