April 27, 2022
I need a dose of vitamin sea
Charleston bike day
Happy spring everyone and a happy birthday to me! Yup, another year older.
It was a beautiful day when I got up and even better, as a birthday present, Don is taking me on a tandem ride! His achilles and back weren't hurting after the walking we did yesterday. So that's a positive thing.
But it was a bit cooler at first as a cold front had moved into the area on the back end of some thunderstorms. We just got a few sprinkles here but further north there was more rain.
By 10 am, it was in the mid-60's so we got ready to ride. As our route today, Don had picked out a route that would take us to Folly Beach and the ocean. I was excited as we haven't been near a beach for many weeks.
The first few miles of our ride had to be along a narrow, busy road as there were no other options. We'd driven this part yesterday and weren't happy about it, but the speed limit was low and we'd have lights turned on.
Actually, the road was fine with no-one honking or yelling at us. Everyone moved well over when passing despite there not being much room. We still kept our pace up and moved through the area quickly.
Don was focused on traffic, but I was able to relax and enjoy the surroundings. Sections of the road had live oaks spreading their branches overhead, creating a canopy like the roads we'd ridden in Tallahassee.
It was a pretty area with thick woods on one side and some homes on the other. It was very sweet smelling with blooming honeysuckle vines next to us. There was also a bush/small tree that I couldn't identify that was covered with clusters of fragrant white flowers.
But we were both happy when we made a turn onto a quiet side road. That didn't last long as it curved around through small homes , a school and library. And before long we had to get onto the main highway going to Folly Beach. This road was 4-lanes with lots of noisy traffic but did have bike lanes and was signed as the 'battery to beach' bike route.
The ride was flat today except for a few little ups as we crossed several bridges between the islands. We'd passed out of the woods and now had open marsh land on either side of us. As we neared the coast, the homes were built up on pilings.
Before long we entered the community of Folly Beach and following a bike route sign, turned into a neighborhood of newer looking homes. They were all built up on pilings and had many steps to reach the front doors. I sure hope they had elevators or strong knees!
I thought Don knew where he was going but nope, we got lost when the bike route signs disappeared. So we spent a few frustrating minutes going up and down the dead end streets, trying to find our way out of the maze. Eventually we got to a road that looked like it would take us where we needed to go.
Taking that, we continued to where we could now see the beach between the homes and made one more turn toward a county park where the road ended. We thought we would have to pay to enter but the guy at the gate just waved us through. Nice! And the park also had bathrooms which we both needed by now.
The restroom building was like the ones on the coast in Gulfport, MS where it was built up on tall pilings. There were a lot of steps, but also had a nice view of the ocean from the top. Lots of people were out enjoying the sun and sand. But not too many were in the water as it wasn't that warm.
We took a lunch break here, then got back on the bike where we retraced our route back to the campground. Don said his foot felt fine but his knees could tell he'd done 20 miles. Now that he's back to normal, we can work on upping the mileage.
The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing and cutting each other's hair. I also defrosted the freezer (I know, it was my birthday but it needed to be done before we go shopping tomorrow).
For dinner tonight, Don took me to a BBQ place nearby that I'd researched on-line. Can't go wrong with BBQ!
I had a big salad with smoked turkey on top while Don had a platter of pulled pork plus sides. We shared a bowl of Brunswick stew which is a Southern dish I'd wanted to try. The food was all VERY good and we enjoyed our meal. I told Don Don I'd like to come back again before we leave the area.
All in all, it had been a great birthday!
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Today's ride: 23 miles (37 km)
Total: 861 miles (1,386 km)
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