4/29/23 Wilmington to Jacksonville NC

It was nice rolling out of town on a Saturday morning because the streets were somewhat quiet.

We had an easy time with our ride until there was a detour in the road and we chose our own path around it going through the University North Carolina Wilmington campus. 

Not a good idea when we tried to take a short cut. 

After we got back on track, we decided to find a place for our breakfast… the Cast Iron Kitchen sounded like a great place and when we got there and saw the waiting line and knew it must be delicious.

Shortly after breakfast was our 11:11 shot.

Unfortunately, I had my 7th flat today… again on my rear wheel.   

The weather was warm with a  slight tailwind.  The humidity was evident, but not stifling. The roads were pretty smooth and travel went well. We visited a bike shop in Jacksonville to purchase more inner tubes, then made our way to the hotel. We finished 62 miles and within 15 minutes a downpour hit.  Good timing for us! Tomorrow may be a different story based on the forecast.. storms all morning and early afternoon! Jacksonville is home to Marine Corps base Camp Lejeune  where Tim’s brother was in boot camp and Marine Corps Air Station New River. We  walked almost  a mile to dinner at a Flavor Hills Southern cuisine. It was unique in that with the menu was online the patrons could review each dish individually. We certainly enjoyed our selections. 

4/28/23 Bolivia to Wilmington NC

Last night forecast indicated stormy weather for this morning, so when it was just a light rain we felt lucky. Since we wanted to get on the 9:15 ferry, we decided we would make come rain or high water… and we did! The 11 miles to the Southport ferry had challenges beyond rain… namely road construction.  

No photos while on the road with construction, but once we found some side streets there were some nice neighborhoods we went through. 

The Southport Ferry was a fun 30 minute ride. The rain stopped and a family aboard brought bread to share with a flock of Laughing Gulls. 

The ride to Wilmington had it all.. lovely large homes, fun beach towns and a surprising extended roads of industrial areas.  In the town of  Carolina Beach we discovered some pretty cool and colorful murals. 

At 11:11 we were in search of a facility… and found open ones at  a very impressive sports field. 

After clearing up we were ready to explore Wilmington by foot. First stop… Front Street Brewery for a flight and a snack to share. 

The Riverwalk along the Cape Fear River  included great shops and restaurants in historic buildings.   The city is very charming, historic and popular with locals and tourists. Across the River the Battleship North Carolina resides as a tribute and museum.  

A fun chat with a local couple enlightened us about the history this area, the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge and the best gelato place in town. Yes… that was the best gelato we have had in the US! 

We worked off  the afternoon treat by doing the walk-a-bout town, with a goal to eventually get to Hi Wire brewing  so we could enjoy some live music.  It was such a fun place.  Lots of young couples and families there playing ping pong, shuffle board, soccer pool, and cornhole. 

Total cycling miles was 40, walking was 4,9 miles and enjoyment in Wilmington was 2 thumbs up. 

Today marks our halfway day!!! We have been on our East coast adventure for 25 days.  We have 25 days to go!!! 😁 

4/27/23 Myrtle Beach to Bolivia North Carolina

It took some time to ride out of Myrtle Beach. It really is a long narrow strip of a city with entertainment all along the coast.  As we rode up the street parallel to the beach in North Myrtle Beach we could see so many smaller hotels and motels on one side and huge resorts on the beach side, blocking any view they once had. Same is true with the homes. 

Access to the beach was very impressive throughout Myrtle Beach. 

We were excited to get to North Carolina!😁

We immediately noticed the improved roads. YAY!

Another thing we noticed is that in the 35 miles we have ridden in NC, we’ve seen more golf courses than all the other days put together!  (and no mini golf like in Myrtle Beach area) 

We checked out this tiny bridge museum around 11:11.  Some fun and interesting history was shared with us about Sunset Beach (an island) and how people used to get there. 

Check it out.  

The Old Bridge 

Another interesting fact the  museum volunteer shared with us (when we told him how much better the roads are in NC) is that George Vanderbilt of Biltmore house wanted NC to have the best roads in the nation and he influenced the state to upkeep the roads. 

We got into our hotel with the dark clouds looming overhead. Shortly after the rain came down. 

Since we are in the middle of nowhere… it’s a perfect day for laundry. 

When it came time to venture out for dinner we went to a newly built shopping area nearby, but had to walk along construction zone on the highway to get there. Also within the new strip mall was Lowes… a really impressive grocery store.  It even had 1/2 price draft night and a good size crowd partaking. Maybe the next Lowe’s we run across we’ll be ready to enjoy that option. 

60 miles today with favorable weather. Only got a few big drops of rain. 😃

4/26/23 Georgetown to Myrtle Beach

On the way out of Georgetown, we checked out the oldest house and the oldest tree there. 

M

Crossed a bridge to get over the Great Pee Dee River.

We took the opportunity to stop at Hobcaw Barony as a pit stop, but left there with so much information. It is a site that has a lot of history but currently also has a future focused on teaching and research due to  Belle Baruch, daughter of the wealthy stockbroker in NY that used this property as a vacation and hunting retreat and entertained many noteworthy guests. “Sir Winston Churchill first came to Hobcaw in 1932 to recuperate after being struck by a car in New York. President Franklin Roosevelt was at Hobcaw in spring 1944 to rejuvenate from his poor health. His four weeks at Hobcaw was the longest vacation of his four-term presidency. It was here that he put the finishing touches on the Allied plans for the D-Day invasion of Normandy. After a month of rest at Hobcaw, along with some invigorating fishing and hunting, FDR returned to Washington in much improved health.”

At 11:11 we were on a separated bike path that paralleled state route 17, but the traffic noise was still very noticeable.

We were on our way to a diner when Southern Hops Brewing Company came in to view and we made an immediate decision to stop there.  Sharing a beer flight and a Bavarian beer burger followed by a rich chocolate cake was fun, especially with the fun conversation with Donna, of SHBC. 

It was obvious we were beyond the dense forested regions and into the very touristy beach areas. The number of restaurants, hotels, tourist shops and miniature golf spots (we saw at east 6) was mind boggling! There were also so many elevated beach houses and lots of golf carts geared to going to the beach.

My bike had developed a consistent grinding problem that our tools couldn’t solve so  we decided to go to a repair shop.  I’m not sure if I chose the right one or the wrong one… but an hour and a half later, we learned all about George, his move to Myrtle Beach, and facts and tid bits about an assortment of topics. He did remove my bottom bracket, cleaned it out and now it is working better. (Yes, his makeshift repair shop is in a crowded large metal pole barn, with a makeshift bike stand infront of his home) 

Just before getting to our hotel, we had to ride through some construction area… and that’s were Tim rolled over a industrial staple and got his first flat!  Luckily we didn’t pull out the staple until we were at the hotel.

Today’s mileage was only 45 , but felt longer with all the stops. Below are just random photos of the day.