Spring is the Best Time of the Year for Biking to Work

Spring is probably when I'm most grateful that I get to ride my bike to work. Its the perfect temperature - no need for a jacket and not yet hot enough to get sweaty.

My driveway is brightly adorned:

The scenery along the route largely looks like this:

Even crossing Six Forks is peaceful. The pedestrian crossing here takes a while, but its one of the only mid-block crossing signals around and its great. All the traffic stops and there's no turning traffic. 

Waiting for the light is a great opportunity to meet the bus riders and sip some coffee. 

And the smell of lilac greets me at work:

The days last longer and I'm more inspired to make side trips:

I'm often offered a ride when my friends are headed the same way as me in their cars, but this is not a ride I'd easily give up. 

Coronado Circle Open Space Cleanup

Event:

Please join us to help reclaim Coronado Circle City Open Space!

Our first project will be from 9 AM to noon on April 2nd, 2016. I invite anyone who is interested to join us and participate in pulling ivy, pruning, and landscape planning! Here is a link to the release the city will require all volunteers to sign: cached release form (http://tinyurl.com/hlewftd)

We will also have forms available at the time of the event for you to sign. The city asks that we all wear long pants and close-toed shoes and they will provide gloves and tools for us.

Coffee and doughnuts will be available for all volunteers from my family; Leigh Bragassa, the city's Invasives Program Coordinator, has promised drinks and snacks.

The circle is located in front of 5215 Coronado Dr, between the intersections with Manchester Dr. and Gunnison Pl. The city will provide materials and guidance and will organize volunteers from other parts of the city who will come help with the labor.

project location, across from 5215 Coronado Dr

Details:

The City of Raleigh owns dozens of small pockets of open space across the city that are managed by the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department. The city allows citizen volunteers to adopt these sites and partner with the city to make improvements. I've signed an agreement with the City of Raleigh Parks department to clean up and maintain the Coronado Drive Open Space circle.

As the signatory, I have agreed to perform at least 4 projects per year, the nature of which will be determined by myself with approval from the appropriate city departments. I would like to survey the opinions of everyone in the neighborhood, especially those of us who live on Coronado Dr. as to how everyone would like to see the parcel handled.

The first step will be to clean up debris and remove the english ivy that is threatening to take over and damage many of the mature trees growing there. Further projects will continue the cleanup and begin landscaping and maintenance to create a space we can all enjoy and use.

ivy infestation at Coronado Circle

Link to Raleigh's Invasive Species Program:
https://www.raleighnc.gov/parks/content/ParksRec/Articles/Programs/Volunteer/InvasiveSpeciesProgram.html

About 20 years ago a similar agreement was in place led by Mr. Roberts, formerly a resident on Coronado Dr. You can still see the birdhouse (donated by the Parkers) and some of the landscaping plantings installed at that time. There was also a mulched path through the center of the circle.

some planting remain from last neighborhood effort

Some of the projects I've considered include landscaping, restoration of the path, installation of doggie bag dispensers and refuse bins, a picnic table and a mini-library. However, I'd like to hear from my neighbors and create a vision together.

If you have any questions or ideas, please post in the comments below. You can also contact the parks volunteer coordinators, Ashley Deans and Leigh Bragassa. Their contact information, and more details about the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Volunteer Program is located at this link:

https://www.raleighnc.gov/home/content/ParksRec/Articles/Programs/Volunteer/VolunteerProgram.html

 Look forward to seeing everyone!

How to Ride Your Bike in a Thunderstorm

Step 1

Carefully select and prepare your gear:

Coffee? Check!

Step 2

Sit in the steel reinforced office building and watch the storm from behind strong windows. Flee to stairwell if necessary:

Step 3

Wait till the storm passes and hop on the bike.

just after the storm on Millbrook Rd.

power lines down on Wake Forest Rd.

overloaded storm drain off Six Forks

On Street Parking

North Hills Drive, Thursday 7am

This is an example of the parking residents fought to save in objecting to the installation of dual bike lanes.

I don't understand the mentality that argues that storage of private property on the public right-of-way should take precedence over the full and best use of a transportation corridor.

Finally Car-Free

(Maybe not car-free, but car lite. I still have access to family member's cars when the need arises.)

In October, my family and I moved closer to my job, which has put all of the major stops in my normal life within easy biking distance. Mother's car was totaled, and I gave her my car, leaving me with biking as primary transportation.

Then in December, my faithful Surly LHT bit the dust:

This bike carried me across the American Southwest, and has provided me with thousands of miles of reliable transportation and fun. Someday I hope to get the cracked frame welded, but for now this bike does naught but take up storage space.

It was very sad to see the Surly go, but this cleared the field for my first new bike in ten years! After researching commuting bikes, I received go ahead from the familial budgeting office to splurge and get a dedicated commuter - with belt drive, internally geared hubs, integrated front and rear lights powered by a hub dynamo, hydraulic disc brakes and plenty of cargo capacity. Though it runs a bit less efficiently than my Surly, it is quiet, smooth, and I don't have to rig it up every time I go out - just strap on the bags and go!

Using a bike as primary transportation has been easy and fun these past few months. I save loads of money and improve my health each time I replace a car trip with the bike. Despite this and the light and friendly traffic in and around North Hills, I have seen only one or two others in the area that commute by bike. Hopefully that will increase when the weather turns warmer. I hope that by writing about how easy and efficient this choice is, and by being visible out in my neighborhood on bike nearly every day, I can convince those who are interested and able to join me to make cycling a viable and normal choice for transportation in Midtown Raleigh.

The Difference of a Week

What a difference in my anti-car crusade the last two weeks has made!

While in San Diego, I never had to drive and was able to walk anywhere I needed to go.

Last week I flew to Grand Rapids for a friend Kris' wedding, and it was a car bonanza! I rented a car upon arrival and drove to my friend's apartment for the afternoon and evening. Kris then drove us to Founder's Brewery (my favorite beer brewer!)

Drove back to the airport the next day to pick up some friends, then to Holland, MI for our hotel, then to Saugatuck for the rehearsal dinner, and back to Holland for the night. Next day we drove from Holland to Grand Rapids (40 miles) to drop off an extra rental car picked up along the way, then back to Suagatuck for the wedding

and back to Holland for the night. Finally on Sunday, the 50 min drive back to Grand Rapids for my flight home.

I drove more miles in that one long weekend than I normally do in two weeks of my normal life in Raleigh. Aside from all the driving, it was an excellent trip, and possibly the most fun I've ever had at a wedding (that might include my own, of which I don't remember very much)

Back in Raleigh on Monday, I skipped riding my bike to work because I "had" to drive to Carrboro to pick up, via Craigslist, an absolutely vital (what I told my wife) piece of equipment to support my emerging beer brewing hobby. 

Finally got back into the swing of things on Wednesday. After picking up my wife at the airport in the morning, I drove to work with the bike on top of the car and bike home that afternoon. Today I biked to work and will drive home, picking up a keg full of homebrew on the way.

As if all this driving around weren't enough of a blow to my biking initiative, I suffered a huge setback on Tuesday. While going through my normal weightlifting routine, I severed the tendon holding my bicep to my shoulder. It doesn't hurt much, but it is possible it will need surgery. If I do go under the knife (I'm really sick of hospitals), I can't imagine my doctor will allow me to get back on the bike for several weeks. I'm really hoping they tell me that I don't need surgical intervention as long as I don't mind the new contours (referred to as "Popeye-Arm" in the literature) of my left arm.

I see the orthopedist tomorrow morning, and as long as I keep my mind off it, I avoid being worried sick. I was out of commission for 8 weeks last summer with an infection in my knee, the surgery to repair it and the resulting recovery period. I'd really like to avoid a repeat. Wish me luck....

Can Car Type Predict Anti-Bike Behavior?

I saw this article in Slate today:

http://slate.me/13CnVDK

The author proposes that BMW drivers are more likely to crowd cyclists on the road than drivers of other car types. Not scientific at all, but it reflects my own perception. But perhaps that is just my own bias, as BMW's stand out more than many other car makes.

I'll add that the amount of space a driver's car takes up correlates positively with the driver's intolerance for sharing road space. Drivers of pick-up trucks and SUVs are much more likely than drivers of sedans to try to squeeze past me when its not safe. Minivan drivers fit somewhere in the middle, unless the vehicle is full of kids, in which case behavior deteriorates. Sports car drivers, being inherently aggressive drivers, are also pretty bad offenders.

The worst are the small truck professional drivers. Box trucks and landscaping trucks with trailers are often the worst. I attribute this to personal driver skill and behavior and minimal training coupled with industrial size vehicles.

Surprisingly, the most courteous drivers that pass me are the 18 wheeler drivers. They almost universally pass only when safe and with more than adequate passing space. Maybe that's because they recognize my Surly brand bike as being of the "Long Haul Trucker" model and they recognize a kindred spirit. Maybe its because they, alone in the automobile world, accept that with great power comes great responsibility.

Though I've put in tens of thousands of miles in several states developing these perceptions, this is certainly not a scientific study. You have to pay me if you want statistically valid results.

Back in Raleigh

I'm just getting back into my routine after a week away in San Diego. I didn't get to ride my bike for a whole 7 days, but this was mitigated by the fact that I didn't have to drive a car at all either.

Getting to live without a car spoils me. We forget how much time our cars steal away from us. For my normal automobile commute, I spend at least an hour in the car round trip. And that's only when there are no traffic delays! In San Diego, the walk from our hostel to the conference center is only about 5 minutes, and I was doing something I would be doing even if I didn't have anywhere to be; walking around, taking in the sights, stopping for a bite to eat, and enjoying the excellent weather.

If I drove a car to work five days a week, that's five hours a week spent in a stressful, unhealthy, unproductive, not-fun environment! Then I have to add in time to get in a workout. Biking to work, while it takes longer than the car, actually saves me time in the long run.

Now, after a few days back in the real world, all the stress has come back. I rode my bike to work Monday, and I wasn't as out of shape as I had feared. Tueday and today I had to drive for unusual logistic reasons. Tuesday morning I enjoyed the ride, as is usual after a day of biking. It's always nice to savor the ease of transport after sweating it out the day before (and traffic was light as I woke up late for work). By the end of the day, I wished I was back on my bike.

I try to drive legally. This makes me a second-class citizen. Its nearly impossible to safely drive the speed limit on the interstate, and even cruising 5mph above the posted speed limit will draw lots of aggressive behavior and odd looks.

Driving down Wake Forest Ave north of the Beltline is the worst. It is an exercise in maintaining one's Zen to remain calm and let go of anger when constantly being dangerously and illegally cut off and intentionally blocked. It is possible to avoid taking such behavior personally and try to imagine a good, reasonable person behind those dangerous maneuvers, but it often takes more control than I have.

The tension creeps into my shoulders, and I want nothing more than to SHOW THEM! I'LL CUT YOU OFF AND SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT!

Ahhhh  (...breathes deeply...)  Even writing about it is enough to bring my blood pressure up.

The funny part is that while I often face much more aggressive and personally targeted behavior while I'm on my bike, it doesn't bother me nearly as much. Perhaps its because of the endorphin high I ride around with (See this: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/running) or perhaps its because I get to channel that frustration and adrenaline into ever more intense locomotion.

When on the bike, if someone cuts me off or crowds me or any of the dozens of things people do to let me know they don't think I belong on the road, I can usually smile and feel sympathy for the small world that person lives in (smugness helps a great deal). And there's often the satisfaction of smoothly and calmly passing same said psychopath when traffic backs up half a mile down the road.

It is frustrating that my wife and my work locations make it impossible for either of us to live much closer to our jobs. But till Wake County wakes up and implements some decent public transit, I'll continue to do as much of my commuting by bike as I can.

Soggy Monday Morning

The first week of my self-imposed challenge went pretty well - I biked to work Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I did drive the car to Raleigh two times over the weekend, so I can't really say that the bike was my primary mode of transportation last week. One of those weekend trips required me to take the toddler, and my wife won't let me put the youngster in the trailer and bike across town, so my options were limited.

Biking to work has several advantages over driving a car. Perhaps the most profound is the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction I have when I get to work. When I arrive in my car, I'm tense from battling traffic and stiff from flying around town in a recliner.

I also get a better connection to the environment I'm in. Wednesday last week, I participated in this turtle rescue operation:

This guy was crossing Crabtree Valley Avenue heading out of Crabtree Creek about 730 in the morning 

The two women in the shot were waving down traffic to keep their turtle charge unsmushed. It's sickening how little regard some motorists show for the creatures that share our space. My own humble contribution to the operation was to act as watch-out for cars.

This morning, I had the pleasure of biking in the rain. Here's the radar from around my arrival time:

Why do people get so worked up about biking in the rain? My coworkers this morning asked me if I was crazy. If they mean, "do you use a 2 ton metal machine overpowered by 1500% that wrecks your health, finances and the environment to get to work?" - no. If they mean, "did you know you would get wet on the way in?" -yes

I find riding in the rain to be a pleasant experience. The white noise of the rainfall provides a soothing backdrop that at once connects you to the environment and cocoons you in an isolated bubble. The raindrops are like cool kisses on the climbs and sharp bites on the descents. Arrive at work refreshed and clean. The only real downside is figuring out where to store your gear without getting your office area soggy. My laptop even rode safe and dry in my trusty Ortlieb panniers.

not so bad

So I'm off to a good start this week. I even get to skip the car on Thursday! Independence Day! Independent of those pesky English, and for me, the car.

Sweet Summer Air

Riding my bicycle to Crossfit Sua Sponte has become one of my daily rituals since I've been back in Raleigh. Until this morning, the weather has been mostly rainy, but today the sun has come forth and with it, the smells of summer. These are smells that cannot penetrate the confines of a car, even when cruising with the windows down. The flowers have burst forth, grass is getting cut, and even at 0920, there is a strong smell of BBQ wafting across the parking lot near the box. I wish I could actually ride with Dwight more often, so I could ask him about all the trees and test his memory on all the plant identification he's done years ago. I imagine the summer is easier when every tree has leaves and many of the flowers are at their fullest. Usually a cyclist is moving at a speed that allows for a good guess of the source of a particular smell. If I had my phone on me, I'd take a picture and later identify the source of the fragrance. I invite any of our readers who have found a particularly inviting smell to take a picture and post it to the page, to share a moment of their ride with the rest of us.

Even Susie likes to smell the flowers. These are gardenias.

Commuting Challenge

I've been a slacker - my bicycle riding has fallen off and my writing has been non-existent. I am going to attempt to remedy this. I feel good about myself the more I pedal where I'm going and I feel like I know myself better when I write regularly.

Therefore, I set the following goals for myself:

• Make the bicycle my primary form of transportation. Commute to the job at least 3 days a week, run all errands less than 10 miles from home with bicycle*
• Write about bike commuting at least twice a week.

In that spirit, here's a look at my commute from yesterday morning.

View Larger Map

It's about a 15 mile ride, and when I push hard, I can do it in under an hour. Barely. There are a couple of rough spots; the stretch of Edwards Mill that runs under the Wade Avenue Extension and crossing Wake Forest from out of the Quail Hollow neighborhood. Nothing too hair-raising, though.

We'll have to see how I do with my new self-challenge now that the temperature is rising. However, at the hour I'm leaving in the morning, its not been too hot.

North Cary Christmas Lights

There's a whole nest of great spots here east of Harrison.

Central Cary Christmas Lights

There's a couple of good spots in this neighborhood. The highlight is the whole cul-de-sac collaborative decorations on Melanie Lane

Happy Land Christmas Lights

Tons of moving pieces here, plus a mooning santa. On Penny Road east of Holly Springs Road

Lonely Greenway Squatter

This sad guy was the only one out to greet me on the greenway as I rode to practice the other day. 

Sure hope he finds his home.

Back in Austin

I took my spring break from Wake Tech and traveled to visit Adam, who is now living in Austin. It rained almost the entire time I was there, but I was able to get out on one of Adam's spare bikes the day before I left, after Adam had left town for training.

Austin has some great pathways and an awesome bike culture. Only got yelled at once, and that was by an old friend out for a jog. (what are the chances someone would call me out when I know maybe 5 people in a city of near a million?)

 

Ladybird Lake - just south of downtown

Other direction

 With my long bike ride that day, I was able to work off a small portion of the calories I consumed at the Iron Works BBQ joint in downtown Austin. Besides getting to spend some time with Adam, Texas BBQ brisket was at the top of my list of things I wanted out of my trip.

BBQ Sampler at Iron Works

And of course, the beer. We found a neat place that specializes in local food and beer. This was an Imperial Lager aged in Tequila barrels. Rich and dark, with a hint of sweet, sweet Tequila.

Tasty beer

Another rider

Janessa is on a bicycle tour promoting national security with a sweet blue Surley!

http://makeusstrong.com/cycleforsecurity/blog

OBX Rambling

Sunset at Nags Head

I haven't been keeping up with this as much as I had hoped to.  None of my travels this year have been as inspiring as our bike trip that ended in April.

Many times I have been on the verge of posting a write-up on some little piddly 150 mile bike trek, excursion or family trip, and then erased my post because I thought, "no one cares!  this isn't good enough to post".  Well, a year has gone by, and I haven't had anything to post I thought was up to snuff. (No such excuse for Adam - he's been all over the world since then, he's just been slack about posting here)

So I decided to say, "forget it! If you don't like what I post, then don't check the site".  Easy enough.  I'm sure I'll put something interesting up here eventually.

Over a year ago, Adam and I took a short, two-day, 150 mile trek around Dare County as a shakedown ride for our cross-country trip. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to head out that way again, and while I was not able to do any overnight touring, I was able to spend a large portion of my time ranging all over the Dare County Outer and Inner Banks.

I used to live in Dare County, in a small house situated right on the water in Manns Harbor, just across the Croatan Sound from Manteo and Roanoke Island.  Here's a picture of my old house I took from a piper cub when I rode along with my roommate for a flying lesson :

I used to line in the small one

His instructor was our next door neighbor - his house is the one with the pool. Here is a view from my house. Choosing the appropriate image here was a challenge, so many to choose from.

Sunrise Over Croatan Sound

I include this to give you an idea of how much I miss living there. I was part of a research project funded for 2 years, and when the project was over, my job disappeared. I moved back to Raleigh, knowing that I had about zero chance of ever living somewhere as cool again. I peaked at 25 years old. OK, here's another picture taken from my old house:

view from my old house - Umstead Memorial Bridge on horizon

 I could spend several posts just going over what I love and miss about Dare County. I'll spare you. Last weekend, I got to do two of my favorite things; relive those days as an OBX resident, and spend massive amounts of time on my bike.

This weekend was nominally a weekend with my father; one of his old friends hosts a party for her rather large social circle at The Tar Heel Motel in Nags Head. I did my familial duty and spent quality time with my father, but I was able to get in around 150 miles in three days, all over Dare County.

I owe much of my riding this week to my support crew. Here he is:

Not his best picture ever, but it's hard to get him to sit still for the camera.

Each day I would head out, Dad would track me down several hours later, and we'd spend some time exploring the area by car and he'd drive me back. The fact that he was willing to do this more than doubled the amount of road I could cover. Not only did it save me the back part of an out-and-back trip (not many loops on the OBX), but I could plan to get the wind at my back for most of my miles.

We headed out Friday morning, and took a detour through Greenville. Dad is a BBQ aficionado, and has long told of B's BBQ in Greenville, the BEST BBQ EVER (emphasis Dad's). The one time I'd been there before, they were closed. The building is a small shack. No internet site posting their hours - there is not even a phone line to the place! They are open from 10-ish, to whenever they run out of BBQ.

I won't go into too much detail here - but the BBQ was excellent. Savory and tender, with a little sweetness to the sauce. There's a great writeup here, from my favorite BBQ blog:

http://bbqjew.com/2011/04/18/bbq-jews-view-bs-barbecue/

Continuing on towards the northern Outer Banks, we stopped on Columbia, NC at their lavish rest stop. If you've been through Columbia, or are familiar at all with Tyrell County, this rest area, and much of the town's infrastructure, is a bit surprising.Tyrell County is one of the poorest counties in our state. Columbia has a huge unemployment problem, and when I drive through during business hours, there's always a distressing number of able-bodied adults hanging out on street corners and on porches. There's also lots of teenagers hanging out, and they distress me no matter how many of them there are or what time it is. Shouldn't they be inside playing video games?

In spite of the poor shape of the area's economy, Columbia has some really nice infrastructure. The bridge into town, the rest area, and the greenways and boardwalks are very attractive and are in excellent condition.

How does all the expensive infrastructure end up in Columbia? There are two reasons from what I can reason out. There are plenty of rich folk that have purchased water-side homes in the area, and have parked their yachts in the water. Their taxes undoubtedly help the area out.

Tyrell County is also one of the biggest speed traps in the state. My father has been busted so many times in Tyrell County that he drives 5 mph below the speed limit every time he comes through. The last time he got pulled, there was a sheriff's deputy standing on the side of the road waving people over. He gave out 5 tickets at once and Dad still swears, 10 years later, that he wasn't speeding.

I got dropped off at the elegant rest stop, and headed east on 64. I stopped not far down the road, and was immediately the victim of a gang assault. Gang of deer-flies, that is. I dumped my bag on the side of the road, dug through my gear, and lathered myself in Deep Woods Off. I'm not a huge fan of putting such powerful chemicals on my skin, but neither am I a fan of getting carried off by malevolent creatures. I felt like Dorothy with the flying monkeys.

NC Hwy 64 was pushed through into Dare County sometime in the 50's, according to my old landlord, Harry Mann. Manns Harbor (located just across the Croatan Sound from Manteo) used to be accessible only by boat, and when it did get a highway connection, it was to Roanoke Island and Manteo to the east, not to Tyrell County in the west. When 64 finally did cut through to Dare County, it was a much different road than it is now. The old road had narrow shoulders, and often no canal along the side. Here's Hwy 64 between Columbia and Manns Harbor as it is now:

Notice the large canals. The canals were dug to provide fill to raise the level of the road slightly above the swampy forest-marsh that passes for dry land in this area. Old Hwy 64 often didn't have this advantage of added elevation, there were places where no canal was dug, and the road was just paved onto the forest floor. When the road was updated, much of the old road was paved over. In a few spots however, the new road took a different path, and the old road was left abandoned. For the most part, these spots can't be accessed by car, but anyone with a bike and a healthy disrespect for gates and fences can still travel portions of the old road. Here's a piece of it I was able to ride:

Tyrell County ends at the bridge over the Alligator River and the Inter-coastal Waterway. This 3 mile long bridge features a swing portion in the middle instead of a traditional draw bridge. The bridge is rated as being in poor condition, but if you have the guts to cross the Bonner Bridge over the Oregon Inlet (Day 2), this bridge shouldn't bother you too much.

After crossing the Alligator river, 64 takes you through the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge, which contains somewhere around 154,000 acres, takes up a substantial portion of Dare County's dry land. It is managed for all kinds of wildlife, but concentrates on migratory birds and red wolves.

No one seems to have too much problem with the birds, but local farmers and hunters dislike the newly-reintroduced wolf pack. They claim the wolves kill livestock and reduce the population of deer that the locals like to go out and shoot. There is really no evidence of either, but some people will stretch for any excuse to shoot an endangered animal.

In truth, the wolves almost exclusivley hunt smaller prey than deer, and most livestock kills attributed to wolves are in fact caused by wild dogs, disease, or accident. The Fish and Wildlife Service compensates farmers whenever a wolf kills a farm animal, so there is incentive for farmers to cry wolf.

I once got a sneak peak at a few members of the pack from a biologist friend who works at ARNWR. I snapped this picture at an undisclosed location on the Dare County Peninsula:

Red Wolf at ARNWR

Controversy surrounds the Red Wolf program at ARNWR. Some even claim that there is no such species as a red wolf, they are merely a cross breed between the gray wolf and a coyote. Mention this theory to the biologists who work on the Red Wolf Program at ARNWR, and you're likely to get a pretty chilly reception. If the naysayers are correct, I've never seen a wolf face-to-face, so nuts to those people.

On the eastern side of the Dare County Peninsula, Hwy 64 crosses the Virgina Dare Bridge to Roanoke Island:

Virginia Dare Bridge

The Virginia Dare bridge is the longest bridge in the state, and has a couple of great features - bike lanes and a protected pull-out at the top of the span designed specifically for bikes! I always love to stop here and take a break.

Break Time on Virgina Dare Bridge - 2.5 miles to shore in each direction!

Fully Protected From Traffic

After a little break, it was a short cruise down the bridge to cross Roanoke Island. Roanoke Island and Manteo (and Wanchese) are incredible places with rich history and great scenery. Unfortunately, I felt I should bypass all of that and get to the hotel. I didn't want to seem to anti-social.

One more bridge to cross - the Washington Baum bridge between Roanoke Island and Nags Head. No pictures from this bridge - the span is steeper, the wind is stronger, the traffic is heavier, and there is no pull out or bike lane. I kept my attention on the road and cars. Evidently, 5PM on a Friday is a popular time for people to arrive at the beach!

My arrival at the Tar Heel Motel was perfectly timed. Drinks were chilled and ready to pour, and the group was just getting ready to head to Owen's Restaurant for dinner. I did my stretching, cleaned up and walked to Owens for a dinner of Blue Crab Remick. I've been craving some fresh blue crab for a while, but I'm usually way too lazy to clean them myself. Already-cleaned crab is usually prohibitively expensive, but I was willing to let Dad splurge on this occasion.

After that is was a couple of drinks before an early retreat to the bed. My plans for the next day required me to wake before dawn to get as far down the road as possible.

Here's my route for the day. Just under 40 miles, about ten of it over water on large bridges!

It was a great start to a great weekend. I can't think of any other place in North Carolina I would rather ride my bike. I'll cover days 2 and 3 in upcoming posts.