Ride to Wilmington: Day 4

I didn’t sleep very well in the hippie’s backyard: I was too hot, the mosquitoes were buzzing loudly around me all night, separated only by a thin sheet of nylon, and because the bathroom did not have a door on it, I was unable to “take care of business,” and was a bit uncomfortable all night due to that…  

In the morning, I packed up, ate some breakfast, and said my goodbyes. The Moores Creek National Battlefield was only 4 miles away, and I thought that it would be a good place to stop and look around (and use their bathrooms…) Just like Jones Lake, they were pretty much deserted, but had a nice small museum and gift shop, a short film explaining the history of the site, and a great trail around the battlefield itself. I was rather surprised at their lack of a bike rack, however, especially since they are along a bike route! It was good to walk around, and I decided that a short hike was something I should try to work into every day.

After a small snack, I continued on my way. I soon found myself flying effortlessly along at the fastest sustained speeds I’d had so far this trip. One of the coolest things was when I found a field of wildflowers that was simply teeming with butterflies: hundreds- maybe thousands- of butterflies. 

Not long after the field of butterflies, I was sent onto another big 4 lane divided highway. Like the one on the way into Elizabethtown, there were plenty of “share the road” signs for encouragement, and the traffic was pretty light and courteous. About 5 miles away from the bridge that would take me into Wilmington, I decided to stop for lunch at a little diner, “Faye’s Café.” I proceeded to order a huge burger and I went ahead and congratulated myself early for making it. It took a day longer than I had hoped, but I made it all the same, and I was glad for everything to have happened the way it did, because otherwise I wouldn’t have met all the awesome people I met or saw all the cool and beautiful things I saw.   

Little did I know what still lay ahead. After lunch, a small headwind from an incoming storm decided to appear, along with lots and lots of traffic. What had started as a big but calm road had become something reminding me of rush hour on I-95 as huge semis sped by only a few feet away. Navigating the exit and on ramps were awful (something between wishing I was invisible and hoping people saw me before it was too late.)

But I was determined! Wilmington was so close! I was desperately looking for my bike route signs to tell me where to turn, to let me know that I was still going the right way, that this was where I was supposed to be. Finally I saw the bridge that would take me to Wilmington: I just had to make a left at this light right here... I pulled over and waited for a break in the stream of cars before moving to the left turn lane. Then I prayed for a green arrow or a long enough break in oncoming traffic to allow me to turn without making the people behind me mad. As soon as my chance presented itself, I pedaled like hell, getting all the way up to 7th gear (out of my 8) before exiting the intersection, before the incline of the bridge began... Then I dropped to as far onto the tiny shoulder as I could as I crawled at a snails' pace up and over the bridge, trying not to pay any attention to how close the cars were passing next to me. I just had to trust that it would be OK. Hold a steady line, don't flinch (because you might hit the wall or go into traffic), and just keep going. There was a gap in the corner where I could see the water far below. This gap was several inches wide, where the wall and road met, and I could picture it easily sucking my tire in, should I ride too close. I tried not to look too hard at it, afraid that it would hypnotize me and I would suddenly find myself there... At the top, I met a runner going the opposite way on my side. I had to dismount to pass him, and I just went ahead and walked the rest of the way to the exit. I had to take the middle road, so again I waited for a break in the stream of cars and went for it. The picture I took after crossing that bridge is a total trophy shot in my eyes.

Once in Wilmington, I encountered hundreds of college student zombies crossing the street anywhere they felt like, without any concern for what may be coming at them. Several made direct eye contact with me before stepping out right in front of me anyway, often times only giving me a few feet to stop. How rude! I went a mere 2 blocks with the student zombies before I decided I had to get off that road. Besides, I was feeling more than a little self conscious being as sweaty and flustered as I was, riding my big loaded bike next to all these girls, who were distinctively clean and not sweaty, wearing cute and trendy things.

The next hour and a half (at least) was spent going the 10 or so miles across the peninsula to the ocean, mostly following the highway to the sea bike route. There was lots of back-tracking from wrong turns, crossing through insanely busy intersections, enjoying the quiet stretches, and feeling the stress that end-of-vacation time brings. The battery on my phone was dying ever more quickly, as I relied on it more and more for navigation through the city. And as and I would come to learn later, after my phone was completely dead, my charger had also stopped working!

After I finally found the ocean, I got myself a nice big ice cream cone and sat and considered my situation. I got back on my bike and found the Wrightsville Beach welcome center, which had a nice big park nearby. A kind random stranger let me use their phone to call my parents to let them know where to find me. Then I cleaned up and changed in the rest room and enjoyed the gentle breeze under the pavilion until my dad came to take me back to Fayetteville, a mere hour and a half drive away...



Total distance traveled: 39.529 miles
Max speed: 18.9 mph
Average speed: 9.4 mph
Time spent riding:  4 hours, 7 minutes

Ride to Wilmington: Day 3

Spending the night at the cabin was a great thing. I got a peaceful night's rest without having to worry about mosquitoes, or animals coming and going through my stuff in the night, or the cold, and I could spread out all of my stuff and really re-group.

I had time to really think about things, and what I could change so that I could keep going. My saddle was at the wrong angle (I knew this before, but had been too lazy to change it because it seemed more of an annoyance than a real problem). I had purposely kept the back tire pressure about 10 pounds lower than max because I was afraid of a blowout from the extra pressure the baggage would create. My legs were sore and stiff from 2 days of back to back riding. I needed to carry and drink more water. My ultimate goals for this trip also needed to be brought back into sharp focus.

So I changed the seat angle, added another 10 or 15 pounds of pressure to the back tire, massaged the knots out of my legs and promised myself to start stretching more often before and after my rides, filled up an extra water bladder I had been carrying around "just in case," and decided that I was going to just enjoy myself: if I made it to Wilmington by Friday, then awesome. If I was still 10 or 20 miles away when it was time to be picked up, so be it. There was no point in doing this trip if it wasn't fun, if I was so focused on getting to the finish that I would be mad at myself if I couldn't do it, or skip over something cool just because I wanted to get to the end. I was out here to get a taste of what long-term touring would be like, to test my gear, and have fun. Why should I want my trip to end faster, anyway.

Day 3 is, in my mind, the day that my trip actually began. Steve came by to check on me in the morning, and we chatted for another hour or two. He let me check my Facebook on the computer, and showed me some awesome pictures and videos taken from the "tree cam." My favorites were definitely the videos of the bears: one of a newborn baby barely able to walk, and one of a bear licking the camera! (They think someone ate chicken for lunch and then worked on the camera, and that the bear must have smelled it!)

Soon I said my goodbyes and left to have my adventures of the day:
-I went across the Cape Fear River on a small 2-car ferry, recommended to me by Steve.
-I saw a military exercise in progress at the ferry, which took me by surprise and made me wonder what was going on.
-I stopped at a little gas station that had definitely seen a fair number of bike tourists pass by (due to it being on the bike route). I got a little bit excited when I saw individually wrapped chunks of cheese for sale on the counter, and I took the opportunity to stock up on my stash of junk food as well (donuts!).
-There was mile upon mile of quiet, empty, beautiful road. This is how bike touring should be!

After about 30 miles, I came upon another store: the Black River Mini Mart. Having learned my lesson the previous two days about stopping when the opportunity presents itself, I went in to see what they had. The guy working the counter was very friendly and immediately struck up a conversation about my trip, having seen me ride up. As I'm coming to find out, one of the first things people want to know is "where are you staying the night?" It was a few hours till sunset and I mentioned that I had made my mileage for the day and it was about the time I'd start looking for a place to stop, but I didn't have a spot yet. He let me know I was welcome to set up next to the store, as it was not uncommon for people to stop here after their first day from Wilmington, going in the other direction. The location seemed a little sketchy, but I reminded myself that they had a bathroom that I could clean up in, and the people seemed nice enough. If I kept going there was no way of knowing what else I would find or how long I would have to go to get there. So I cleaned up as best as I could, changed, and settled down in the shop to wait for the sun to go down a little more before I made camp.

Several old men, that you can tell had lived there forever and known each other for just about as long, came in and started hassling each other in such a way that only old men who have known each other forever can do. I was so amused that I couldn't help but laugh at them at times, even if they weren't. It didn't take long for the new cashier (there was a shift change not long after I showed up), to start seeing if he could find someone for me to stay with that night, as he didn't feel comfortable with me staying that close to the road (I didn't either, although I was more worried about the traffic noise than hooligans. He was more worried about the hooligans). As with the offer at Singletary Lake, at first I refused. As much as I enjoyed watching these old men bicker with each other, I didn't feel particularly comfortable around them. Then he asked the old hippie if I could stay in his back yard. He looked at me and told me sure, but his wife would take one look at me and insist I sleep on their couch. I was sold, and everyone was happy.

What he didn't tell me before I got to his house was that they didn't have a door on their bathroom... I just had to smile. Life is an adventure! They were extremely nice and interesting people, and we ended up talking till 9 pm when his wife insisted she had to get to sleep.



Distance traveled: 31.850 miles
Max speed: 22.2 mph
Average speed: 9.2 mph
Time spent riding: 3 hours, 23 minutes

Ride to Wilmington: Day 2

I was very pleased with my campsite at Jones Lake state park. It was clean, had hot showers, the mosquitoes were almost non-existent, and I didn't have any problems with the dreaded raccoon.
Here's a timeline of events:

10:00- went to bed from boredom
1:30- woke up from the cold. After a few minutes of rearranging and trying to ignore it, and realizing that the night was still young, I got up and filled my huge 96 oz water bladder full of hot water from the bathroom to cuddle with, and fell back to sleep.
4:30- cold again. Refilled the bladder with hot water. Thought what a good thing it was to have bathrooms with unlimited hot water nearby.
5:30- the bladder leaked on me. At least it's warm water. Go back to sleep.
7:30- finally decided it was time to get up.

I was not prepared for the cold temperatures of that night. I don't know exactly what it got down to, but I would be willing to guess it got into the high 40s. With one more night to spend in the woods, I knew I needed a better sleeping bag. Elizabethtown was only a few miles away and has a Walmart, so that's where I decided to go. I took my time packing up (making sure to make room for the new bag), and wandered around a little admiring the lake, chatted with one of the security guys, and got directions from the nice lady in the office, and finally set out around 10:30.

I was funneled onto a 4 lane divided highway, the first time I'd ridden on such a road. It was nerve racking, not because of the traffic, but because I felt like I didn't belong on such a road. I really appreciated all the "share the road" bicycle signs for the encouragement they provided, especially as I approached the big hill to get into town.

Finding the Walmart was easy enough, but there were no bike racks to lock up to. I found a cart corral that worked just fine. This was also the first time I would have to leave my bike and all my stuff out in the open for a few minutes and trust that it would be OK. Another nerve racking first. There was a Subway in the same strip mall, so that's where I decided to go for lunch. Very tasty, especially since my favorite sandwich was one of the $5 footlong specials for this month! While I was eating, I was trying to pull up the map on my phone (it wasn't working). My bike was a notable feature outside, and one nice gentleman asked me about my trip. We chatted for a few minutes and he suggested I go down 87 as it was a straight shot to Wilmington, and that I might find the locks on the river interesting as well as maybe finding somewhere to stay nearby. I also thought the locks would be interesting, but I had no intention of taking 87 all the way to Wilmington because of the huge bridge at the end that I wasn't sure bikes were even allowed on, as well as the heavy traffic on the approach. The other, smaller bridge was the one the bike route took me across, and I felt like that was the one I should be aiming for. I asked him if there was a library nearby so that I could have better internet and look at the maps better, thanked him again, and went on my way. At the library, all the computers were taken (figures...) so I sat down and did my best with what I had. Suddenly, I remembered how to save maps to my phone for offline use! Why had I not done this before I left? Oh well, it's getting taken care of now.

Going back down the same hill I came in on was much more fun, however, I soon found myself battling a nice headwind (going North again...) and was constantly checking how many more miles I still had before I was able to turn off this annoying road and head East. As soon as I turned however, like a cruel joke, a big gust blew right in my face from direction I was now traveling in. I cursed the wind silently and just kept peddling, trying to ignore the insanely slow speed I was traveling at.

I found White Lake, and admired their wide, clean shoulders/bike lanes. I was about out of water and needed a break anyway, so I found a nice spot to rest for a few minutes. Everything seemed closed. There was a spigot near the spot I stopped at, so I figured that would work and filled up my bottle. The water was brown! I thought about one of the few really fancy things I bought for this trip- a UV light water sanitizer (so that I could drink lake/river water if I had to), but there was a sinking feeling, as well as a little chat with myself when I realized I had only put two of the four batteries needed in it (I had put the others in the camera I was going to bring, but decided to leave at home due to space constraints). I dumped out the water so I wouldn't be tempted to drink it, and kept going. (I still had a .5 liter store bought bottle as my emergency back up). A little while later, I saw a sign for Singletary Lake. I turned in knowing that they would let me fill up, and hoping that they would have a table I could take another rest at, as the wind, poor nights rest, back to back days of riding, and any number of other factors was starting to wear me down. I still had about 15 miles to go before I got to my intended sleeping place for the night (not at a campsite-in the woods).

This is where I met Steve. He showed me where the water fountain was and asked me about my trip. When I told him that I planned to sleep in the woods somewhere off the road, he offered me a cabin. At first I resisted: if I didn't make my mileage, there would be no way I would get to Wilmington by Thursday night so I could explore it Friday. But he offered to show me around and it was a welcome break from riding. Getting in and out of his truck, though, forced me to realize just how much I was hurting... So I accepted. Especially after seeing the lake. You should see the awesome sunset pics I took on that lake...

jh

Distance traveled: 21.336 miles
Max speed: 15.5 mph
Average speed:8.7
Time spent riding: 2 hours, 23 minutes 

Ride to Wilmington: Day 1

It was Tuesday, and I really needed to leave if I was going to make it to Wilmington by Friday (I still had to work one more weekend, after all). It was going to be a 108 mile ride starting at Stedman, a small town outside of Fayetteville, NC. I had slept in my hammock the night before to test it out: it had gotten down to about 57 degrees, and I was comfortable till about 60 with the fleece sleeping-bag-turned-underquilt I made, and another fleece blanket on top. As the first two nights of my adventure were predicted to have 55 degree nighttime temps, I decided to make a hammock sock before I left. I had some green ripstop laying around that I had bought for a different project that never happened, so I took it outside and played around with it. It was long enough for the job, but it needed another foot and a half to make it wide enough. Fortunately, I also had some black ripstop laying around. I cut a strip of black, and sewed it all into a long tube. Then I sewed one end up small and put a drawstring on the other. It turned out great!

Once my little project was all done, I still needed to pack. Then I needed to eat lunch (I was too nervous to eat anything but a sandwich). Then I needed to print off maps for my mom and myself. Finally I realized that I REALLY needed to stop stalling and go or I would be sleeping in the woods the first night because the park would be closed!

Stedman was surprisingly far to drive to, as I'd only ridden to it a few times on the back roads. It is along the NC bicycle route #5, which goes from Raleigh to Wilmington, and has a nice park with lots of covered picnic tables, a couple of water fountains, and port-o-potties. It only took a few minutes after arriving to load up and wobble off.

I could give you more play-by-play commentary of my ride to Jones Lake State Park, where I had decided to spend my first night. However, I think I will just list some highlights of the events and what I learned on my first day:
-A big, hard beetle kamikazed my crotch just a few miles in.
-I passed by a diamondback rattle snake right on the side of the road (it scared the crap out of me: my leg flew up onto the top tube and unintelligible expletives were flowing out of my mouth as soon as I saw it). I thought it was odd that it wasn't moving as I passed by, as it should have heard me coming and been scared off.  Then I saw that it no longer had a head. (I decided not to go back for a picture, just in case I saw wrong.)
-I learned that there will be absolutely no 3G internet on my trip for looking up maps, and that calls will be sketchy at best. And that your printed directions/map shouldn't only be useful to you if you are only on your intended route... (I missed a turn somewhere...)
-Getting lost doesn't mean you won't still see some beautiful things.
-You can not be in a rush on a bike. The extra effort you put in is not worth the meager gain in speed for the quicker drop in energy levels.
-Prevailing winds in the fall come from the North (at least for this area), and so going North should be avoided if possible, especially when combined with the lesson above this about being in a rush...

I got to the park at 6 pm: one hour after the offices closed, but two hours before the gates got locked. As the park was pretty much empty, I just decided to set up camp and get it sorted out in the morning.



Distance traveled: 33.391 miles
Max speed: 16.8 mph
Average speed: 10.1 mph
Time spent riding: 3 hours, 13 minutes