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My recent peak of interest in bridges merged well with the spontaneous decision to head for
the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I only came up with this grand idea when I was
leaving DC . My jaunt down the East Coast is as unplanned as the jaunt up the West
Coast was planned; I wanted maximum flexibility so I could adapt to any severe weather
issues going down the coast (like hurricanes) or perhaps to adjust routing due to time
lost with an unexpected delay. Given neither has been an issue, my goal is to ride
the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Hey, if I'm doing the extreme corners of the
US I might as well include an extreme eastern shoreline, huh?
Today's ride began in 72 degrees, clear skies, at 3 feet above sea level, on US-13, and
without my radar detector since I was at the Virginia border. The lone gas station
where I bought my morning fuel advertised “The South Begins Here” and once inside (pay at
the pump is a few decades from being here) it was redneck central!
The t-shirts, posters, banners, stickers, and other red neck schemata provided many
laughs. The biggest laugh came while I was returning to the bike and a man walking
by pointed to the AZ license plate and said “dang, you gotta be tougher than a one eared
alley cat to come this far!" I lost my breathe laughing so hard.
The ride today was all about bridges as it seems like most of the day I was on a
bridge.... small ones, big ones, long ones, short ones, and expensive ones. The
latter belongs to the “Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel” which costs $12 to cross! Yikes!
They must be in cahoots with the Mt Washington people in NH! It's probably of
no surprise to hear I was the only one in any of the three toll lanes. The bridge is
a link between Virginia's Eastern Shore & VA Beach/Norfolk. It's touted as “saving
time and mileage between New York and Norfolk/VA Beach” but with such a hefty toll I
expected to see people swimming across or something.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is a spectacular bridge offering fantastic views like most
bridges. The information I obtained from a uniformed “off-i-sir” of the bridge was
that the bridge is the largest bridge-tunnel complex in the world, opened in 1964 with
a second span completion in 1999, and has been selected as one of the seven engineering
wonders of the modern world (I had him repeat this several times). Oh, and it's 17.6
miles long. I twice saw “not your tax money at work” though it was never clear whose
deep pockets covered this monstrous project.
Weather was simply perfect for my journey across the bridge. Here's the ride...
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There are two underwater tunnels, each about a mile long. Here's the entrance to one of them:
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As I rode the 17.6 miles I noticed that every single light pole that lined both sides of the road, both north
and south bound, was occupied by a seagull. It was rather odd looking. I guess light pole real
estate is in high demand in the sea gull community:
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I have no knowledge or explanation for the purpose of the traffic lights so I'll make one up... they were
placed there so New Yorkers would feel at home.
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The bridge is odd in that it has, well, tourists traps right in the middle of the bridge, er, ocean. There
are designated pull-outs with gift shops, restaurants, and even a “625ft peerless pier” designated for fishing. I
wondered about the type of fisherman who would pony up a dozen clams to go fishing on this pier.
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Once across the Bay Bridge I came into the Norfolk/VA Beach area:
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I sailed about 90 miles on US-13 before hitting mainland Virginia and 90 degree heat. Geez,
was I ever ready for a gear change in favor of my mesh jacket! I don't think I've mentioned
much about my gear choices for this 10,500 mile ride (hey, Key West isn't the end...I have to get
back west ya know!). My gear selection, specifically the jacket, was a source of great
deliberation prior to departure. I must have changed my mind a dozen times, something that
is unusual for me regarding gear. Given the expected temperature swings I knew that one
jacket would not suffice; there is no jacket, regardless of cost or manufacturer, that will
comfortably cover a 70+ degree temperature swing. Someone else may have chosen to just gut
it out in the extreme (heat or cold) with one jacket but for me a key to long distance riding is
comfort. Besides, being uncomfortable (freezing or fiery hot) greatly affects not only the
overall enjoyment of the ride but it can potentially affect safety in my opinion. If I'm
concerned with being cold (or hot) then it's by definition a distraction... and distractions and
operating a motorcycle don't mix well. Given that, I chose to take both my Joe Rocket Meteor
5.0 jacket and my JR Phoenix 4.0 mesh jacket. (I have the Phoenix 5.0 jacket but it's staying
in the closet for various reasons, including that it's heavier than the 4.0 and seems, um, “geared”
towards style rather than function —something I personally find useless since looking good doesn't
do a damn thing for me in a crash, drenching rain, or 110 degrees). There have been several
times since leaving AZ that I was extremely glad that I've had a heavier jacket on-board (in places
like MT, ND, ME) and other times, such as when I left AZ and the first day of this run going through
the blazing central valley of CA, that I was equally thankful to have the mesh jacket available. Today
qualifies as well.
I met one of those people today who find it necessary to divulge, of course completely uninitiated,
their negative feelings and attitude about motorcycles. This particular guy was parked nearby
and while I was changing jackets & rearranging gear he says “That's a pretty bike but I think
motorcycles are dangerous, I call them donor cycles.”
I don't think I've ever responded to someone's statements like this but I guess a combination
of standing in blazing sun, minding my own business, and feeling like he was intruding in my world,
contributed to my unemotional reply of “you are exactly right, can you tell me how to get to the
nearest airport so I can fly home.” He laughed. I didn't. While he was stumbling for
a reply I said “better yet, how about you make your choices and I'll make mine.” I can't
conceive how or why another person believes their opinion, attitudes, beliefs, etc., are so
important (or valid) that they feel I (and others) should abandon my own and embrace theirs. Aside
from finding it disrespectful, I actually feel sorry for people like him since it's usually fear and
ignorance that binds the belief.
At Chesapeake, VA I passed a black 05 DL1000 Strom going northbound and we exchanged enthusiastic waves.
 Continued on US-168
to US-158 into North Carolina where I stopped to reconnect my radar and fill up with gas even
though I didn't need it. Not knowing what services were going to be available on the
islands I wanted to be safe. Paid $2.13 for a gallon of gas, the cheapest since leaving AZ.
Onward to Kitty Hawk, NC and Bodie Island, crossing Currituck Sound, Albemarle Sound, and more
bridges to get there:
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Stopped in Kill Devil Hills, NC at the Wright Brothers National Memorial for a stamp:
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I was inspired hearing and reading more about what Orville & Wilbur accomplished. As
I toured the airstrip and Big Kill Devil Hill (the sight of over 1,000 glides) I saw the
progression in distance of their flight attempts and felt like I could hear a whisper in
the breeze of “Don't ever give up.” This might not come as a real surprise but that's
a personal motto of mine.
Continued on to Nags Head, NC and was told this is the most popular place to eat in Nags Head:
The line for Dick's crabs was too long for my liking (and level of patience) so I settled
for eating a Subway down the road. As I enjoyed my Cold Cut Combo sandwich I contemplated
a sign I passed just after leaving Subway that had the word “Desalination” in it. I
wondered how many people could actually define the word much less understand what the sign
was saying. 
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You can take US-158 to the south end of Nags Head but I opted for NC-12 which is also called
the “Outer Banks Scenic Byway.” It was here that I noticed 4 out of 5 SUV/pickup trucks
were equipped with some type of gizmo on the front bumper that holds their beloved fishing poles:
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... I took the pic so I could show Jim the next farkle to put on the my bikes!!!! WOO-HOO!!
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If you look at a map it might seem that this road would afford views of water on both
sides. However, what isn't pictured on a map are sand dunes that are higher than
the road so full views of the Atlantic are not easily available unless you own a sand
buggy or sandals. Since I was on a loaded motorcycle and wearing racing boots I
decided to not make the off road trek. Besides, my Achilles is very sore and stiff
from helping push Mr.ST1300 up Mt. Washington a few days ago (I tore my Achilles a few
years ago while running). The shoulder of the road along my ride was not exactly
prime parking with it's deep sand. I actually saw cars that were stuck--yikes!
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Kitty Hawk, NC to Nags Head, NC is very touristy with your typical beach scene. In
a town of flip-flops, scantly clad, dark skinned “beach bums” wandering around toting a
tropical drink, I was quite the contrast being in full gear from head to toe!
When I left Nags Head I also left traffic and the thick touristy environment and came to
the end of Bodie Island where I visited the “Bodie Island Lighthouse” and picked up
another stamp for my National Park passport book. I didn't know that lighthouses
were included in the stamp program but apparently if they are property of the National
Park Service then they are included! Hearing this information, well, lit up and
idea.... I'll do a “Lighthouse Tour" and visit every lighthouse! Let's see, a tour
visiting every National Park, every covered bridge, and now every lighthouse... I've got
some riding to do! This is definitely a bookmark now:
http://www.uslhs.org/passports_sites.php
Bodie Island Lighthouse south of Nags Head, NC on NC-12:
Here's a few facts of this lighthouse: 156ft tall, 214 steps, each stripe is 22ft tall, 19 mile beam, built
in 1859 with several renovations since.
And a pic: (hey, when you gotta fish, you gotta fish!)
AGirl
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