Here we are at the Jockey's Ridge State Park, Nags Head, NC, catching the gorgeous sunset through the trees. The park is the largest natural sand dune system on the east coast. We had to hike through this beautiful area to get to the dunes.
According to the park's website, the amount of sand making up the 420 acres of Jockey's Ridge is equal to about 6,000,000 dump truck loads!
“I am satisfied with the mystery of the eternity of life.” ~ Albert Einstein
Our second floor room has a lanai with a window to the ocean...
Our Cape Hatteras Motel is right on the ocean, with a magnificent view of the horizon. Hurricane Earl made the ocean swell and churned the water. The result was a spectacular display of nature: the sound and feel and smell of crashing waves and white foam.
Blue sky and even bluer ocean. Seagulls and birds everywhere. Boats. Not a care in the world.
Ocracoke Island, where the pirate Blackbeard roamed, is accessible only by water or air. It is only 16 miles long and anywhere from 3 miles to less than a half-mile wide.
We reserved our ticket for the ferry ahead of time online from the NCDOT website. Our motorcycle was the last to board, along with four other bikes. Steven and I were on top of the world. Enjoying the sun on our 2.5 hour boat ride to the southern village of Ocracoke, the gateway to the Outer Banks.
Waiting to catch the ferry to Ocracoke Island, I caught this lovely photo near the Ferry Landing at Cedar Island Bay. We rode via US 70 and NC Highway 12 from Morehead City through brackish marsh and a wildlife refuge to get to this spot.
"Be grateful for luck. Pay the thunder no mind listen to the birds. And don't hate nobody." ~ Eubie Blake
What in God’s name did we do? Tell me we did not go along the Camp Lejeune Marine Base Main Gate at 7:15 in the morning, joining the hundreds of lined up cars trying to get to work on the base. Hwy 24 goes right along the Main Gate. What a mess. And with a fully-loaded Harley I was so worried that Steven would drop the bike with all the stop and go traffic he had to maneuver.
Ugh. Jacksonville, NC was a congested mess of way too many cars. We rode to Surf City at sunset and moved up and down the narrow barrier island through blocks of beach rentals. Near the end of HWY 50, we stopped near Topsail Beach and had dinner at Home Port Restaurant & Pub.
We rode NC 24 through the middle of North Carolina, a direct shot to the ocean. It was very congested in Fayetteville. Hot, hot, hot, miserably hot. We passed through Clinton, then Warsaw. Before Kenansville we found a great southern cooking restaurant called Bland's. We had great service and an authentic and tasty meal.
Gorgeous new day. Here we are traveling east on NC 27/24 through the Uwharrie National Forest. Only 50,189 acres, the Uwharrie was first purchased by the federal government in 1931 during the Great Depression. Created from an ancient chain of volcanoes, the 1,000-foot hills of today were once 20,000-foot peaks.
Come on. Let's Go In! Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers!
ZZ Top!
Just a perfect night to see Tom Petty in concert at the Verizon Ampitheater. There's a premium concrete spot for bikes near the box office, so parking was beautiful. Traffic afterwards was a bit hairy, but not the worst. We had excellent seats, about 13 rows from the front. Both ZZ Top, the opening act, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were great.
Tom's Setlist:
Listen To Her Heart You Don't Know How It Feels I Won't Back Down Free Fallin' Oh Well Mary Jane's Last Dance Kings Highway Breakdown Jefferson Jericho Blues Good Enough Running Man's Bible I Should Have Known It Learning To Fly Don't Come Around Here No More Refugee
Heading east on the rolling hills of NC-182 to Albemarle, NC, where historically cotton, then textile manufacturing were the small town's primary businesses.
Albemarle is about 30 miles east of Charlotte and we thought we'd get a good jump on the day if we stayed here after tomorrow's Tom Petty/ZZ Top concert.
Along highway 73 East, we passed a Corn Maze in Millingport, about six miles west of Albemarle. Interesting, life-sized "puzzle of paths." That was pretty remarkable to see.
Today we begin our vacation to the Outer Banks! Here we are in Lake Lure, where they are having an inaugural Dirty Dancing Festival. Cars and congestion, but a lovely blue sky day, perfect for a celebration. Event features music, food, and a dance competition. (Did you know that the film was named the “#1 Most-Watched Film by Women” in 2009 by the BBC News?)
We've been talking about getting Rinehart pipes since we bought the bike three and a half years ago. Today we finally got them. What a difference these dual chrome babies make on the ride! Looks great, sounds great, and improves performance. Steven has a big smile, which makes me feel wonderful.
To help with the congestion, they're widening NC Route 191 (Brevard Road) from two to four lanes. The road is an important Asheville artery that connects I-26 and I-40 and leads to the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Blue sky, green mountains, and warm weather. Perfect day to ride. Here we are all alone on Bearwallow Road, Hendersonville, NC. Miles and miles of open road and sky.
The saleswoman at the Harley dealership said the 7eye lenses were bulletproof. I don’t know about that, I do know those new motorcycle sunglasses are a nice gift for Steven: Airshield comfy fit that is removable and replaceable. Cutting-edge Photochromic NXT lens darken and fade in bright sun and low light. Blocking out wind, dust or airborne allergens.