Virginia
Today's Distance: 58 miles
We had the whole campground to ourselves last night. It was quiet and serene. No more rain overnight, just some drops blowing off the leaves of the trees when a breeze swept through. Rach and I did some divide and conquer when I rode off to to the visitor's center to pay our fee and she broke down the tent and cooking supplies.
It was overcast to start the day and the cool temperatures made the initial miles easy. Before too long we departed North Carolina and crossed into Virginia to make our fifth state. We're back on the main route and officially finished the Outer Banks section of the trip. The roads here are mostly farm lanes and quieter than some of the highways we have been riding on. Less commercial traffic which has been delightful. Scenery includes silos and barns, sweeping fields, and stretches of forest before another farm clears the horizon.
As we approached our second break of the day we passed a sign that said "Roadside Table. 1/4 mile ahead on left." "Really, they put a sign up to tell you there's a table?" Well, not just one table but three at the tiny park. It also included a newspaper dispenser with the local paper. Headlines included a roadside produce stand which is reopening, a local teacher who wrote a poem, and a recent barbeque fundraiser.
We pressed on through rolling country asphalt until a "Road Closed" sign on Orbit Road. We decided to go have a look but the construction men were not feeling friendly today and told us to turn around. Thankfully, it was less than an extra mile in the bargain. When we returned to the previous intersection there was a riding club of retired cyclists paused to regroup. We chatted a bit about our tour and two of the riders volunteered to ride with us on a detour and get us back on track. I had been feeling sluggish and the escort perked me up. The two guys were 66 and 71 and still going strong. They had to slow down for us. (We do have a lot of gear on these bikes.)
Our home for the night is the Big Bear Family Campground on route 650. We got a friendly welcome and set up our belongings in a stand of trees set aside for the tent campers. I rested in the tent and Rach cooked a delicious dinner of fajitas and black beans with fake chicken bits.
We had the whole campground to ourselves last night. It was quiet and serene. No more rain overnight, just some drops blowing off the leaves of the trees when a breeze swept through. Rach and I did some divide and conquer when I rode off to to the visitor's center to pay our fee and she broke down the tent and cooking supplies.
It was overcast to start the day and the cool temperatures made the initial miles easy. Before too long we departed North Carolina and crossed into Virginia to make our fifth state. We're back on the main route and officially finished the Outer Banks section of the trip. The roads here are mostly farm lanes and quieter than some of the highways we have been riding on. Less commercial traffic which has been delightful. Scenery includes silos and barns, sweeping fields, and stretches of forest before another farm clears the horizon.
As we approached our second break of the day we passed a sign that said "Roadside Table. 1/4 mile ahead on left." "Really, they put a sign up to tell you there's a table?" Well, not just one table but three at the tiny park. It also included a newspaper dispenser with the local paper. Headlines included a roadside produce stand which is reopening, a local teacher who wrote a poem, and a recent barbeque fundraiser.
We pressed on through rolling country asphalt until a "Road Closed" sign on Orbit Road. We decided to go have a look but the construction men were not feeling friendly today and told us to turn around. Thankfully, it was less than an extra mile in the bargain. When we returned to the previous intersection there was a riding club of retired cyclists paused to regroup. We chatted a bit about our tour and two of the riders volunteered to ride with us on a detour and get us back on track. I had been feeling sluggish and the escort perked me up. The two guys were 66 and 71 and still going strong. They had to slow down for us. (We do have a lot of gear on these bikes.)
Our home for the night is the Big Bear Family Campground on route 650. We got a friendly welcome and set up our belongings in a stand of trees set aside for the tent campers. I rested in the tent and Rach cooked a delicious dinner of fajitas and black beans with fake chicken bits.
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| Morning break |
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| Last stop in North Carolina |
The Virginia Department of Game web site says most bears den in large hollow trees and emerge from March to May. So if any bears stumble out of the stand of trees at the Big Bear Family Campground, tell them you are not sharing Rach's fajitas.
ReplyDeleteTake care. Cheri
Wahoo! Into the 5th state. By my reckoning, after Virginia the States will be peeling off in quick succession before your 1st left. If you see a bear make sure you get a photo... then run. The Other Old Guy.
ReplyDeletePhew! I've just caught up on all your entries - you guys have traveled loads in the last 45 minutes. Glad you re having an awesome time - it's so cool that you are doing this. Happy Riding. Helen xx
ReplyDeleteYes, get a photo of a 🐻 xx
ReplyDelete