On to the Outer Banks
The ACA route gives riders two options through North Carolina; the inland route which stays on the mainland, generally meandering south through a number of small communities that sit along coastal sounds or waterways, or the Outer Banks option. We opted to ride the Outer Banks in order to visit the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, with the idylic notion that we would have carefree pedalling through the sand dunes, with the ocean breaking on one side, and wildlife abounding in the marshes and bays of the inland side. We actually did find that kind of riding, but it took us two solid days to get there. We needed to ride about 50 miles due East to get close to the barrier islands, and it was early that morning when we crossed the Intracoastal Waterway for the first time.
The Intracoastal Waterway is a 3,000-mile recreational and commercial waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Some lengths are natural, others manmade. The waterway runs from its northern terminus in New Jersey, where it connects with the Atlantic Ocean at the Manasquan Inlet, to Brownsville Texas. It is also toll-free, but commercial users pay a fuel tax that is used to maintain and improve it. The creation of the Intracoastal Waterway was authorized by Congress in 1919. It actually consists of two non-contiguous segments: the Gulf Coast Intracoastal and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The two segments were originally intended to be connected via the Cross Florida Barge Canal, but this was never completed due to environmental concerns. The Intracoastal has a good deal of commercial activity, but it is also used extensively by recreational boaters. On the east coast, some of the traffic in fall and spring is by snowbirds who regularly move south in winter and north in summer. The waterway is also used when the ocean is too rough to travel on.
Our route to Florida will take us back and forth across the Intracostal a number of times, over all types of bridges. This was the first of numerous crossings. As we continued on we came across the first active roadside farmstand since Maryland. Most of the harvest was in, but it is sweet potato season, and we purchased them as well as some collards. We hoped that we would be able to buy some seafood when we got to the coast, as we had been told that the shrimping season was now in full swing.
The terrain to the Outer Banks (locally known as OBX) was flat and non-descript. It dawned on us that we had not used the small chainring on our bike for over 2 days. In fact, the riding here was like being on an exercise bike. While Olga is equipped with 27 gears, we only needed 3 or 4 of them, and that was because of the ever present and shifting wind. There's an old saying among cyclists that no matter which way your going, it's into a headwind. It sure felt that way to us.
To get to Kitty Hawk and Cape Hatteras, you need to ride along US 158 which is a high traffic 4 lane that has a marginal shoulder. The North Carolina DOT has done a good job in placing "Share the Road with Bicycle" signs, but it is little comfort when you're riding a narrow shoulder with cars/trucks speeding by at 50 MPH. Sometimes you just need to put the "pedal to the metal" and ride through it, and this was one of those days. Our image of a quiet coastal ride was shattered (for now) as all we saw were billboards, tacky gift shops, and the ever present (in tourist areas) antique malls. We simply wanted to get the day over with, and after traversing the 3 1/2 mile long bridge over Currituck Sound, we rode past the Wright Brothers Monument (which had closed for the day) and limped into our campground. It had been a somewhat grueling day, our first 60 miler to be precise, but the worst of it was over. That evening we enjoyed a lovely sunset, a few cold beer sand freshly caught shrimp , and looked forward to a good nights sleep.
Everyday is an adventure...and some are better than others. But when all is said and done, we wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. And besides, tomorrow we see the ocean again. The last time we caught a glimpse of the Atlantic was crossing the border between Maine and New Hampshire. The route had taken us west, southwest, and now some 1000 miles later turned back east to the coast. And we would find that we would be amply reward for our efforts as we proceeded on.
The Intracoastal Waterway is a 3,000-mile recreational and commercial waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Some lengths are natural, others manmade. The waterway runs from its northern terminus in New Jersey, where it connects with the Atlantic Ocean at the Manasquan Inlet, to Brownsville Texas. It is also toll-free, but commercial users pay a fuel tax that is used to maintain and improve it. The creation of the Intracoastal Waterway was authorized by Congress in 1919. It actually consists of two non-contiguous segments: the Gulf Coast Intracoastal and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The two segments were originally intended to be connected via the Cross Florida Barge Canal, but this was never completed due to environmental concerns. The Intracoastal has a good deal of commercial activity, but it is also used extensively by recreational boaters. On the east coast, some of the traffic in fall and spring is by snowbirds who regularly move south in winter and north in summer. The waterway is also used when the ocean is too rough to travel on.
Our route to Florida will take us back and forth across the Intracostal a number of times, over all types of bridges. This was the first of numerous crossings. As we continued on we came across the first active roadside farmstand since Maryland. Most of the harvest was in, but it is sweet potato season, and we purchased them as well as some collards. We hoped that we would be able to buy some seafood when we got to the coast, as we had been told that the shrimping season was now in full swing.
The terrain to the Outer Banks (locally known as OBX) was flat and non-descript. It dawned on us that we had not used the small chainring on our bike for over 2 days. In fact, the riding here was like being on an exercise bike. While Olga is equipped with 27 gears, we only needed 3 or 4 of them, and that was because of the ever present and shifting wind. There's an old saying among cyclists that no matter which way your going, it's into a headwind. It sure felt that way to us.
To get to Kitty Hawk and Cape Hatteras, you need to ride along US 158 which is a high traffic 4 lane that has a marginal shoulder. The North Carolina DOT has done a good job in placing "Share the Road with Bicycle" signs, but it is little comfort when you're riding a narrow shoulder with cars/trucks speeding by at 50 MPH. Sometimes you just need to put the "pedal to the metal" and ride through it, and this was one of those days. Our image of a quiet coastal ride was shattered (for now) as all we saw were billboards, tacky gift shops, and the ever present (in tourist areas) antique malls. We simply wanted to get the day over with, and after traversing the 3 1/2 mile long bridge over Currituck Sound, we rode past the Wright Brothers Monument (which had closed for the day) and limped into our campground. It had been a somewhat grueling day, our first 60 miler to be precise, but the worst of it was over. That evening we enjoyed a lovely sunset, a few cold beer sand freshly caught shrimp , and looked forward to a good nights sleep.
Everyday is an adventure...and some are better than others. But when all is said and done, we wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. And besides, tomorrow we see the ocean again. The last time we caught a glimpse of the Atlantic was crossing the border between Maine and New Hampshire. The route had taken us west, southwest, and now some 1000 miles later turned back east to the coast. And we would find that we would be amply reward for our efforts as we proceeded on.
posted by Matt and Mary Ellen | 10:53 AM
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