Day 12: Plymouth, NC to Suffolk, VA

May 24, 2008

91.48 miles, 6:49:38 Ride Time, 13.4 Average Speed, 23.7 Maximum Speed

I was up early, eager to get out of the motel from hell. I looked out the window and saw it was raining. Had I been staying in a nice place, of course, I would have delayed my departure as long as possible, waiting for the rain to subside as I lingered over the continental breakfast, reading my complimentary copy of USA Today. But this was not that kind of place.

So, after throwing everything on the bike with less care than usual, I rode out into the drizzle. Even in a town this small, I briefly got turned around, but soon enough found my way onto the route. The rain turned to sprinkles just long enough for me to get out the camera and take a couple of my "amusing" photographs, this time of a few interesting stores, one of which apparently offered "human hair." What's that all about?

It started raining harder as I left Plymouth, and I was soaked when I arrived in the little community of Mackeys. Garcia's Grocery was open, so I stopped for breakfast. As its name implied, this was a place that seemed to cater primarily to the Hispanic community. I had a (spicier than usual) sausage sandwich, chocolate milk, and some cinnamon rolls. There were some exotic (to me) snacks in the store, but I wasn't in an adventurous mood this morning.

This was a homey, casual little place; a toddler played in his playpen near my table.

The rain hadn't let up while I was in Garcia's Grocery, so I rode another ten wet miles to the 3.5 mile bridge over the Albermarle Sound. There had been virtually no traffic this morning, for which I was thankful as I rode across the bridge. The railing on the bridge is shockingly low - only a couple of feet. You feel like you're right on the water. Before entering the bridge, a sign warns bicyclists of the low rails and the possibility of dangerous crosswinds.

I rode into heavier rain as I got to the end of the bridge. It was about nine miles to Edenton (pop. 5,394), and as I rode down the quiet county road, I started to think about stopping there for the day... I could dry off, get caught up on this journal (which was now several days behind)...

It quit raining as I rode into Edenton, which looked like a charming place, the polar opposite of Plymouth. Still contemplating calling it a day, I stopped at a Super 8. They had no rooms. I rode over to the Hampton Inn, where a couple of jokers made the "I'd put a motor on it" crack, and I didn't even feign amusement, not today. The Hampton Inn had no rooms either, and I didn't feel like taking a chance on a non-chain motel after yesterday's experience in Plymouth. I did take the opportunity to use the Hampton's bathroom to dry out and clean up a little, before walking back outside. There a nice couple walked up to me and asked if I was touring. They were cyclists, and I had an enjoyable conversation with them that, along with sun that was now shining, lifted my spirits. I decided to ride on to Suffolk, Virginia.

The rest of the day was mostly on very quiet county roads - my favorite kind of riding. I did have a headwind that slowed me down, my chain had developed a squeak (possibly because of the rain), and my bike computer was acting strange (definitely because of the rain), but the rest of the day was a good ride.

I crossed into Virginia at about 3:00, but no state sign welcomed me. Perhaps that is to be expected when the road you're riding on is called "Middle Swamp Road", and doesn't have a yellow line in the middle.

I was impressed by the routing into the outskirts of the big town of Suffolk (pop. 63,677). Someone did a good job on this map section.

With about an hour to go, I finally got a signal on my cell phone, and called my hosts for the night, Jim & Laura Cruse, to confirm I was coming. They are cyclists who live right on the Atlantic Coast route, and sometimes host touring cyclists.

Jim and Laura are great people, and were wonderful hosts. I really can't say enough good things about them - they invited me into their home, shared their dinner with me, did my laundry, and provided a comfortable spare bedroom to sleep in. Thanks, Jim and Laura!

This place in Plymouth has it all: Beauty Supplies, Tapes, CD's, Hair Products, Cold Beer, Phone Cards, Cash Loans, Copies and Faxes, and HUMAN HAIR.

There is apparently a chain of these stores (or at least two of them) in Plymouth. No Human Hair at this location, but the availability of pizza, burgers and hot dogs softens the blow.

The railing on the 3.5 mile bridge over the Albemarle Sound is only about 2 feet tall. Riding on this bridge, you feel like you're right on the water.

I met this nice couple in Edenton (where I briefly considered quitting for the day, before it stopped raining). Bruce is a cyclist who has done some touring.

Today's ride: 91 miles (146 km)
Total: 929 miles (1,495 km)

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