It's Bike Week Here, Yikes!

Day 58, May 29, 2011, It’s Bike Week Here, Yikes!

121.5 miles, averaging 15.2 mph

Route from Charleston to Briarcliff RV Resort, Myrtle Beach, SC

Best Moment – I had dreadful anticipation about crossing the Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge.  It is a two-mile long cable stay bridge over the Cooper River, and is the longest bridge of this nature in the US.  It sort of dominates the Charleston Harbor.  I knew that there would be lots of traffic and that there were several lanes that would merge onto the bridge.  I can’t tell you how happy I was when I got to the bridge the traffic was very light and when all of the lanes had finally entered the bridge, and I was able to get to the far right, there was a huge bicycle and pedestrian lane!  Awesome!

Worst Moment – Being a holiday weekend, traffic today was very heavy, the shoulders on Highway 17 that I took all the way here were intermittent, and there were normally bone rattling rumble strips to keep cars where they belonged the roads, but could really shake a bicyclist too when the shoulder disappeared completely or there was cast off tire rubber on what there was.

The bicycle shops in Charleston look really interesting.  Although they weren’t open when I rode by, I would have certainly checked them out had I been in the city longer or needed something for the bike.  The first one had this cool bicycle.  The second one I saw had the following message on its sign “60 calories per city mile.” Then I would find out that it was bike week in Myrtle Beach.

Well populated along the road are stalls where the locals sell sweetgrass baskets.  There have been such stands along Hwy 17 since the 1930’s.  According to a road sign, “making baskets out of the sweetgrass with palmetto leaves has been a craft handed down in some families since the 1700’s and is one of the oldest forms of African art in America.”   

The route was mainly flat, with the exception of the giant bridges that cross the Inter costal waterways.  I had to really gear down to get up and over some of them.  The scenery was more forests and waterways.  Really beautiful!

Coming into Myrtle Beach I saw that it was Bike Week.  They don’t mean bicycle week – they really mean motorcycle week – you can only imagine my disappointment - wish they were more specific.  There were thousands of motorcycles cruising the entire 20-mile stretch of Kings Highway from South Myrtle Beach to Briarcliff, where we are staying.  It sounded like a constant loud drone of a huge beehive. 

These motorcyclists weren’t especially considerate of bicyclists as they liked to turn right in front of me, pull out into the intersection instead of stopping at the stop line, and rev up their bikes just to see how much noise they could make.  They are very noisy.  The women have chosen very interesting the attire to ride on motorcycles.  Normally, their kind of clothing is more prevalent on a beach or swimming pool.  And, while it is just my opinion, it looks like several of them should be burning the 60 calories per city mile rather than cruising up and down Kings Highway on their noisy, gasoline-powered bikes.  

Tomorrow is another rest day.  I could get used to that, and might not mind the over a century days if they are bordered by rest days.