Dolly's Bike Blog

I was determined to really rest today – no saddle time, so I was glad to find out about Island Taxi.  Janet, the main driver today, is likely making a fortune shuttling us around the island and into town.  I slept in, wrote thank you notes, organized my suitcases and just relaxed.  Around 10 am, five of us were driven by Janet to Sears Landing for a delicious brunch.  The restaurant is located on the Intracoastal Waterway near the swing bridge which serves the more southern end of the island (Top Sail Island is 26 miles long).  After brunch, Sue W. and I decided to walk back across the bridge and wander into town.  As luck would have it, the bridge opened at noon for passing sailboats.  The bridge is one of only two remaining along the Waterway and is scheduled to be replaced in 2017.

Sue and I leisurely walked back to the Motel and I relaxed for an hour, before Janet, the taxi driver, picked me up for my appointment with Dr. O’Neill, the chiropractor.  I am now “re-aligned” for our long ride tomorrow.  After a stop at CVS for vitamins and McDonald’s for a hot fudge sundae, Janet brought me back to the Motel.

After the high seas yesterday, I decided to take a stroll to the beach – still some good waves, a few brave swimmers, and birds looking for goodies in the surf.

I am hopeful that the wind tomorrow will be from this southerly direction, as we head to New Bern:

The question was not whether I would ride, it was how much the weather would affect my ride.  Tropical Storm Ana continues to linger over North Carolina, and with it rain and strong gusty winds.  One of the weather forecasters predicted rain would begin around 9 am – and almost like clockwork it did – and continued for an hour and a half, at least, with intermittent showers later in the day.

Our ride took us north to Wilmington with a nice tailwind, which I hoped would follow us all day – no such luck.  Just as we entered the outskirts of Wilmington, in a very industrial area, the rain began – and we encountered a number of railroad tracks, very hazardous when wet.  Sadly, two of our tour group fell and will spend a few days recovering from their injuries.  My group of Gail, Marilyn, Susan and Wendy walked many of the crossings, just to be safe. A few “waterlogged” photos:

The wind seemed to come at us from all directions, except to push us north.  We are staying the next 2 nights at Tiffany’s Motel in Surf City on Top Sail Island.  About 3 miles from our destination, we encountered this large alligator, guarding the entrance to a beach-supply store.

We stopped for lunch at Buddy’s next to the beach – no one swimming in these high seas:

Today’s ride: 53.85 miles.  From Fort Lauderdale: 1092.43 miles. From Key West: 1320.92 miles.

To listen to the weathermen today, we were risking life and limb if we ventured out of doors.  But it was a short mileage day, and I didn’t hesitate to decide to ride. Our group was Gail and Marilyn B. from CCST13, joined by Kathy Q. from Dallas (her regular riding partners were riding in the van today).  It was raining as we rolled away from the hotel, but we were all dressed for the elements.

The wind was brisk, and gusting, but often for the first 10 miles, we had trees along the road to give us some protection.  When we would hit an open space, you would hang on to the bike, never quite sure where the wind would come from, though always at your face.

At mile 18, we stopped to rest our hands and shoulders and take a nature break, at this gas station… loved the sign.

What a combination!

We were to take a ferry across the Cape Fear River, but were not sure if the ferry would run due to high seas.  Our sag drive Nancy B. encouraged us to aim for the 11:30 am ferry from Southport, as there was talk of suspending service around noon.  No dawdling in the cute town of Southport… we easily made the ferry.

Once across the Cape Fear River, Kathy Q. and I decided to go to the North Carolina Aquarium, on our way to Carolina Beach – a great detour.  The emphasis is on fish and reptiles found in North Carolina.

Fort Fisher was vital in the Civil War, guarding the last port open to the Confederates until its defeat in 1865.

Kathy Q. and I stopped for lunch in Kure Beach, joined by Lesley from Australia, who is also a dawdler. Only 4 miles remained to the hotel, and Kathy Q. and I explored Carolina Beach a bit before checking into the hotel.

I couldn’t be happier that I chose to ride – conditions weren’t great, but I never felt in danger.  The weather was “balmy”, no need for chicken soup to warm me up.  The rain showers were relatively short, and the wind dried us quickly – no chills.  We even saw intermittent sun and blue skies!