Our motel is right by the ferry which doesn't leave until 10:30 so we get to sleep in this morning. The 2+ hour crossing gives me enough time to catch up to date on the journal, for a fleeting moment. I have extra time to call the bike shops in Virginia Beach and find one that will be happy to replace the cable on my bike next week. It's surprising that the cell service is so good out here on the ocean, 15 miles from the mainland.
We land in the fishing village on Ocracoke Island where the privateer-turned-pirate Blackbeard looted ships in the 1710s. The island's deep inlets, numerous hiding places and position on merchant shipping routes made it especially attractive to pirates. Blackbeard met his end here in 1718 when Lt Robert Maynard, a naval officer from Virginia, cut off his head and hung it from the bow of his ship.
Stopping at a pavilion near the ferry landing we meet some fellow cycle tourists who are traveling south. The village is the only food stop before the campground so we settle in at Dajio for lunch, then ride over to the 200-year old lighthouse.
After one more stop for groceries we have four miles to pedal to Ocracoke campground, mostly on a bike trail. The tailwind makes it a quick trip. My shifter seems to be working fine and I'm pushing it up to 17 mph. Kelly clued me in that it's possible to use a wrench to shift gears on the Rohloff hub. That's really helpful to know in case the shifter flakes out again while it's in an undesirable gear.
Ocracoke campground, a national park service site, is a barebones operation with cold water showers. At $14 for the night with the America the Beautiful Senior Pass, it's hard to beat. We are right by the beach and will fall asleep to the sound of crashing waves.
The beach is just on the other side of those dunes.
2 weeks ago
2 weeks ago