#96 Day 5 - NC Coast Bicycle Tour Part 1
Holden Beach Campground - Back to Holden Beach Campground
I’ve been rising at 6:00 a.m. all week but today I sleep until 8:30. A cloudy sky covers the campground, and undoubtedly the coastline two miles away. The air is damp and cool, but I have faith the sky will clear. I’ve lived in south-east North Carolina long enough to know that the natural tendency of the region’s weather leans toward sunny and warm.
I ride to the office for free coffee and meet Adventure D, who also lives for free at camp in an RV under a work for stay arrangement. He tells me of all the projects going on around camp and shares some stories from when he was a white water raft guide and rock climbing instructor out west. Not like touristy stuff, but hard core life and death stuff. Hence the name Adventure D, which was given to him by others around this campground.
I like it here so much I’m going to stay another night.
I leave all the camping and cooking gear in camp and put the camera gear and beach stuff; sunblock, a towel, river shoes into my panniers. Today’s ride will be a simple ride. An out ‘n back ride. A light weight ride. An end where I begin ride. No plans for the in-betweens ride.
Light sprinkles fall while leaving the campground but stop as I approach the bridge over Intercoastal Waterway.
Once across, the bridge curves about ninety degrees onto the island, dropping travelers onto Ocean Boulevard, the main drag down the spine of this narrow island. I ride as far south as possible but a gated community full of large homes ends the journey.
The dark grey sky give way to a light gray sky, which gives way to small breaks in the clouds, which gives way to a big blue sky and full on sunshine on the ride back up the island.