Day 17: To Ocracoke, NC

May 2, 2017

Today I got up early at 6:30 and on the road at 7:45 to make sure I don't miss the ferry.

I was on US 70 most of the day. Traffic was heavy for the first 15 miles, through Morehead City, then across a bridge to Beaufort. I was in a hurry so I didn't stop to look around the historic part of Morehead City. And I didn't detour 5 blocks to the waterfront in Beaufort (pronounced bow-fert).

Beaufort was founded in 1709 and is the third oldest city in North Carolina. Beaufort is where I wanted to board a ferry to Cape Lookout. Today's sailings are cancelled even though the wind isn't strong in the protected harbor. The problem is at the other end. Cape Lookout is the southern tip of the Outer Banks.

I'm looking forward to seeing the Outer Banks. Note how the road was re-striped to make the lane narrower and the shoulder wider.

A few miles past Beaufort the countryside is largely de-populated. Probably because flooding has become too troublesome. Sea level has risen a foot (30 cm) since 1900. That makes a big difference around here.

Today I have a strong southwest tailwind and I am mostly going northeast. The miles were fast and easy.

Looking into the sun when US 70 got very close to the shore.

Today's route is a good example of the Inner Banks. The coast is braided with rivers and channels that create islands. But the islands are close together and close to the mainland.

Today I pedaled over several bridges that were about 50 feet tall. High enough for large fishing boats to go underneath.

US 70 crossing the North river. No shoulder, but no traffic.

Today's route had sections with good ocean views. But most of the route is inland, through a patchwork of grassy wetlands and forested swamps.

Much of the time there were canals on one or both sides of the road. It's obvious that the elevated road is just barely above high tide and that the surrounding land floods during the monthly king tide.

I pedaled for miles with canals on both sides. Barely above high tide.

The last 30 miles to Cedar Island has basically no traffic. Villages along the way were mostly abandoned.

This area seems kind of de-populated. Probably because it floods too often now.

This house would belong in my town in Oregon.

In the village of Cedar Island I stopped at the store for a snack, then pedaled the last 1.5 miles to the ferry. I arrived at 12:30 PM, expecting to get on a 1 PM ferry. But I misunderstood the ferry schedule. The next departure is at 4 PM.

Very nice picnic shelters at the Cedar Island ferry terminal.

So I had more than 3 hours to sit around. The area is quite scenic, with a big beach to the south and a visitor center and small beach to the north. And plenty of covered picnic tables. The temperature was in the low 80's. Brisk southwest wind. That's an inland wind so the humidity was lower than usual. It was comfortable in the shade.

Beach adjacent to the Cedar Island ferry terminal.

I walked the beach barefoot, south for about a mile, in and out of the shallow water. The water is noticeably cooler than at the beginning of the tour in Jekyll Island. But it's so shallow that the sun warms it nicely.

I walked barefoot far down the beach and far into the shallow water.

The ferry terminal has a fancy new visitor center. The parking area is much larger than at the previous ferry. But today it isn't crowded and they are running the smaller of two ferries.

Former motel at the Cedar Island ferry terminal.

Queue for the ferry. The larger ferry on the right isn't operating today.

This is the longest ferry of the tour. 2 hours 15 minutes to cross 23 miles of water from Cedar Island to Ocracoke Island.

The Cedar Island-Ocracoke ferry takes 2 hours 15 minutes to cross 23 miles of water.

This is the longest of 5 car ferries on this tour.

Telephoto view of the ferry's mast. Bird hitching a ride.

Ocracoke Island is so far out in the Atlantic ocean that the mainland isn't visible.

The ferry takes a winding route to Ocracoke harbor, zigzagging around the sand bars. The ocean is quite shallow here. The boat entered Ocracoke harbor through a narrow opening, entering a circular harbor 1 mile diameter.

Now in the harbor of Ocracoke town. The harbor is circular with a narrow entrance. People call it a lake.

The entrance to the harbor is so narrow and the harbor is so round that it resembles a lake. Most people call it the lake. It's salt water but very calm.

I got my reserved room at Bluff Shoal motel. $104. It's an old-school 7-room brick motel. The rooms don't have a water view but the motel has 25 feet of waterfront in the back. The room is musty. A/C has been off for a long time.

I had dinner on the dockside deck at a bar and grill called Smac Nally's.

I had dinner on the dock at Smac Nalley's.

After dinner I walked around town to see the lake and the lighthouse. The lighthouse is only 75 feet tall but it's the oldest surviving lighthouse in North Carolina.

Ocracoke Island lighthouse was built in 1823.

Ocracoke is a low key town with a mix of old buildings and much grander new buildings. No out of place high rises or strip shopping centers.

I inquired about the water supply and found that they use a deep salt water well, then reverse osmosis to remove the salt and hydrogen sulfide. Water must be very expensive here. The reverse osmosis system has a capacity of 16 million gallons per day. That absolute limit constrains new development.

Sunset at Ocracoke. The Outer Banks adventure has begun.

I really like the town of Ocracoke. Very nautical, sort of historic, not overly commercialized. It's great to finally be on the Outer Banks.

Today I made big mistake by misinterpreting the ferry schedule. Instead of waiting 3 hours at the ferry terminal I could have spent more time exploring Morehead City and Beaufort.

Today was basically a half riding day and half rest day because of the long wait for the long ferry.

Distance: 46.8 mi. (74.9 km)
Climbing: 308 ft. (93 m)
Average Speed: 12.4 mph (19.8 km/h)

Today's ride: 47 miles (76 km)
Total: 771 miles (1,241 km)

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