From End to End

I love riding my bike.  I love the beach.  When I combined the two last month it was bliss.

Since I had some extra room in my car for the trip to Top Sail, NC I decided to bring along my bicycle and get a few days of riding in.  Smart move.  The weather was perfect, the roads were empty since it was the off-season and the terrain was flat and had a scenic beauty.

I rode 50 miles between the two days.  Each day I set out around 11am, rode for about an hour and a half, had lunch and then rode back.  By the time I finished I was a sweaty mess and I was eager to jump into the ocean and crack open a beer.  I couldn't have asked for more.

I tried to take each ride in and enjoy the sights around me.   I spent much of the first ride looking for an Allen wrench to adjust my handlebars.  I stopped and asked a few construction works but wasn't successful.  On my way back I finally succeeded and had an quick, but somewhat enlightening conversation.

The north end of the island.

The gentleman who let me borrow the Allen wretch had to grab it from his garage.  I waited for him to bring it to me in the driveway and made the quick adjustments to my handlebars.  We chatted for a few minutes, and I asked to fill my water bottle from his tap.  He said he didn't really drink the tap water and instead filled it from a fresh water in a gallon jug.  He told me to be careful at a few intersections and to watch out for crazy people.  He said a guy was riding in the area and was hit by a Jack Daniels bottle that was thrown at him from a passing car.

I agreed that there seemed to be a lot of bad drivers and jerks out there.  He then said that he thought the world was in a worse place than it's ever been.  I agreed ,thanked him again and then set off to finish my ride.  As I rode I thought about our conversation.  Was he right?  Is the world really a screwed up place?  Sometimes I wonder if it's not all in our heads.  After all a complete stranger had just let me borrow his wrench and gave me water when he could have just said no.  Perhaps the world isn't in such dire straits after all.

Anyway here are some pics from my ride.  I can't wait to do it again next year.
  

A nice lady let me eat my lunch at the empty Tiki Bar attached to the
general store I stopped at during my second day of riding. 

Riding Selfie.  Do not try this at home.

The south end of the island.