May 2, 2015
Coinjock to Virginia Beach
We woke to a beautiful day. Sunshine and blue skies were predicted to last the day and beyond. We had left summer way behind, and I had been joking with folks when they asked where we were headed, "Nova Scotia, but maybe it has come to us." They understood what I meant. It has been a cold spring, and we were moving north relatively fast. At least faster than the sun, it seemed.
The Midway Motel looked better in broad daylight, and we also got to see the Intracoastal Waterway, where already a few boats had passed this morning.
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It was still a bit cool as we made our way out of Coinjock, and as we turned north, we could feel a strong headwind building. The motel proprietor had recommended we stop at the Citgo on the way out of town for breakfast, courtesy of Cindy's Kitchen. They had a good array of breakfast sandwiches, coffee, and sweets and a picnic table outside where we could devour our purchases. There is no other game in town and nothing in Currituck, our first stop, and only maybe something on Knott's Island, so we filled up and headed for the ferry.
US-158 is a tolerable road. North of Coinjock, it is curb and gutter, no shoulder, so you must ride in the lane. But eventually this gives way, and once on NC-168, there is a decent riding shoulder, but you lose it again as you enter Currituck. NC-168 is four lanes with a center turn lane and a major route north to Norfolk. But you come to the ferry soon, and it's a free ride to Knott's Island.
This is apparently a popular route for the local bike clubs. We saw what seemed like 50 cyclists disembark (with about 15 cars) and about 20 more on the other side who missed the earlier run. The crossing is about 45 minutes, and we outnumbered the single car three to one.
Knott's Island is worth a detour. Quiet and largely undeveloped. And the drivers and locals treat you well, probably because of the popularity with the local cyclists. The road north passes through the Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge, and if you have time, plan to take some of the hikes available from roadside.
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After about nine miles, we finally entered Virginia. I can say, as a state resident, that I was disappointed at the welcome, or lack thereof. If you have followed the blog to date, I post a picture at each state line. Unfortunately, Virginia has chosen to not sign the entry (although on the reverse, North Carolina does), so we had to be satisfied with the local municipality, Virginia Beach.
Virginia Beach is one LARGE city (area-wise). And this entry point is misleading in that it is entirely rural for a good 12 to 15 miles. Most of the density is north of I-264, and it isn't pretty (I can speak to this, as I've been here enough to know). Regardless, it was nice to see this part of it, which was very new to me.
For our route today, we were relying on the Garmin Edge 1000's route planning feature. Our original plan was to go further west toward Suffolk, cross the James River, and take the Tangier Island Ferry across the Chesapeake Bay. However, a cyclist we met in Kitty Hawk told us that we could shuttle across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel for the price of the toll courtesy of the tolling authority. Since we were two days off schedule, this would save at least a day and help with our travel arrangements back to Washington for our layover. Plus, it would keep us closer to our goal of biking the East Coast and minimizing diversions inland.
So Garmin to the rescue. It routed us well enough, but if I had spent more time with it, we would have had a better route. But, be as it may, we ended up on Holland Road, which was a total mistake. In the short time we were on it (and any time on it was too long), we had the highest amount of aggressive and just plain ornery driving behavior we have experienced on the whole trip. We're talking multiple near misses. People actually yelled at us. Very disappointing and shameful.
Virginia Beach is a city in name only, being mostly a suburban-style bedroom community, and its bicycle facilities are sorely lacking. Getting through the interchange at Independence Boulevard and I-264 would be a nightmare for anyone but experienced cyclists. But there are few options. I was pretty shocked at the conditions, but we navigated them with confidence and made it to the so-called town center, a pseudo, new-urbanism development for the chain gang restaurant business surrounded by parking garages disguised as office and residential buildings. Pitiful at best.
So much for Virginia Beach. There are better beaches to go to. Tomorrow morning we start for them as we ride five miles to the toll authority and cross the mouth of the largest bay on the east coast and start our final leg up the eastern shore of the Delmarva peninsula to Lewes, Delaware!
Today's ride: 50 miles (80 km)
Total: 1,682 miles (2,707 km)
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