Dolly's Bike Blog

Just a quick post tonight to tell all that I “weathered” the ride today:  intermittent rain, wind gusts up to 30 mph, a ferry ride across the Cape Fear River – actually a fun day (only 13 of us rode, others took the van).  The cue sheet read 37.7 miles, but with the ferry distance and some dawdling I showed 45.49 on the Garmin.  Tropical Storm Ana is swirling around the area – we will see what kind of weather we have in the morning.

I decided today would be different – I would ride more alone, knowing that headwinds were in the forecast (10-20+ mph) and I could just go my speed.  Distance was “only” 50 miles, and I had all day.  Rain was in the forecast for the afternoon, but, after yesterday, I was prepared….

Note that there are blue skies with these headwinds…  At mile 34, we crossed into North Carolina.  We haven’t been impressed by the road surfaces in South Carolina, though I must say, for the most part, the drivers were respectful of us and shared the road, as we are not able to ride the rumble strips and, most often, there is no shoulder.

Nice to have a state line sign, unlike South Carolina.

The first North Carolina town was Calabash, and I decided to Dolly-dawdle, as it was only 15 miles into our overnight hotel.  Calabash is a seaport town, and I followed the signs to the historic area and down to the harbor front.  It was lunch time and fresh locally caught fish, in particular shrimp, sounded good. I met Bob, fisherman and cook at the Waterfront Snack Shop.  When it started to rain, he moved a patio table inside and I had a “private dining room.”  He couldn’t guarantee that the shrimp had been caught that morning, but it was definitely local.

Along Shoreline Drive between Calabash and Seaside, I noticed this very long boardwalk/dock, down to the Calabash River – and the alligator waiting for a golf-ball snack (note the continuing wind from the direction we are headed).

The rain began about 5 miles from the hotel, but I was prepared with my shower-cap helmet cover and the covers for my front and rear packs – the wind did give it a bit of a chill, but a nice hot shower and all is well.  This is a first, to finish my post before 5 pm!!  We will see what Sub-tropical Storm Ana brings tomorrow.

55.6 miles today; 993.09 miles since Fort Lauderdale, 1221.58 miles from Key West!

For dessert Wednesday night, our CCST13 friend ordered cakes for our Atlantic Coast group – yummy!

The tropical storm that has been threatening arrived in South Carolina today – and we started riding in the rain – not a torrential downpour, but a continuous rain.  Gail, Marilyn and I stopped at the local Wal-Mart for allergy medication and, of course, ended up at the back of the group.  That turned out to be lucky, as a cue sheet error around mile 10 caused confusion.  We arrived in time to be sent in the designated cue sheet direction, off busy US 701.  But the 20 miles along backroads with less than perfect pavement were a slog, with the rain continuing and a bit of a chill setting in.  One doesn’t spend much time at a sag stop off the saddle when the rain continues and there is no shelter.

This is what wet looks like!

At mile 37 we arrived at the Pee Dee Grocery (named for a nearby Pee Dee River), and I bought a can of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle soup, poured it into a coffee cup and microwaved it – changed my disposition and gave me the internal warmth to continue.

The rain stopped shortly thereafter, but the headwinds picked up so it was slow going the 12 miles into Conway.  When we arrived at the last turns before the hotel, I was reasonably dry and not cold, so I continued into town to explore the historic district – and to get a haircut.  Paula at The Hair Salon had an opening, turned off the air conditioner so I didn’t chill, and clipped away, fascinated by tales of our tour to Maine.  I rode along the Riverwalk (Waccamaw River, which leads down to Georgetown and into the Atlantic), then stopped at a few historic homes, before heading to the hotel.

Because of the continuing threat of more rain, we ate “indoors” tonight, some in the laundry area, others on the “porch.”  Nancy Burns has joined us as a Super Sag, replacing Peg who left after her shoulder injury.

56.52 miles today – hoping for dry weather tomorrow.