It all worked out very very well.

Most days were easy rides.  It is, after all, just about flat out there.  We rode over a bridge or two, but really, there was no significant hill to master.  It was never too hot, and, being billed as a beginner level ride, had fairly short mileage.  I mean, those rides I used to do had multiple days of mileage in the high 90s.  That’s a lot of miles.  30 or 50 is quite doable.

But no one expected this much wind.  We had some wind!  Yup we sure did.  And, contrary to a place with tides that are affected by the lunar cycles, the Outer Banks’ tides are affected by, you guessed it, wind!  Basically, if the wind blows from the west, all the water in the sound blows out of the sound.  It would LIKE to go to the ocean but that tricky spit of land in between means that the water mostly just goes onto the land.  And what that really means that it goes over the road.

One day we stopped for lunch at a day use area in Salvo.  We’d ridden through a very windy Rodanthe and the even windier town called Waves.  Surfers were out in full force, enjoying the huge swells.  Birders were grumpy because all the birds in the reserves were blown away too.  I was happy to get to the parking lot of our lunch spot and settled in for a nap, waiting for the other riders and our guides who had stopped to tend to some flat tires.  On our way into the lunch spot, a little bit of water was puddling up on the road. 

But after lunch, as we rode off, the whole entrance road was covered by water.  My buddies and I did not want to get wet so we climbed overland, jumping a ditch and handing our bikes to each other to reach the road.  We phoned the rest of the group, warning them of the water, and prepared to pedal. 

Just as we climbed on our bikes, a car stopped in the middle of the road. 

“Where you going?” the driver called.

“Buxton,” we yelled back, over the wind.

“There’s high water in Avon,” she said, “you’re going to hit it. And high tide is not until 2:30.”  It was about 1:30.

We set off anyway, figuring it couldn’t be too bad.  The wind blew stronger and stronger as we rode, sometimes so hard that we were nearly blown over  And then, around a corner, we saw a line of cars moving very slowly, through some very deep water.  Speedy, our spunky lead rider, was stopped at the edge of the water, trying to decide what to do.  I, not thinking very clearly, pedaled right in.  Heck, how bad could it be?

It was bad.

The water got deeper and deeper, the west wind driving water through any available channel, covering the road, making it harder and harder to ride.  And we were not the only road warriors.  Cars and trucks were plowing through too, creating real current, real waves.  And the water kept getting deeper until it was about halfway up my tire.  My feet were completely covered with water at the bottom of each pedal stroke.  It was deep.  I kept my eye on the white line at the side of the road, some 12" below the surface of the water, knowing that there was a ditch not too far away.  I did not want to be in the ditch.  I DID want the water to get shallower.  But it didn’t appear to be doing so.

At one point I looked up to see a line of cars with people standing up, poking out of the sun roofs taking pictures their cell phone – of us!  Swell.  I pedaled on.  By then I was too far in to stop.  But when a driver yelled that it went on for a few more miles I began to wonder what I could possibly have been thinking by taking off so cavalierly. 

Finally, finally, FINALLY I came to a bit of higher ground and pulled over, climbed up on a porch, and, thankfully, got picked out of the water by our guides who drove quickly south, racing the water.  I found out later that the water had come up so quickly while they were still at lunch, that what had been a dry picnic area, was completely flooded in moments.

Later on, once we got to the Hatteras light, some of us got back on our bikes for a final 5 mile pedal, but by then the wind was so strong that there were many moments of complete motionless.  NOT so much fun.

But memorable.

I had a great trip and I’m also glad to be home.  And I’m especially thankful that the shop was busy and that the gang did such a fine job making and serving delicious food for all of you.  Come say hi this week.  I’d love to see you.

Cheers,

Laurey