The Explorers left Whitesville after a lackluster breakfast at the Quality Inn; there were no eggs or bacon, the best option was a soggy microwave sausage on a biscuit. The riders took their first break after only 8 miles since there was a good convenience store at an Exxon to get their morning soda, as well as supplement the light breakfast from the hotel. There were a lot of curious locals asking about their bike and their trip.
As they started their daily ride, the Explorers were both feeling extra pain from the long ride the day before. They both had legs that felt like lead, and their speed was a bit slower than the day before. Their second break was just on the side of the road by a farm. Today’s route was very desolate without much traffic ( only one logging truck), and the route had a a lot of turns as they worked their way west. Because they were no longer following the Adventure Cycling Maps, Sidekick Sue was navigating using Google map on her phone, calling out turns to Captain Mark.
The scenery was much like the day before, with occasional farms, but more often just fields with sporadic trailer homes. Once again, they noticed the large number of “no trespassing” signs except today there were a noticeable number of guard dogs as well, several that were unchained and chased them down the road. Sidekick Sue was bracing for one to chomp her on the leg, but luckily once the dogs got close, they seemed to back off, perhaps because the tandem bike with a two people, and plenty of gear was a lot bigger than they imagined when they started their pursuit.
In the afternoon, they crossed into SC… finally, the last state on the route. Their final rest stop was in Nichols, SC at another Exxon. This place was packed and was obviously a popular meeting place for locals in this small town. When Sidekick Sue was checking out, the clerk was asking lots of questions about where the Explorers started their trip and where they were going and they had a nice conversation. Snack in hand, Sidekick Sue joined Captain Mark outside at a picnic table, and before they knew it, people were coming out of the store to ask questions, so word must have travelled fast. Captain Mark went back in the store to fill his water bottle and had trouble getting out of the store. The Explorers laughed about their celebrity in this small town, but it was a real taste of what it must be like for a “real” celebrity who just wants to get a snack.
One thing the Explorers have noticed throughout both North and South Carolina is the huge number of churches, even out in the middle of a rural area. It appears that there are more churches per square mile than they’ve ever seen. They’ve also noticed a high number of nice, friendly inquisitive people. Maybe the two are related?
The Explorers stopped one more time at 37 miles. After that, the road got wider and turned into a divided highway (still no shoulders). The hotel for the night was another Quality Inn. Captain Mark took care of the bike; he has started storing the bike in the infrequently-used stairwells in the hotels. It’s easier than getting the hotel staff involved and no one has raised any concern (so far). Compared to the Quality Inn from last night, this one had relatively few surrounding restaurants and businesses, leaving the Explorers to resort to fast food at Taco Bell for dinner. The travelers are very worn out, mostly due to the long ride the day before. Tomorrow is a shorter biking day, hopefully giving their tired legs (and butts) a well-deserved break.
