Today was a rest day. Because we had missed Cape Hatteras because the new bridge wasn't open, I decided to ride up to Hatteras and back. After breakfast, Jack, Al and I started a leisurely ride up Ocracoke Island. Although the town of Ocracoke is privately owned, the rest of the island is part of the Hatteras National Seashore. My concept of the Outer Banks was a narrow, continuous sand dune, bordered on both sides by water. While much of the OB does resemble my mental image, much of it is wooded or occupied by houses. Ocracoke Island is a little more than 12 miles long. I stopped to see the island ponies, descendants of Spanish horses left on the islands. I looked at my watch and realized that I was going to miss the ferry to Hatteras if I didn't hustle, so I raced the final few miles and just made the 10:00 AM ferry. Jack and Al were no where to be seen. Stuart was already at the ferry when I arrived, so I joined him for the ride up Hatteras to the famous lighthouse. Several years ago, erosion threatened to destroy the lighthouse, so they moved it several hundred yards inland! The characteristic black and white barber pole paint job was to make Hatteras distinguishable from the sea. Since I don't like high places, I waited for Stuart to climb to the top of the lighthouse. Afterwards, we stopped at a grocery store to buy lunch which we consumed in the parking lot. On the way back to the ferry, we spotted Barbara and Beverly headed north, obviously headed for the lighthouse as well. The return trip to Ocracoke was fast because we had a tail wind. What a great rest day.
53.9 miles; 316 hours; 255' climb; 2,818 Calories
Love the picture of the ducks crossing the road - reminds me of a favorite childhood story, "Make Way for Ducklings," which I think was authored by an East Coaster.
ReplyDeleteTeam Bitey also took a rest day. We went for a car ride, guarded the groceries, kept the Target parking lot safe from vandals, scared some delivery men, terrorized some small children who dared use our sidewalk, almost caught a bird, chewed a bone, and took a nap. Same old, same old.