Easy Like Sunday Morning
Day 33 - Murfreesboro, NC to Elizabeth City, NC (65 miles and 398 feet of climbing)
When we were planning the route, we had the choice of one very long day to get to the beach or 2 short days. We chose the latter and were rewarded with an easy ride today on quiet roads, with a cross/tail winds and almost no hills. In fact, the only hills were man made bridges or overpasses. It was good we chose the short route because the heat is back with a vengeance; there was another heat advisory today.
Robin and I started before 8am to avoid the heat. We rode so fast that we were able to stop and take a break at a convenience store so we would not get to the meeting point too early. The roads were great with hardly any cars to be seen. We rode on NC bicycle route 4 all day, which runs east to west across NC. We saw a lot of small farms and grain silos again. There were no towns on the ride; it is hard to believe we are still in the country yet so close to the coast.
We met Shannon at mile 40, and she took on the final 25 miles. Her hands are bothering her, so she is riding less to try to recover. Although her hands are numb, her legs were strong. She also rode fast and we made it to Elizabeth City quickly. The down side of starting early with a short day is needing to kill time before checking into the hotel. We tried to check in early, but the man at the desk was having none of it. So we are sitting in McDonalds with Maude drinking unlimited Diet Cokes and using their wifi until 3pm. After that, we plan to jump into the pool and relax.
It is hard to believe that tomorrow is the last day. It will be another short day to the Outer Banks, NC and a dip in the Atlantic Ocean.