Starting to feel really south-- Spanish moss and plantation-looking building.
Not much here. These bridges can be tricky if they have metal grating in the middle. Like riding over marbles.
Same old road.
Later in the afternoon I got into an area with good pavement, but definitely not designed with cyclists in mind. That's not a rumble strip, it's a rumble shoulder.
I had to take a little detour to find it, but this is Brad's Restaurant. Also known as Brad's Porch. It was cooler inside, and the meal was simple and cheap. The girl at the counter was friendly and curious about the trip.
Well, North Carolina is behind me. I can honestly say I missed the nicest parts. I must have.
These were some of the worst winds of the trip. The forecast called for 10-15 mph breezes out of the SSW, and the weather people were right.
I pressed on all afternoon. Didn't stop for long to eat or rest, and as the miles accumulated I felt more and more comfortable. The weather was cooling a little, the wind died a little, and the traffic through North Myrtle Beach, though heavy, was very accommodating.
Tons of these miniature golf places, each one more extravagant than the next. I wasn't planning to stop for this picture, but my left contact lens popped out, again. To rewet, I always use saliva. It landed on my sunglasses, so I sucked it into my mouth. A little too hard. It went to the back of my throat, so I had to swallow it.
I stopped at a state park to see about camping, but was turned away. That surprised me. The girl could see I was on a bike. I asked her if I couldn't find a little corner somewhere. She was sorry, and told me to check just down the road at Pirateland.
And that's where I ended up, right in among a ton of densely packed RVs.
Both of my neighbors came right over and offered me any help I needed. The family in the pop-up next to me were from Charlotte, NC. They couldn't have been more interested and interesting. We talked a lot about biking and my trip and I learned about an upcoming hike the father and son are doing in Colorado. After our lengthy bull session, the son, his girlfriend, and a cousin took me for a tour of the park on their golf cart. The primary purpose was to get to "Idiot Circle", as they called it. This is a section of the campground near the beach where all the golf carts cruise back and forth, playing music, checking each other out. I went to bed hoping to say goodbye to them in the morning, but they were gone before I woke.
Long day, hot day, windy day. But meeting such friendly southerners made it a great day in the end.
Location:Myrtle Beach, SC
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