Hatteras/Buxton to Nags Head

April 29, 2015

We woke expecting today to be a short day with tomorrow a day off. We had been hearing rumors of a big storm brewing and wanted to be "resting" the day it hit. It was overcast in the morning with iffy predictions of rain for the afternoon. Rodanthe was at most 26 miles and would be an easy ride.

After breakfast at the Diamond Shoals, we headed for the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, only 1-1/2 miles away and located right in Buxton across from our motel.

The ride into the park is pretty. We were there early (about 10:00 AM), so traffic was light.

After pedaling the 1-1/2 miles along the entry road, you arrive at the Visitor's Center.

The setting for the lighthouse. This is not the original location. It was moved in 1999 to protect it from the eroding shoreline.

The entry into the lighthouse. The lighthouse is constructed entirely out of brick.

Fellow cyclists we met at the top. We meet a lot of fun and friendly people. Everywhere it seems.

A view of Buxton and the road northward.

We were done at the lighthouse by 11:30 and headed north for Rodanthe. The plan was to make this a short day and overnight there and take tomorrow off. NC-12 had nice shoulders as we pulled out of Buxton, although in parts, sand had blown up to the white line lane marker. We were careful to ride around those sections.

Today's ride to Nags Head

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This stretch of Hatteras Island is very narrow and remote, consisting mostly of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Park on both sides, so there was no development except for the telephone/power lines that ran down the southbound side of the highway. An unfortunate invasion of the viewshed; maybe one day they will be buried.

Some of the expansive beaches if you stop to go over the dunes towards the Atlantic.

After a while we reached Rodanthe, a very small town where mostly everything was closed. We stopped to look for places to eat and did not have much luck finding a business that was open. We finally stumbled onto the Watermen's Bar and Grill and had an excellent lunch there (me a burger and Happy a wrap). It was there we decided to push on to Nags Head. For several reasons:

The weather was fairing better than anticipated, and as they say, "Make hay while the sun shines."
It was only an additional 26 miles (forget the rest day).
This town was dead (voicemail at the one hotel we called).
If tomorrow was going to be a bad weather day, spending time in Nags Head would be more fun than in Rodanthe!

And as we sat there eating lunch, I noticed the wind was now blowing strong out of the south. This all became a quick no-brainer in my mind. And after a short chat with Happy, in his mind as well.

So off we went. One thing we noticed. There are a ton of campgrounds in Rodanthe. Five or six, by my count. So plan to camp here if visiting! More campgrounds than motels (not a bad thing, just a fact).

The ride north was great. With the wind, our speed really picked up — we were rolling along at 15 to 16 mph and even hit a sustained period where we were doing 18 mph. We did have to pass through one construction zone about a mile long, but traffic was light, so no big deal. And when I saw the bridge on the distant horizon, I knew we were better than halfway.

The Herbert C. Bonner Bridge from the far side (Nags Head).

After we crossed, it was a short eight miles to Nags Head. At this point the sun really came out, and it warmed up significantly. So much for the predictions for rain. Another lucky day for us!

Today's ride: 50 miles (80 km)
Total: 1,588 miles (2,556 km)

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