From One Warm Shower To The Next

When I woke this morning, the rain that had soaked me yesterday had moved on. As had the warm and humid air. In its place were sunny skies and much cooler air. It wasn’t quite jacket weather, but it was close. The wind remained.

Today’s planned ride was New Bern, NC to Sneads Ferry, NC. About 95 km. I knew there was going to be a fairly strong headwind all day so I wanted to get a bit of an early start. Not crazy early. Just somewhat early. It turns out “somewhat early” was 9:52.

My bags were packed and ready to go by about 8:30. I then had some breakfast and some more conversation with Marshall. Betty had already left for work. Marshall was great and we chatted for a while during which time we solved most of the world’s problems. Now if only people would listen to us.

At this point I have to thank Marshall and Betty for hosting me. It was my first WarmShowers.org experience and it was everything I could’ve hoped it to be. Probably more. They were very generous hosts and made me feel completely welcome in their home. Thanks very much!

As I mentioned earlier, I eventually found myself back on the road at 9:52. As expected, the wind was there to welcome me. However, the lack of hills in this part of North Carolina somewhat offset the effect of the wind. It just meant I had to put in a bit more effort while pedalling. My legs seemed agreeable to that.

Despite the wind, the ride seemed pretty easy. It was particularly easy from a navigational standpoint as it was primarily a one-highway day – Highway 17. Highway 17 was generally very bicycle-friendly. The shoulders were usually wide except for one short stretch where they were about one foot wide and filled with rumble strips. Other than that, it was pretty much smooth riding the entire way.

With the success of my inaugural Warm Showers experience behind me, today’s destination was another Warm Showers host. I made contact with Ray and Melinda last night and they confirmed they were available to host. Even with the headwind and a couple of leisurely stops along the way, I still made good time today and arrived at my new hosts’ house around 3:30. I was greeted at the front door by Ray and, before I knew it, I had my bags in my room and I was out on the back porch overlooking a lake and enjoying a beer with Ray. A few beers, actually.

We talked about all sorts of things including, of course, cycling trips. He even pulled out an atlas to review where my current trip has taken me. We also reviewed his recent cycling trip across the Northern Tier of the U.S. – a 4,000 mile ride. The conversation then turned to bicycles and, more specifically, recumbent bicycles. I’ve seen them before and always thought they looked interesting but really didn’t know much about them. Well, the next thing I know, I’m out on the road trying out Ray’s. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all. Although, I’m not really sure what I was expecting. It takes some getting used to but it was definitely a very comfortable ride. Climbing hills with a recumbent bike is more challenging than a “regular” bike but with this part of North Carolina being so flat, a recumbent bike makes sense.

We returned the bikes to the garage and continued our conversation while enjoying another beer. Or two. All the while, tonight’s dinner was cooking on the barbecue.

Not long after, Melinda returned home from work and dinner was served. Barbecue chicken, rice, vegetables, and ice cream for dessert. All enjoyed on the back porch with a great view of the setting sun. The conversation continued long after dinner with Ray and Melinda telling tales of some of the Warm Showers guests they’ve had. It was interesting to hear about how many touring cyclists are out there – and stopping in at Ray and Melinda’s – and how different their stories are.

Despite the fact that it was still fairly early in the evening, fatigue was starting to set in. Maybe it was the beer, maybe it was the cooler air, or maybe pedalling four hours into a headwind took more of a toll on me than I thought. Whatever it was, it was time to call it a night. But what a beautiful night it was.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 95.18 km
Time on bike: 3:59.55
Maximum speed: 38.38 km/h
Average speed: 23.80 km/h