April 28, 2024
To Otway
The No-see-um bites on my scalp are in full bloom this morning and the bugs are back for breakfast. I'll just clamp the helmet on tight to keep my hands and the insects out of my hair.
From here the ACA route follows US 24 east and further inland, but the East Coast Greenway goes down through Emerald Isle and Atlantic Beach. We haven't had a good beach fix since Myrtle Beach. The ECG it is.
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I've been having trouble shifting lately. Ten days ago on the road to Charleston the twist shifter stopped working when the plastic housing for the shift cable came loose. Barry poked it back in and it worked for awhile. When it started to come loose more often he put some electrical tape on there to hold it in place but it worked its way out again.
In Wilmington he bought some blue LocTite that worked better than the tape. Today when the shifter stopped working again I went to poke it back into place but now the cable has come loose from the plastic housing. Barry applied his considerable futzing skills, to no avail.
I'm essentially riding a single speed bike now, in a medium gear ideal for going about 12 mph. Barry dealt with this issue for a few days back in Florida when his electronic shifter stopped working. My average with the bike loaded is 10 to 11 so it's an incentive to pick it up. Fortunately we're on flat terrain and have a tailwind so there's no big problem now. I'm not so sure about bridges and headwinds though. There's a bike shop in Beaufort after we cross back over the bridge from the island. We'll see if we can get some insight there.
Practical Janice says let's hustle to the shop while he's open and see if we can get some help with this. All the other Janices think there's no need to let a lil mechanical issue spoil the day. We pick up some lunch at Subway and cycle down to Atlantic Beach.
Barry settles in for his favorite beach activity - a post-lunch nap, while I go off for a walk through the waves.
I took a short video of the gulls and little kids swirling around shrieking at each other. It might show up below. Sometimes the YouTube works, sometimes it's offline, maybe gone off to the beach.
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After our afternoon break we have three big bridges to cross on the way to the bike shop in Beaufort. This should be interesting since I have no ability to shift down. I get a good running start on the first one but have to walk when I get to 5 mph and the crank sounds an alarming click.
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Steve at Beaufort Bicycles is very friendly and eager to help but shies away from my non-standard setup with the Rohloff Speedhub. That's the downside of complicated tech. It's hard to find someone to work on it.
The next real city with full service bike shops is Virgina Beach, a week down the road. We'll just hope this lovely wind out of the south continues. I'll walk the bridges when I have to. Could be worse.
We're not to the Outer Banks yet, but getting close, on the scenic byway headed that direction. This part is the Down East region of coastal towns east of Beaufort in Carteret County.
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Our stop for the night is in Otway at the Coastal Carolina Campground, a place somewhere between rustic and dumpy. The owners are out on their boat and left instructions to set up by the water where the wind is howling. When they return we get the ok to move behind a barn for cover from the wind.
This is our first west-facing camp on the water, so tonight's sunset is a special treat.
Today's ride: 43 miles (69 km)
Total: 1,434 miles (2,308 km)
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