Day 14: To Wilmington, NC

April 29, 2017

Up at 7, on the road at 8:30. First I backtracked a mile to cross US 17, then pedaled residential back roads from Shalotte to the village of Supply.

I shouted hello to 3 southbound touring cyclists, the first loaded touring cyclists I've seen during this tour. 3 guys, older than me, with 4 panniers each. They have to work a bit harder than me because they have a headwind most of the time. But they also get the cooling benefit of the headwind. It feels hotter for me, pedaling in the heat and humidity with a tailwind that reduces the cooling airflow.

The back roads connected me to NC 211 which has busy traffic and a usable paved shoulder. Still a signed bike route. No rumble strips. There was even a sign warning cyclists about a diagonal railroad crossing. North Carolina seems much more bicycle friendly than South Carolina.

Beautiful neglect. Scenes like this are rare now that I'm in a more prosperous area.

The area is quite populated. There were frequent subdivision entrances. I never see the houses because a narrow strip of trees separates the houses from the highway.

NC 211 has a decent paved shoulder. Signed bike route. Probably less traffic on weekdays.

So far on this tour I have seen dozens of subdivisions with the word plantation in the name. I know there is a certain romance about the plantation days of the antebellum south. But people seem indifferent to the fact that plantations had very large numbers of slaves. I wouldn't want to live in a subdivision that is named after an institution that was the very basis of slavery.

The word plantation is common in subdivision names despite the association with slavery.

The shoulder went away when I entered the town of Southport. I think it's odd for the shoulder to disappear just when it's needed most. But that's common many places, where the state highway has a shoulder but the town doesn't want to pay for it or prefers to use the space for parking.

Southport is a charming Victorian town. Very much a tourist town. Tourist towns usually have several good lunch options. Lunch was crab quiche, salad and pie, but the best part may have been the iced tea and air conditioning.

Historic homes in Southport. Most of the town is historic.

Before lunch I sat around for a while at the waterfront because I'm waiting for a 1 PM ferry. Southport is on the ocean but the water is calm because a big barrier island called Bald Head island is just offshore.

Southport waterfront from the fishing pier. The swinging benches are in high demand.

After lunch I pedaled 2 miles to the ferry dock for the 1 PM ferry to Fort Fisher. The ferry takes 30 minutes to cross the wide mouth of the Cape Fear river. $2 for bicycles, the first of 4 car ferries I will ride in North Carolina.

30 minute ride across the mouth of the Cape Fear river. Hot and humid. Too hot to sit in the vehicle, but few people sat in the ferry's air conditioned cabin.

Photo from the smart phone, posted on Facebook.

Approaching land at Fort Fisher State Park.

The ferry dropped me off in Fort Fisher State Park which is at the southern tip of a long spit of land east of the Cape Fear river. So narrow that it seems like a barrier island.

Nice to see somebody else recreating with human power.

I detoured into several parts of the state park. First was the southern tip. At the top of a tall dune is the site of Battery Buchanan, a gun battery built by the Confederates in 1864 to defend the Cape Fear river. There's nothing left now.

View from the site of Battery Buchanan, a confederate gun battery built in 1864 to defend the Cape Fear river.

I walked on the rocky seawall to land's end. River on the right, ocean on the left. It's calm on both sides because of shelter from barrier islands.

Land's end for the mainland. Atlantic Ocean to the left, Cape Fear river to the right.

I took another stop in the middle of the park. It has a recreational path, beach, and many interpretive signs. I like the wind blown trees that grow on the inland side of the dunes.

Beach and recreational path at Fort Fisher State Park.

Wind-blown dune trees, Fort Fisher State Park.

After the park is the town of Kure Beach. At the halfway point of the Atlantic Coast tour I finally reach the first beach town!

Typical street scene in Kure Beach. It seems like a barrier island because it's a narrow strip between the ocean and Cape Fear river.

I walked the bike through the street fair in the middle of town. The only way onto the pier is through a crowded gift/beach/tackle shop. Maybe I was supposed to pay a fee to go onto the pier.

I happened to pass through during a street festival. One vendor handed me a bottle of cold water as I walked by.

The pier was great. I seldom get to go out ON the water and look back at land. I finally got my first "money shot" of the Atlantic ocean.

Kure beach from the pier on a warm Saturday afternoon. First good view of the Atlantic Ocean since 10 days ago on Jekyll Island.

I enjoyed the views from the pier, but it has no shade. I watched the people on the beach but never had any desire to join them. It's just too hot for me to want to bake in the sun on hot sand.

View of the pier. A rare chance to be out on the water.

After Kure Beach is another small beach town, Carolina Beach. Then after crossing a bridge I turned left and followed River Road all the way to Wilmington. I'm pedaling into a medium sized city but the traffic was very low. Rural at first, then several miles of industry in the port area. Then suddenly I enter the historic city.

Wilmington is amazing. A huge portion of Wilmington is historic houses. The historic district goes for miles. Downtown seemed to be a lively place to hang out on a warm Saturday afternoon.

Downtown Wilmington, NC. My bike is parked in front of the horse.

Waterfront district at downtown Wilmington, NC.

Downtown Wilmington is on the Cape Fear river. It's not a major river but it's wide and deep near the mouth.

Cape Fear Riverwalk in Wilmington, NC. Federal building on the right.

Downtown would be an interesting place to spend Saturday night but there are no budget motels. Only boutique B&B's. So I pedaled Market Street 5 miles east of downtown to get a "budget" room at Super 8 motel. $137, the special Saturday night price.

Very tall steeple and apartment building along Market Street 2 miles east of downtown Wilmington, NC.

I really enjoyed pedaling through Wilmington, NC (not the capital city of Delaware!). I did no research on the city and didn't know that so much of it is historic. Wilmington, NC is probably the best surprise of the tour.

Today was a great day. For the first time on this tour I feel like I'm actually touring the Atlantic coast. The previous 3 days were depressing and non-coastal. From now on I will see the Atlantic ocean more often. And so far the roads in North Carolina have been safer for cycling than the roads in South Carolina.

Today had a high of 84F with extreme humidity. The humidity is noticeably higher and the wind is noticeably stronger when I'm close to the ocean. Still the usual southeast wind. A headwind when pedaling east in the morning, but a tailwind when pedaling north in the afternoon.

Distance: 61.6 mi. (98.6 km)
Climbing: 672 ft. (204 m)
Average Speed: 10.8 mph (17.3 km/h)

Today's ride: 62 miles (100 km)
Total: 598 miles (962 km)

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