Day 7: Yay! I get to see the beach!

May 27, 2022

The tent started to become light as the sun started to make its way from below the horizon to showing its face. I roll out of my sleeping bag, pack up the campsite, have my breakfast at the picnic table, and then "wheels up" before 7:30. There was no reason to sit around and wait for the office to open at 8:00.

Campsite at the Wilmington KOA. Good spot, and right next to the Pizza place (well, as close as one can be in a campground)

The traffic was constant, though not unbearably heavy. I wasn't sure if it was just the normal daily commuter traffic or it was related to the vacation weekend and I was near a beach. Regardless, it was about 19 miles of pleasant riding with the commuters until I passed over a causeway heading to the beach. The nicest view so far, and I get to see a boat passing through. After that it was on to the beach town and to the first major historic spot along the route.

To get to the barrier islands one has to pass over inlets. Many times you'll see nautical traffic passing underneath

Made it to Carolina Beach before 9:30 in the morning and there was not a lot of activity at the boardwalk or the rides. Not surprised, as they don't normally open this early in the morning, and I was already on an attraction of my own (the tour). I took some pictures and moved on towards the history portion of the tour.

No screams of joy and excitement from the amusements this early in the morning

Crazy how small the bike looks with all this gear on it. But made it the complete distance on 700x25 Specialized Armadillo Elites - fantastic tires. And yes, that seat tilt was not working for me

The next 5 miles passed through beach towns - Carolina Beach, Wilmington Beach, Hanby Beach, Kure Beach. Smooth riding through these towns, and the road had a dedicated bike lane for the entire SSw ride to Fort Fisher. Many of the houses along the way had names on them - (Crazy Dolphin II, The Kure Cure, Washed Up, Conchville). Fun reading the house names as I passed by.

Each town announced themselves with a sign (moreso just a boundary between different houses)

Pastel-colored houses seemed to be all the rage in this part of the country

Then I arrived at Fort Fisher. This was a civil-war era fort used to defend Wilmington's ports and keep them open for the Confederate nations. It was a nice break at 10:00 to walk the paths around the fort and read through the history. It was the last port of the confederacy to fall during the conflict. All along the coast one can find old gun emplacements and batteries used to defend the shoreline. From the Spanish-American war to the revolutionary war, to civil war to WW1 and WW2. Relics of our embattled past.

I arrived at the water's edge in time for the 10:45 ferry, and handing over $2 for the one-way bicycle fee gets me a 40 minute trip to Southport. On the way over, two other cyclists recognize me as a fellow two-wheel traveler and engage me in banter about bicycling touring, trip, where I'm heading, etc. It passes the time quickly and when we reach the mainland, we part ways as I'm going different directions than they are.

My $2 ferry trip across the intracoastal waterway

View from a comfortable swing in Southport. No, that's not me on the swing

Yes, it's a mailbox. Yes, I did take the time to stop and take a picture of it. I thought it interesting

Arriving in Southport around 11:45 I downed a water bottle, ate a Nutri-Grain bar, and then headed onto the bike. There were nice seating areas, and the "downtown" had a bunch of funky shops. Reminded me a bit of Fairhope, AL in a way. Rather than shopping (I don't have much room on the bike after all) I decided to hit the road and get to camp early. This was my last long-day on the bike.

The next 12 miles consisted of a "basically" flat arrow straight road heading WNW. It was devoid of shade and it was hot. Sun beat down and even with sunscreen I was still hot. Does anyone else find that you sweat MORE with sunscreen on?

I realize I probably have nothing on riders who cross Kansas or Oklahoma but this was my straight-as-an-arrow ride for 12 miles at high noon today

Then it was another 10 miles to the grocery store in Shallotte (writing this journal, I saw on Google Maps (c) 2019 the grocery store is shuttered.). I picked up a Chicken salad sandwich, some roasted garlic chips (Crisps, for my UK friends), and cheddar cheese. Oh yes, and that familiar Boat-box of wine.

Passing fields on the way to the grocery store

I thought this old gas/convenience station was interesting. Doesn't look like it had sold gas in some time (no pumps) but the signage was definitely old and architecture looked to be in 50's or 60's. No other people (customers or employees) around when I passed by

I rolled into camp a little before 3:00. they gave me my site and I set up camp, changed into my swimsuit, and spent some time cooling off in the pool. It was a hot day and I was glad the pool was available. Following that, I walked along the stacks of RVs along the water (RVs had the intracoastal waterway sites, tents were off to the back on the bay). Then, dinner at 4:30 or so to stave off the hunger and then writing the journal on the iPad to publish that night. Last night camping before rolling into my final destination tomorrow.

I really have no complaints on the campsites for this trip - this was a really nice spot at SeaMist camping resort. You can see I showered with all my laundry and here I have it out to dry.

Seagrass on the dunes along the instracoastal waterway. Good spot

Tomorrow is the last ~40 miles to the trip, and the ride into Myrtle Beach, SC.

Heart

Comment

Link

Today's ride: 69 miles (111 km)
Total: 414 miles (666 km)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	1
Comment on this entry	Comment	0