NYC -2- ATL

We awoke today to the warm salty ocean breeze that is a constant presence in the Outer Banks. I quickly realized I had made a critical mistake: Before going to bed, I had not switched my battery to begin charging the second one. I had one completely full battery, and another with maybe about 25% charge. I plugged in the low battery immediately, but I knew it would only gain maybe 20% more in an hour. We took our time with breakfast and packing up to maximize the charge.

When we left, we headed straight to the Wright Brothers National Memorial next door in Kitty Hawk. We rode around the monument loop road and saw the replica sculptures before deciding to get back on the road. As we were leaving, I saw the two barn buildings and the site of the actual first powered flight. It’s pretty amazing how two bicycle engineer brothers, using bicycle parts, and an idea formed while playing with a bike tire tube box, ushered in the modern era of transportation.

Back on the beachfront road south, lunchtime was already nearing. Another deli appeared just as the map showed we were about to enter a less populace area, so again I procured us a large hero sandwich. We found an isolated picnic table, and the sandwich was good, but not as great as yesterday’s.

There’s not as much to say about rest of the long ride south. We passed over a massive causeway where the Army Corps. of Engineers were dredging nearby. We entered the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and saw massive sand dunes tower over us on both sides of the road. Then there were other dunes, and marshes, and places where the road went straight off into the horizon where you just couldn’t see the end.

We pedaled into Buxton, NC on Cape Hatteras around 6:00. We found a nice room at a little motel and had a great meal at the Diamond Shoals Restaurant. On the walk back, totally by chance, we witnessed NASA’s rocket launch from Wallops Island in the northern sky.