I seem to be experiencing a bit of writer’s block today, but I’ll push through it. I woke up this morning, and made some coffee. Took it out on the balcony and stared at the river, enveloped in fog. It looked like it would be a nice day, so I decided to go for a bike ride. Right below me was a bagel shop, so I waited until they opened and then went down. I entertained the idea of asking them to throw one up to me, but dismissed it. Sat there, eating my bagel and coffee, just enjoying the moment.
Once again, I packed everything up and got going. The weather report predicted some thunderstorms in the afternoon, but I hoped I would miss them. I rode up to the hotel to check out (their entrance has the biggest hill I’ve climbed in quite a while) and my new friends from last night were checking out as well. We shook hands, they gave me some directions, and we parted ways. Actually, they rode alongside me for a few blocks. I love riding through the cities early in the morning, when the traffic is light. I stayed on the sidewalk to make sure I wasn’t in anyone’s way.
My directions were very clear, and I had no problem getting out of Wilmington. At one point, I was stopped at the side of the road to check my map. A squirrel dropped out of the sky, landed on the street right next to me, and scurried off. My first thought was, “ Dang! It’s rainin’ squirrels!” but my second thought was that he must have been hit by a car and went flying through the air. He seemed to be OK.
I made my way back to the ocean, which was nice. I went through Carolina Beach and Kure Beach to Fort Fisher, where I would pick up the ferry to Southport. I waited in line with the cars, and they charged me two dollars. This is the first ferry I’ve had to pay for. I had a half hour wait, so I found some shade and watched a group of people playing frisbee. This was a popular ferry, and there were lots of cars waiting to get on. The cars all boarded and they let me on last. The sun had come out and it was pretty hot, so I went up to the passenger lounge and ate some popcorn and drank my water while I looked out the window.
When we got to Southport, it was noon and I was hungry, so I picked a cafe and stopped. It was a lovely place, and I had a delicious chicken salad with avocado and unsweet tea. I’m definitely gonna drink more tea after this. I’d forgotten how much I like it.
After Southport, it was a long, long ride down 211 to Supply. It was pretty uneventful, although I did encounter one of the pick-up truck drivers who amuse themselves by slowing down right next to me, and then gunning it, which blows a cloud of black smoke in my face. I’m glad I was able to amuse him.
Even though 17 goes straight from Supply to Shallotte, ACA cleverly kept me off of it. I’m grateful for that. The times I’ve been on 17 have been a little risky. I stopped at the post office to pick up a mailer so I can mail home some of the clothes I’m not using. Today was a long day: 55 miles. I pulled in to the hotel at 4:00. There was nothing nearby except a funeral parlor so I called delivery for dinner and watched one of my favorite movies: North by Northwest. The nice man at the front desk generously offered to mail my package for me, so my load will be a little lighter tomorrow.
I have another 50-mile ride tomorrow, so I think I’ll get an early start. Destination: Conway, and I’ll get to see the ocean again.
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