Day 13

At around 1:00 am I woke up to some clicking. I heard a shhhh and sat up slightly in my tent. It was a lovely night so I had my rain fly open - only on be because I was sleeping right next to the road and I didn't want people looking in on me as they drove by. A moment after I sat up in my tent, I was sprayed full force, in the face, by a sprinkler. Damn. They all started going off. Soaking everything I had. How is it that the only night I'm out camping that it doesn't rain, I still get wet? I think my tent is bad luck. So, I pulled tight the rain fly and went back to sleep. I woke up early enough, but had to wait around for the sun to dry off my tent before I packed it away for the day. My journey out of Kitty Hawk was made a lot nicer by se side streets that offered alt of shade from the burning sun. 

And then I happened upon the beach. I was generally pretty excited to ride along the ocean all day. I've never experienced anything like it before. 

What a beautiful morning!

This is what a lot oft ride looked like. 

But it got old quick.

I couldn't wait to get on the main road and start crushing some miles. The side roads are full of other cyclists and pedestrians - I don't like to share the road. 

My lovely beach view turned into miles upon miles of this:

And then I got to the bridge. No shoulder. Fast cars. A lot of traffic. Not my idea of fun. 

Though, it was pretty. 

On my way across, I had an encounter with the side of the bridge. I was certain that I was going to topped over after my collision and get run over by one of he many RVs that were barreling down the road behind me. Luckily, I didn't topple over, I survived the journey across the treacherous bridge. But my right front pannier did not. It sustained a few small holes after coming into contact the with concrete. I it still works fine, but it's waterproofedness has been severely compromised. Oh well. I'm sure I can find a could patch at one of the many kite surfing shops they have around these parts. 

Riding along after the bridge was a lot nicer. Sand on both sides of me, I sat back and relaxed as I sniffed the salty air. 

The beaches here are absolutely beautiful. Truly a treasure. 

I got so anxious as I approached Rosanthe. So much so that I was simply tired of biking - even though I was only doing 40 miles. The road was long and straight the rest of the way, which made the last 12 miles seem like they took forever. 

Finally I rolled into town just before noon. Perfect. I was so excited to get to the beach and saturate myself with salt water. I wasn't quite sure where I was going to stay for the night. I was leaning towards going to a campground and actually paying for a spot to sleep. I found Rodanthe Watersports & Campground. They gave me a nice deal for the night and offered me a kayak to use for free. I couldn't say no to that. So, I set up my tent, got changed and went to the store to find some food. 

While I was at the store, I found these gems:

I didn't try either of them, but I was surely tempted. After I got back to camp, I changed and headed to the beach. I sat in the water for a while. It was warm and relaxing. Just what I wanted. I would get out every so often and tend to the pages of the book I was reading, or take a nap. When I got too sweaty or awoke from my slumber I would go back to the ocean and dive in. That is, until I heard the thunder. I waited a while on the beach before I scrambled back to the campground. The thunder was long off, but when the winds picked up, I decided I shod make some moves. 

After showering outside in the storm - which, I must say, was an amazing experience - I got some grub from the pizza place next door. The rain was holding off so I sat around and tended to some things that I have been putting off. Then, I met Sean. He was on an extended weekend vacation and staying in the spot 2 over from mine. We chatted for a while and he invited me out to grab a beer. We walked through the rain to a nearby restaurant and had two each. I was feeling pretty good after that second one and decided to call it a night when we got back. Then, the rain came. Boy, did it pour! The wind was so violent it nearly carried my tent away, with me in it! What a day!

Off to Ocracoke tomorrow. Total meage for the day: 42.