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I awoke today to the unusual sound of a seagull squawking outside my door and the smell
of the beach and ocean.
Being on an island I couldn't exactly go find a Denny's or Waffle House for
breakfast. If you need a review of where I am here's a roadside map I took a picture of:
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I started today in Buxton which is the top far right of the pic. To give you a scale
of the map, from Buxton to Hatteras (one end of island to the other) is less than 10
miles. The sign in front of the small local school I passed denoted their “nickname”
as being, to no surprise, “HOME OF THE HURRICANES.”
I saw the Chicamacomico Life Saving Station which was built in 1874 and was dedicated to
the sole purpose of rescuing lives in peril from the sea. The “US Life Saving Service”
evolved into the "US Coast Guard" in 1915 and the station saw service until 1954. Operator
error with the camera prevents a photo of this place but I can say it's not really a picture
of the place as what occurred there that's so impressive. The heroic efforts and selfless
acts of rescuers simply define bravery. This place gets my vote for being a National
Monument.
A certain 6 year old asked me to keep a watchful eye out for any pirates (“you know they're
near islands, right?”) and to take a picture if I “found one near the motorcycle.”
Well, while riding around the island I kept my eyes peeled though unfortunately (or
fortunately!) no pirate sightings to report but I will stay on the lookout.
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Yesterday I spent what seemed to be many hours riding over water and today I spent many
hours riding on water thanks to two different ferries. Ferry #1 went from Hatteras
Island to Ocracoke Island. I didn't have the ferry schedule so I was waaaay early:
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Here are the exact GPS coordinates for the location: N35°12.51', W75°42.19'
While waiting for the ferry to arrive a couple recognized my bike from being parked outside
the Wright Brother's place yesterday where they too were visiting. They said they had
discussed then how they'd “like to meet the female who owned the bike” and I can certainly
say their enthusiasm towards me validated this statement. They were driving one of
those monster mega motorhomes and asked if I'd like to come inside for a drink. Since
the options were to stand in the hot sun alone while waiting to board the ferry or go inside
this palatial estate on wheels for a cold beverage with new friends, I opted for the
latter. The glass of water was refreshing and so were Mike and his wife Melinda. They
were intrigued with my travels and I was intrigued with their crib on wheels so the conversation
was not dull. I left my camera on the bike so I don't have any pics of the monstrous
motorhome but I can tell you it was unlike anything I've ever seen in person. The inside
was bigger than many apartments and was equipped with a pair of huge tv screens, marble counter
tops, full kitchen with full size stainless appliances, and an integrated navigational system
that was mind boggling NASA-ish looking. Neither Mike nor Melinda seemed quite like the
at-the-wheel driving kind (hard to explain) so I asked if the thing was difficult to drive. They
looked at each other and said with furrowed brows “don't really know.” After a long pause
I was ready to ask if perhaps it was piloted via satellite or by their dog when “Joe” appeared
from somewhere near the back. I assumed Joe was the driver and if I'm wrong I'm glad I
got out of there when I did! Right after I met Joe the ferry arrived that would unload
those coming from Ocracoke Island and pick up those who wanted to go to Ocracoke, including
me & the Strom. The massive home with a motor and it's members were there to meet someone
arriving on the inbound ferry so I shook hands and parted ways.
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Prior to boarding the first ferry I saw this sign, a first of it's kind in all my travels:
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I had never been on a ferry with a bike before. I'm sure the Strom enjoyed the ride as much as I
did. The views were great as I cleaned the windshield, the chain, and gave the Strom a good once
over during the 40min ride:
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Arrived Ocracoke Island....
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...then immediately was on a Scenic Byway (ok, so it's on an island which only has one road so I'd think
that alone would qualify it as scenic):
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My best description of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore is: Simply undisturbed, raw beauty
that is refreshingly uncluttered with commercialism. (Hmmm, the same words I'd use to
describe Montana, Voyageurs National Park, Maine, and several other places I've seen
recently!). No trash, no smog, no crowds. There's nothing out here (including cell
phone reception) but nature at it's finest—simply fantastic and definitely soul recharging. Hard
to find beaches that are this pristine, desolate, and preserved:
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Visited the Ocracoke Lighthouse:
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Cape Hatteras National Seashore & Ocracoke Visitor Center, site of another stamp that went in my book
Outside the Visitor Center sits an actual skull of a Right Whale. I think it'd need a larger size helmet:
I rode the entire island in less than 10 minutes and that was at a top speed of just above,
say, the speed of darkness. One road basically runs the length of the island. Anything
else is a side road, might be paved, might be just sand and dirt. I stopped in the general
store where I overheard someone saying “I'd feel the most sorry for him.” I had no idea who
he was talking about but my first thought was “anyone living here and wanting to do an Iron Butt
ride!” With only 1 gas station I'm not sure how they'd verify a 1,000 mile ride? This
would be worse than doing a Saddle Sore 1000 on a track except you'd have great views! I
saw one sign posted along the road that said “Hurricane Evacuation Route” which seemed odd. I've
never evacuated from a hurricane so perhaps a reminder of where the one road exists is indeed necessary.
The ferry schedule for the next jaunt over to Cedar Island and mainland existence showed I had an
hour to wait (waiting challenge #2). I wrote postcards and went on a walk around the little
marina. I wanted to go fishing so bad that it's a good thing no one asked to trade a boat &
fishing pole for my motorcycle or I might be reporting as Capt. AGirl!
I decided to get a sandwich and eat by the water. While eating I heard another motorcycle and
soon met “Don” who rode a BMW F650 (yes, with a 125 mile fuel range). Meeting and talking to
Don has been a highlight of this Four Corner run for me. He lives in Hawaii on a sailboat
though he house sits “most of the time.” The last few years he has kept his bike at a friend's
in MO and 2 months out of the year he rides the US and does so mostly camping. He could be
described as a true minimalist, something I greatly respect given my own values as they pertain
to “function over form.” We talked about the road, motorcycles, and philosophy. Given
he too was going to Cedar Island and taking the ferry we were able to continue our conversation
while riding (the ferry, not the bikes).
This ferry was much bigger and carried more bikes and cars:
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The only pirate I saw:
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Having a red BMW bike parked next to the Strom that wasn't owned by RTJohn was quite odd!
Wouldn't you know it, a pair of bikes riding the ferry with the Strom were from Florida..
it's gotta be a sign!!
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A “sainter boat” we passed. I expected to see Forrest Gump waving from it:
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Once to Cedar Island I said goodbye to Don and was ready to roll. I must say that after
3 solid hours of being around people (the most I'd spent since leaving Phoenix except for with
the Oldgoats in Montreal) I was more than ready to ride. If it comes across that I'm a
social butterfly then that would be an erroneous conclusion. I very much enjoy people
but can only take most in limited doses.
Took NC-12 to US-70 to NC-24 which was almost 100 miles of rural 2 lane riding that brought
me to Jacksonville, NC. Approaching this area I thought I was entering SQUID CITY USA
or something. No, not home to the sea creature, rather the “squid” version of sport
bike riders. I may have missed the “running of the squids” in DC but I witnessed quite
the display in what I later learned was the area of Marine Corp base Camp Lejeune! Holy
smokes it was stunt central right down main street. Maybe it was “Wheelie Day” and I
just didn't see the sign?
Since the ferry rides were time consuming I didn't start riding the Strom until almost
3pm. At Jacksonville, NC I elected to stay on the “road less traveled” and take US-17
along the coast. I passed through Myrtle Beach and Charleston, SC but most of the ride
was through rural town America where fishing and NASCAR reign supreme. At one red light
I pulled up behind a pair of jacked up pickup trucks. I wished I could have taken a photo
of what I saw on the Tonka-ish looking pickups.... on the first truck in HUGE letters across
the back window it said “SHUT UP AND FISH!!!” and the second truck had even bigger letters
across the tailgate that said “AIN'T SCARED” (I assume that's the Southern version of “No Fear”).
Not too long after that I pulled in a gas station. While inside, a man sporting a well-worn
baseball cap and overalls and chewing on a twig of some kind asked me where I was headed and
where I had come from. He seemed to be getting more confused the more I tried explaining
the “USA Four Corners Tour” so I stopped and simply said “Forrest Gump ran, I ride.” His
face lit up and with the biggest smile I've seen in a while!
I guess all the locals were out fishing or inside not being scared since the roads were rather
desolate when the sun set. Today I was reminded how far down the enjoyment scale humidity
ranks for me; however, once darkness fell it was actually quite nice to ride so I did so until
I hit I-95 about 400 miles later. I think I have as many memories as I do bugs on the
windscreen from the ride today!
AGirl
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