The Outer Banks - Wow!

Day 63, June 3, 2011, The Outer Banks, Wow!

96.8 miles, averaging 12.8 mph

Route from Newport to Sands of Time Campground, Avon, NC

Best Moment – Having Neita & Ruby pull into the Sands of Time at the exact same time I did.  Since she was on the later Cedar Island Ferry and there was a wait line for the Ocracoke Ferry when I was there, I was concerned that she might also have to wait to get on Ocracoke Ferry.  Since she was 2.5 hours behind me after the Cedar Island Ferry, she could have been delayed even further, but wasn’t. 

Worst Moment – Well, if there has always been a worst moment, today’s would have been the head winds – they were brutal and continuous.  The route was basically flat, with little traffic and few stop signs, I should have been averaging at least 15 or 16 mph, but really worked hard to make 12.8 mph.

After riding for about 35 miles through rural NC / Outer Banks countryside, I got to the Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge.  (Taking the photo I was attacked by biting flies – should have used the Skin-So-Soft.)  The road then went through 12 miles of coastal swamps until I got to the Cedar Island Ferry Terminal.  Very cool. 

There are only a limited number of ferries crossing the Pamlico Sound from Cedar Island to Ocracoke Island.  It is a 2.25 hour ride.  Neita had made reservations for the 3:30 crossing, but cyclists didn’t need reservations.  There was always room for bicycles & pedestrians.

I was at the terminal about noon for the 1:00 o’clock boat.  While waiting, I met a lot of folks that were headed to the Ocracoke Folk Festival.  It’s a free folk music festival, art show, and quite the place to be, or so I was told.  Bob & Pam (two other cyclists who were only taking their bikes as transportation on Ocracoke), and Libby (a liaison for the NC Community Colleges) tried to convince me that I ought to change my plans to spend the weekend.  Several of the entertainers were on the ferry as well, and one of them was even performing on the boat.  There was even a free potluck dinner tonight and a jam at the castle.  Sounds like it would have been fun.

Ocracoke Island has amazing beaches, beautiful homes and looks like a place that would be fun to spend more time at.   Battling the headwinds through the 14 mile Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreation Area, across Ocracoke Island, I arrived at the Ocracoke Island Ferry just as they were getting ready to leave.  I was the last passenger to get on for the 40-minute crossing. 

I met Pam & Mike from Glendale, AZ and had a wonderful time talking with them about “home.”  They started their “Outer Banks Vacation” by flying to Orland and were planning on driving to Washington DC before heading back to Phoenix.

It was nearly 6 pm by the time I got to Hatteras on Pea Island and I still had about 20 miles to go before I got to the campground.  The scenery was amazing!  It was so much fun to watch the kite surfers.  They use these huge kites and a surfboard to skim across the water.  With the winds as they were, the surfers could go very fast and “catch air.” 

Amazing scenery – just amazing!  While it doesn’t get dark until nearly 8:30 here, now, the sun was setting over Pamlico Sound.  Since the bank is so narrow, the folks living in this area can watch the sun set and rise over water.  This certainly is an ideal place for summer, beach weather.

 Here's a shot of the Hatteras Lighthouse in the distance.