Cruising the outer banks

     Today was a day all touring bicyclists wish for, perfect weather, with the wind at your back, the traffic mild and scenery beautiful.  Somewhat sore this morning after yesterday’s ordeal, I took a bit longer to get load and moving.  Route 12, border the beach was a block behind my hotel and a dream to ride on based on anyone’s standards.  Two miles down the road I turned off to go see the Wright Memorial museum where the initial four flights took place.  No longer is there sand, it is all grassed in with sizable  granite markers marking how far each flight flew.  A nice modern museum is adjacent to the field. A replica of their first plane is in the main room with several wondering side rooms detailing every facet of their quest to make a flying machine.  December 17,1903 and the temperature was near zero they pulled off what most people believed to be impossible.  The museum, though small, is well done and worth seeing.

   Back on the road, I left Kitty Hawk for the dunes and marshlands which stretch for miles. Two lanes of traffic at a much slower speed and a wider shower.  One long bridge but a seven foot shoulder and a  high guardrail made for a low stress rude over it. The sound of the waves and the singing birds was with me much of the day.  Having the wind behind me didn’t hurt either, averaging  around twelve mph made the miles fly by.  In Rodanthe, I stopped at a small country store market for lunch.  With thirty-four miles behind me, I almost called it a day and stopped at one of three camp grounds in town. Twenty-four miles ahead was a national camp ground where the Cape Hatteras light house stands. Wanting at least fifty miles on the odometer, I pressed on. The sun was shining and the wind pushed me along at almost thirteen mph.  Arriving at Buxton much sooner than anticipated was a plus for the day.  Sixty miles went quickly and 75 degrees most of the day.  Turning  off onto Lighthouse road led me right to the Hatteras lighthouse. A mile further I arrived at the campsite run by the National Park service. No one was manning the reception building at the gate. Only through an 800 number could I secure a reservation. The phone reservation system only frustrated me but I was rescued by ranger probably a bit older than me. The place was half flooded from days of raining so he let me in for free and directed me to a dry site. Once set up, I had to walk barefooted through two inches of water to teach the bathhouse.  What followed was a cold water shower activated by an overhead pull cord.  Not much fun but  it cleaned me up. Next came the ride back to town where I had a sumptuous seafood dinner including two IPAs and a coconut cream cake. The ride back to my site Required my headlight and rear red flashing light.  It was really dark. Before crawling into my tent, I gazed at the cloudless sky snd took in the beautiful array of stars. No light pollution out here.