After a good night’s sleep last night, I was willing to accept the 10+ mph headwinds we faced most of the day.  I have observed that when there is a crosswind, the trees are helpful with buffering the winds.  But with a headwind, the trees seem to funnel the wind into your face.

Our route today had more turns than on previous days; the longest straight distance was 5.7 miles.  Somewhere in the first 20 miles we passed these two fields of purple flowers – can’t tell if they are the same flowers, and we are still trying to solve the mystery of what was growing??

At mile 19.5, we had a sag stop and prepared to cross the Albemarle Sound – the bridge is almost 3.5 miles long (wouldn’t have wanted to try to cross when Tropical Storm Ana was blowing so hard).

There was a sign (photo not taken) at the end of the bridge, indicating we had entered Chowan County, founded in 1668!

Now that the storms from Ana have passed, the farmers are all out preparing the fields for planting.

Our destination for the night is Elizabeth City, NC, home of the largest Coast Guard base in the continental U.S., specializing in air search and rescue.  After finding the hotel, I wandered to the downtown waterfront and “discovered” the Museum of the Albemarle, very informative.  This area consists of the 13 counties surrounding the Albemarle Sound, with lots of history.

64.90 miles today – headed to Virginia and margaritas tomorrow!