Day 13 - Latta, SC to Southern Pines, NC - 71 miles, 1900 feet ascent

Against the wind

A little something against the wind

I found myself seeking shelter against the wind 

                             ~ Bob Segar “Against the Wind”

“Do you know what ‘meteorologist’ means in English?  It means liar.”

                             ~ Lewis Black

Happy Birthday to the World’s Greatest Navy!  After 250 years, you’ve aged gracefully.  It is an honor to count ourselves among those privileged few who earned the title of United States Navy Sailor and to be part of an enduring tradition of honor, courage, and commitment.  Anchors Aweigh!

Greetings from sunny Southern Pines, North Carolina.  We bid cold farewell to SC, it’s vines, and swamps to said hello to NC pine needles.  Omens present themselves in strange ways.  Coffee makes the wheels turn, but bad hotel coffee had the early A.M. on life support.  Murphy’s Law reared its head with weather forecast calling for clear skies and no rain.  We plan missions based on intelligence and today our intelligence was the weather forecast.  At departure we observed no clear skies.  We observed temps in the mid-fifties, wind blowing hard, and rain to start the first hour of a 71-mile ride.  The rain stopped, but the temperatures lingered in the 50s for a few more hours before starting a reluctant rise into the high sixties.  The wind, always on the nose, never abated.  It took a while for clothes to dry and bodies to thaw.  Only after arriving at our hotel five gloomy hours later did the sun FINALLY grace us with its presence.

We crossed into North Carolina where we found a sign reading, “WELCOME TO NORTH CAROLINA, WE HAVE HILLS.”  I wish I could say roads in NC are better for the sole reason that they are not SC roads, however, we tallied flat tires on both sides of the state line.  Our first three NC hills gave us a small taste of things to come in the final dash through Virginia.

Our routine of refreshments, bike maintenance, and fellowship resumed after a few days of raw weather disruption.  Saturday, we rolled into Sumter in heavy rain with little socializing.  Yesterday only Carl and Mike rode so the socializing stayed minimal; thankfully we put Latta’s blue laws way behind us.  The mood improved when the sun burned off the gloom giving us a sneak preview of tomorrow’s forecast.  Hopefully we can rely on the forecast this time.  

Tomorrow is our longest ride of the trip, a motivational 75 miles—the perfect way to celebrate 250 years of naval excellence.  We will arrive in Raleigh and stand down for our final rest day of the trip.  We have one additional 70+ mile ride remaining, but most of next week’s riding will feature shorter routes and steeper, sustained climbing.     

To date the G2G logged 736 miles and climbed through 11,572 ft.  Miles and trials, trials and miles; we’re into our fourth state of our southeastern odyssey.  We beat the nor’easter into submission.  Life on the road is great; the wheels keep turning.  The goat is old, but we’re gnarly and stabbing north.  See you in Annapolis.