Faster than a speeding thunderstorm

Gee whiz, it seems like forever since the last time I wrote. Even though it's only been two weeks. The weather has been so unbelievably lovely, we have been reluctant to take time out from the sun to sit in libraries. But today is Saturday, and we get to take it easy on weekends, so here I am despite the shining sun outside.

So much has happened. The question is, which things should I write about? Well, I guess I'll start at the end and work my way backwards. First of all, bragging point: yesterday we hit our 500 mile mark! This may not seem like a lot to some of you cycle people, but for a girl like me, whose previous big cycle achievement was beating the number 23 bus down Germantown Avenue on my way to Temple University, this is a big deal. Now I can't wait until our 5,000 mile mark so we can really celebrate.

So yesterday was a big day. We camped for the night at a ball field in Pea Ridge, North Carolina. The moon was so bright, we didn't even need headlights to set up the tent after sunset. And it was so warm outside, we just lay on the grass looking at stars for a while before turning in. We woke at the crack of dawn, with mist rising up on the ballfield. Loaded up the bikes, and headed over to the corner store at 7:00am.

Well, let me tell you, that store was the place to be! Everybody in town was waiting for a bus to come and take them to their workplace of the day, and they were all in the store buying coffee and honey buns and Colt 45 to get them started in the morning. We bought coffee and stood outside answering questions and joking around to the crowd's delight. Yesterday was Friday, so the boss man walked around handing out paychecks before everyone loaded up on the bus to head out to the cabbage fields. A smaller crew jumped in a pickup for a landscaping job. But can you imagine? All day long, harvesting cabbage. Take it from a farmer, harvesting cabbage is no joke.

We headed out from the store and three miles down the road we were pulled over by one of our new friends from the store, driving a silver Dodge Durango. "You're going the wrong way!" he said. "You're heading to the beach, right?!" Turns out that a few months ago, the North Carolina highway department re-numbered all the roads without telling anybody. So what was 64 is now 94, and we rode three miles right by it without thinking twice. Paul gave us directions to get us back on track, and I gave him a hug for his troubles. He jokingly offered to drive us to the beach for $30, but we declined, especially after he admitted that he should not be on the road at all, since he had no driver's license. He was a trip. When I asked him his name, he said, "My name's Paul. I'm in the the Bible, baby!"

So we headed south down 94, straight into strong winds. There was a cold front heading in from offshore, and everywhere we stopped we were warned that there would be major thunderstorms in the afternoon. Our destination was Roanoke Island of the Outer Banks, a 60-mile ride. We decided we could do it before 3:00pm, and beat the rain. Usually on a 60-mile day, we take a break around 9:00am for breakfast, and then another break at 1:00pm for lunch. But with the clock ticking, we just took short stops to throw down a power bar or two and then kept moving. At 9:00, we pulled over for a minute to say hello to a snapping turtle by the side of the road. At 11:00, we finally gave in and cooked some Ramen. At 1:00, we stopped at a store to fill up on water. But yesterday our fast pace paid off. As we reached the four-mile bridge over the Croatan Sound to Roanoke, we saw storm clouds gathering behind us. Halfway across the bridge, Tom yelled, "It's gaining on us! Pedal faster!" I down-shifted and starting pedaling while standing up, cresting the top of the bridge and gaining speed all the way down. The rain started just as we pulled off the bridge, and we made it safe and dry to the Roanoke Island Visitor's Center. It was awesome to beat the storm.

We waited out the worst of it at the Visitor's Center, chatting happily with a retired volunteer named Stanley. He told us all about his 1-acre garden, where he grows tomatoes, corn, collards, broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, zucchini, cucumbers, and everything else under the sun. He even has an apple tree for applesauce, several fig shrubs, and a hardy tangerine tree that he has been harvesting for the past weeks. He grows enough food to eat all summer, for his wife to fill the shed with canned vegetables, and to give away corn and other vegetables to the neighbors. Almost like a free CSA! He loves to try new seeds, so Tom is going to send him some Lenape Popcorn seeds just for fun.

Another interesting encounter from yesterday: we met a couple who lives off of a boat! Just before we crossed the Alligator River. They were walking in to a store as we were walking out, and they commented that it was a windy day for bicycling. It turns out that their boat was docked right around the corner, as they had come inland from the Outer Banks to get out of the winds. They were on their way to the Caribbean for the winter, and told us that they had saved up for retirement, and have been living for the past six years off of their little sailboat. Tom and I talked about it later, and it occurred to me that I am glad to be adventuring now. But when I get to retirement age, I would much rather be settled in one place, close to my family and good friends.

As for now, I'll be content to write you! :) So that'll do for today, I suppose. I have lots of things left over to write about from our week in Virginia... mostly about massive fields of cotton and soybeans, huge tree farms full of loblolly pine and deer hunters galore, abandoned farmhouses sinking into the ground, and cypress swamps with engorged tree trunks growing out of black still water. We saw blue herons winging across a lake, gray foxes by the roadside, and several black vultures feasting on the carcass of a deer. Although the terrain was flat, and the sun was shining, we were haunted by a strange feeling the whole time we biked through southern Virginia. There didn't seem to be a lot of people around... sort of like a no man's land. We both felt something like relief when we crossed the border into North Carolina.

Today we plan to take it easy, and bike just 30 miles to the campground in Rodanthe on Hatteras Island. I called to make a reservation, and they have a 15% off-season discount, and a hot tub! Hooray!!!!