May 11, 2017
Day 14: Hartsville, SC to Laurinburg, NC
We left Hartsville this morning at a civilized 9:30 AM. We again had quiet country roads which were relaxing to ride.
There were a few farms - mostly corn and this newly planted crop we couldn't identify.
Our first stop was in the tiny town of Society Hill. There was road repaving underway and we had to follow a pilot car for about a mile. We rode on freshly laid warm asphalt. We didn't leave any tracks, but the asphalt felt soft and pedaling was harder than usual.
Our next stop was about 15 miles later in the town of Bennettsville. We first went into the Bennettsville Welcome Center. Miss Grace and Rhonda gave us a warm and enthusiastic welcome to town. We asked about places to eat and they recommended a local café, Magnolia on Main.
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We had a good lunch and, of course, got into conversations with people about our trip. One of the other people having lunch was the editor of the local newspaper. She asked if she could do a short interview and take our picture for next week's edition. Here is the picture of us with some of Bennettsville's finest citizens. If we get a link to the article when it appears, we'll post it here.
After Bennettsville, it was only 17 miles to Laurinburg. There were more farms and farm animals. We saw a lone cow in a big field and a short time later, a lone goose. Then there were these mules who came up to the fence to pose for their close ups when we stopped!
We entered state #4, North Carolina, just a few miles before the end of today's ride. I love Florida, but I'll always have an emotional attachment to North Carolina. (Home of The University of National Champions!)
Kerry’s Reflections
Today marks the end of our second week on the road. We have traveled 686 miles and, excluding our rest days, we are averaging 56.25 miles per day. I hate to tempt the cycle touring gods, but so far things have been almost perfect.
We have had great weather the whole trip. It had been cool enough that we can start out mid-morning and not worry about “beating the heat”. In fact, earlier last week, we were hanging out the hotels waiting for it to warm up a little. We have a very narrow comfort zone 😊
We also have not had any mechanical issues, not even a flat tire. By way of comparison, at this stage of our trip last year, both Team A & Team S had experienced multiple flats.
Our Diet Coke consumption is down somewhat from last year, but this is entirely due to the cooler weather we have had, not personal restraint. At the following chart shows, we are still drinking our fair share of the stuff.
Tomorrow we are headed to Fayetteville where we plan to tour the Airborne and Special Ops Museum
Today's ride: 48 miles (77 km)
Total: 688 miles (1,107 km)
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