Week Five
During the ride, Marie will write a message recounting the highlights and progress of the day. Just e-mail Marie's husband Ron at ronnemec@hughes.net to request subscription.
- June 20 - Rest Day in Ocracoke NC
- June 21 - Okracoke NC - Morehead City NC
- June 22 - Morehead City NC - Kinston NC
- June 23 - Kinston NC - Apex NC
- June 24 - Apex NC - Convention Hotel
- June 25-27 - HDSA National Convention
- June 27-28 - Raleigh NC to Nashville TN
June 20 - Rest Day in Ocracoke NC
Slept in this morning, which was a treat. Wrote postcards, ate breakfast, and tried to catch up in my personal journal.
Attended the 11:00 am worship service at the church where we are staying. Relatively small congregation. Good Fathers Day message based on Joshua 24:15 "But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." All the men were given a grilling themed gift - an insulated mitt with grilling utensils. Nice!
After church, we each did our own thing. Charlotte worked on her e-mail, went to a free WiFi cafe to send them, and ride her bike around looking at the sights of Ocracoke. I put on my bathing suit and went over a dune to the beach on the Hatteras National Seashore. Then I went North to the Pony Pens for a Ranger Presentation about the Banker ponies of Ocracoke. There is a herd of 23 ponies (less-than 14 hands) and 3 stallions (2 are on loan from the herd at Shackleford Island, near Cape Lookout.) These Ocracoke ponies used to roam free range until Hwy 12 was paved in the late 50's. It became a hazard, so they were penned on 180 acres. They seem to be descendents of Spanish Mustangs, with one fewer vertebra and one fewer rib than an average horse. They also have 5-10X greater bone density than most horses, giving them the ability to carry heavier weights. Back in the late 50's, Boy Scout Troop-290 from Ocracoke was the only mounted troop in the US.
Ocracoke is such a unique place. The name itself suggests history, enchantment, and more. The early recorded names for the settlement reflect the island's Native American connection (Wokokon and Wocokon.) Eventually the "W" was dropped and spellings such as "Okok" and "Ocrcok" evolved into the present day spelling. It is only accessible by air or water; no roads lead to Ocracoke.
During the early 1700's, Ocracoke was in the middle of a bustling trade route, which attracted pirates. Blackbeard the Pirate was killed here in 1718. During the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, it was a strategic port of entry to the Pamlico Sound.
Drove back to the church after stopping to view the lovely lighthouse, which is 77 ft tall. Built in 1823, it is one of the oldest lighthouses still in active service in the US.
Showered and refreshed, we headed out to eat where we did last night, at Pony Island Restaurant, now in its 51st year.
A fairly restful "rest day" today. It has been a good stay in Ocracoke. Glad we scheduled it.
With love fom the road,
Marie
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June 21 - Okracoke NC - Morehead City NC
Up bright and early. Got to the ferry dock about 6:15 am. Vehicles were already there, and assigned to different lanes. The ferry boats are pretty large; each can carry up to 50 vehicles and 300 passengers. Our ferry was the Pamlico.
The ferry ride was 2 1/2 hours, across the Pamlico Sound. Smooth ride - didn't get seasick.
Disembarked from the ferry at Cedar Island. Charlotte rode the final segment of Route 12 South, then I rode Route 70. We had decided to take the private passengers only ferry across the Back Sound to see the Cape Lookout lighthouse up close so we followed the signs South to Harkers Island. We toured the Cape Lookout Visitor's Center and saw a movie about the ecology and geology of the Outer Banks. Also toured the fabulous Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center, an imposing structure built in the mid-2000's but appearing much older, due to the choice of construction materials and colors. My favorite displays were the quilting and the Menhaden Chanteymen. A chantey is a traditional work song sailors sing to the rhythm of their work.
After a rather windblown lunch, we took a small flat bottomed passenger ferry across the Back Sound, a distance of about 5 miles. We were the only passengers so we felt like we were on a private yacht. On the way over, we saw some of the Shackleford wild horses. Shackleford is the Southernmost Island in the park, and is aligned E-W. It's about 9 miles long and 1/2 to 1 1/2 miles wide, and home to about 110 horses. These Banker ponies, found up and down the east coast, are somewhat related to each other in that they share a similar genetic base and a history of adaptation to life on the Outer Banks.
We got dropped off at the dock and let the Capt. know we needed a ride back at 4 p,m,. Looked at the small Visitor's Center then took the weathered plank walkway to the lighthouse. Cape Lookout is being restored. It has been closed to the public since Jan. 2008. The black & white diamond/diagonal checker daymark is what distinguishes it from every other lighthouse. The black diamonds face North and South, and the white diamonds face East and West. It is 163 ft. tall.
We had allowed ourselves one hour on the island. The Volunteer who was giving a talk finished just in time-for us to walk back to the dock and take the 5 mile ferry ride back to the mainland.
Since it was about 4:30 pm we contacted our hosts for this evening, Pastor Paul & Marsha Stallsworth. Got directions to their home. Drove about 20 miles.
KFC and Marsha provided a refreshing evening meal. Corn on the cob, a type o f 3 bean salad, chicken, and lemon pie.
It was quite hot today, and that heat/humidity will probably continue so we made plans for an early morning departure.
Route - 50 miles
Marie - 9.75
Charlotte - 19
Road Change - 2 cents
With love from the Crystal Coast (NC's Southern Outer Banks),
Marie
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June 22 - Morehead City NC - Kinston NC
Morehead City - where the Bald Men's Convention is held. "More head, less hair."
On the road away from the Crystal Coast by 6:00 am. Rode through stands of pine trees in the Croatan National Forest. Memories of a restaurant my high school friends and I frequented called Carolina Pines. Lelia, Kathleen, Janie, Sally - remember that?
Mostly agricultural area today, going North and NW. Corn, wheat, and soybeans. Good thing we got an early start, because it got HOT!!!
Made it to Kinston by about 1:45 pm or so. Showers at the Pastor's house, then took a nap on one of the couches in the parlor where we will be sleeping.
Special dinner tonight. I had read about it in a travel magazine. It's called King's Restaurant and specializes in Bar-B-Que and Chicken. The restaurant dates back to 1936 and features BBQ pork, chicken, and collard greens. Over 8,000 lbs of BBQ pork, 6,000 lbs of chicken, and 1,500 lbs of collard greens are prepared each week. The buffet was all you can eat (including drinks) for $6.
Hard to believe that today was the penultimate full day of riding.
Route mileage - 75 miles
Charlotte - 48.7
Marie - 31.32
Road change - none
With love from Lenoir County-NC, Marie
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June 23 - Kinston NC - Apex NC
"On the road again" by 6:15 am or so. Pretty nice riding, through agricultural scenery. Only one town of any size - Wilson. A sign stated that Wilson is a community committed to educational excellence, economic growth, and cultural fulfillment.
As the morning turned into noon, temps rose and the route became more hilly. It was in the high 90's, almost 100 degrees and humid. I was done riding for the day after 3 ten mile legs. Charlotte rode a bit more but she bailed too.
We drove into Clayton and decided to eat at Wendy's. It was much more pleasant than outside. I ordered my usual grilled chicken wrap, and Charlotte ordered crispy chicken burger. We both had Caesar salad.
Drove further SW to Cary where we spent the afternoon in Brueggers Bagels for about 3 hours. They had free wi-fi which Charlotte likes. Towards the end, a couple approached us and we talked about the ride. What caught their attention was the bright orange vest with lime green reflective stripes. They thought I was a Higjway Dept. worker applying for a different job. Had a good laugh over that! Nice couple from Greensboro NC, in their mid 60's, and he is a bicyclist.
While we were inside, there were a few downpours of rain that cooled things down a bit. Even though it's very green here, rain is-desperately needed, especially for the lawns.
A little after 5:00 pm, I drove about four miles to Angie Pay's home. She is a friend of my daughter-in-law Erin. Angie used to live & work in Steamboat Springs CO before she moved back "home" to NC.
Angie's boy friend Cary prepared most of the dinner: spaghetti, spaghetti sauce w/ground turkey, salad, bread, and strawberries w/pieces of Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate and strawberriy slices. Yummy!
Watched a little of World Cup highlights. Congratulations to the US for winning its game today and its group. I think they will now play Ghana in the round of 16. I am a soccer fan, and have missed watching the games. USA USA USA
This was our penultimate day of riding; tomorrow is more of a staged arrival. I'm ready for this year's ride to be completed, and anxious to get home to family and friends. The highlights will be getting back home to Ron, holding our new grandson Cael, and helping Jett celebrate his 2nd birthday.
Route mileage --90
Marie - 30
Charlotte - 37
Road Change - none
With love from outside the beltline near Raleigh,
Marie
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June 24 - Apex NC - Convention Hotel
Thanks to Angie's checking with a local bike shop, we had our routing all figured out! We had a 20 mile route from Angie's home to the North-Raleigh-Hilton, but at rush hour headed into Raleigh, it just wasn't safe on these suburban rural roads with no shoulders. So we drove the first 1/2 to where we could ride safely.
Angie lead us out, driving ahead to each critical turn. Charlotte and I rode single file. It was a bit hilly but doable. Passed by the campus of North Carolina State University.
About half the ride was spent in residential areas, with large brick mansions. Apparently housing inside the beltline highways that surround Raleigh is very expensive. The temperature was rising as we rode towards the hotel, but fortunately there were lots of trees along the road which provided shade.
Angie led us into the back parking lot of the Hilton. Angie's mom arrived at the same time. Since we were early, we visited awhile before I got the call from Fred Taubman that our welcoming group was at the entrance and awaiting our arrival. Fond farewells to Angie for all she did for us, and she and her mom took off.
We rode the last quarter mile of this year's ride. It was a glorious flourish to arrive to cheering! We praise God for His protection and provison once again. He makes all this possible, and we give Him all the praise!
After showering, I spent the afternoon visiting with different folks. Charlotte crashed for awhile and took a well-deserved nap.
Spent most of the evening in the Skybox Bar and Grill, eating a ppetizers and drinking water.
I was starting to fade about 9:00 p.m. so came upstairs and readied for bed.
Coastin' to Carolina was a memorable ride.Thanks to all who helped in organizing events, providng accommodations, donating, and anything else ride related. We are close to $32K in fund raising, and surpassed the goal of finally getting over the $500,000 mark for the 12 rides. (I think $521,000 is our total).
Route miles - 21
Each of us rode 10.5 miles
Road change - 6 cents
With love from Raleigh,
Marie
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June 25-27 - HDSA National Convention
Nice breakfast to start out the first day at convention. Egg McMuffins, fruit, and juice.
Lots of enthusiasm generated by the first speakers. Congressman Greer Martin and, Mike Watson (an assistant to Gov. Beverly Perdue) added a political touch. Found out that HR 678 (the HD advocacy bill) now has 133 co-sponsors. CEO Louise Vetter reiterated the charge of HDSA: more care, more treatment, and more public understanding. Jeff Carroll, an assistant to Dr. Michael Hayden from Vancouver BC, charmed the audience with his personal HD story.
There was an emphasis on young people and talkiing to kids in the Focus on the Family Forum.
After lunch there were 3 time slots for break-out sessions. I attended Meds for Early/Mid Stage HD,, To Test or Not To Test, and Advocating for the HD Parity Act (HR 678). I came away with a resolve to work on getting our Congressman John Salazar on board.
The Convention Reception and National Youth Alliance Talent Show/Dance Auction finished out the evening. Charlotte, Sherri Kole, and I were honored for having surpassed the goal of raising $500,000 over the past 12 rides. Charlotte capped off the evening with her rendition of the famed "BG Song" from 1999. She was quite the charmer!
Started the morning with the 7:00 am Walk for the Cure. Maybe 100 early morning participants. As usual, I visited with Karen Milek from Florida . Saturday morning was the HDSA Research Forum. There was much praise for the sharing of research findings within the HD researchers. A video of this presentation will be on the HDSA Website within the week (www.hdsa.org) The report of Dr. Steve Finkbeiner on "The Application of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells" was so encouraging. Stem cells can be created from skin cells of a dults, totally by-passing the fetal stem cell moral dilemna.
After lunch, I attended the Family Planning break-out session where alternatives were presented to avoid passing HD on to the next generation.
Being a soccer fan, I wanted to see the USA-Ghana World Cup soccer match (due to the ride, I hadn't gotten to see any of the three prior games) so I skipped the rest of the afternoon sessions. Watched the game with Annette Williams and Shane and another woman and her son. Too bad the US lost in the overtime period.
Got dressed for the NYA Silent Auction, Reception, and 25th Anniversary Gala. Sat with Nancy Patterson (our host from the beginning of the ride in Maine) and three young women from the Caring Voice Coalition.
A candlelighting ceremony concluded the evening's program, and then "We Are Family" music started. No conga line this year. Lots of enthusiastic dancing. Charlotte danced the night away as usual; I just did the Electric Slide.
Went upstairs about 11:00 pm. Charlotte came in about 11:30 pm.
Up early for the 7:00 am Interfaith Service. Attendance was good, and so was the service. The theme was not being a Pharisee, but being a true follower of Jesus Christ and following counsel in the Bible.
Nice breakfast buffet afforded time to say good-bye to old and new friends alike. Next year's convention is in the Minneapolis MN area.
Memorable Convention and lots of hope in what is to come. Thanks to the HDSA staff and volunteers who brought it into fruition.
With love from Raleigh as the drive-home begins,
Marie
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June 27-28 - Raleigh NC to Nashville TN
Starting the long drive home ... This first day is all the I-40 corridor, So green, so many forests of trees.
Got to Asheville, the major town in the Western part of NC, in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. Would like to have toured the Biltmore Mansion, and Billy Graham's "The Cove" but not enough time.
Crossed into Tennessee, stopped at the Visitor's Center for a more detailed map of Tennessee. Got slowed down by a bad car accident, and 3 lanes had to merge into just one. I slipped in between two vehicles which were labeled "Thing 1" and "Thing 2." Passed turn-off for Dollywood, Tennessee's highest volume tourist attraction. Near Knoxville, passed signs for Pellissippi State College, Oak Ridge National Labroatory, and the University of Tennessee. We gained an hour crossing into the Central Time Zone.
Followed the good directions to the home of Glen & Becky Fisher in Nashville. Charlotte and I had met Becky 8 years ago at the HDSA Convention in Columbus. They have a lovely home, and welcomed us with open arms. Becky prepared a fabulous dinner of salmon, turnip greens, potato salad, pasta salad, corn on the cob, cornbread, peanut butter pie and strawberry pie!
We planned our day in Nashville before turning in.
A wonderful breakfast awaited us in the morning. Crab quiche, fresh fruit, sausage casserole, yogurt, granola, fruit juice ... Becky really put her dgree in Home Ec to use for us.
Drove to Downtown Nashville where we rode our bicycles for 5 miles through Centennial Park, home to the famous replica of the Greek Parthenon. That made the 4th new state we rode in on this year's ride. Took the Grayline Bus Tour of Downtown Nashville. Highly recommended. Passed the Charlie Daniels Museum and many restaurants including the Wildhorse Saloon (where you can learn to line dance), the BB King soul food restaurant, and the Old Spaghetti Factory, Saw the stadium where the Tennessee Titans NFL team plays (holds 67,000 fans and has been sold out for all but 3 games).
A little history ... Nashville was founded as Nashborough in 1780, "Nash" after a Revolutionary War general, Founded by two gentlemen, Robertson and Donaldson. Later, the suffix "borough" was dropped on favor of the French "ville." This is the home of Honky Tonk music, which means it is "live." Passed the Ryman Auditorium, the 2nd best for acoustics in the US, and former home of the Grand Old Opry. Three Presidents were from Tennessee (Andrew Jackson, James Polk, and Andrew Johnson), During Civil War times, TN was the last state to leave the Union and the first to re-join. Coca Cola started in Nashville, then moved to Atlanta. The Nash Rambler car company started here before moving to Kenosha WI. TN is the home state of 3 famed musical divas; Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, and Dolly Parton. Other famous women from Nashville include Dinah Shore, and Oprah Winfrey. Nashville is also the headquarters of the Barbershop Harmony Society.
Nashville is dubbed "Music City USA," "Buckle of the Bible Belt" (most churches per capita in the US), and "Athens of the South," with 23 colleges, including Vanderbilt. Nashville's population is about 600K, but 1.3 million with the surrounding counties.
Saw Music Row, with 150 recording studios, with earliest origins in 1945. These are on 16th & 17th Streets. Some of these belong to Ray Orbison, Reba McIntyre, RCA, Sony, and World Entertainment to name a few.
After the tour, we returned to Becky's home, had lunch, and relaxed for awhile. Then we got dressed up for the General Jackson showboat show/dinner. It cruises on the Cumberland River while folks enjoy a lovely dinner (prime rib was served) and a Country Music review. 5 vocalists (3 men & 2 women) sang songs of famous country western singers and showed talent imitating the various singing styles. Fabulous ending with audience singing along with "God Bless the USA."
We had a rich, full stay in Nashville. Would like to have stayed longer. We were truly blessed during our stay with Glen & Becky.
With love from Nashville,
Marie
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