Way Out in the Banks

Ok, here I (Rebecca) go- I am going to write my first blog. I'm a little nervous, kind of sweaty, but ready.

North Cakalaky is the bomb! We crossed the border about a week ago and are loving our new southern lifestyle- full of backroads, accents and water. We went through the Great Dismal Swamp (you can guess how that was) and hurried right into the NC outer banks ready for the beach. Unfortunatly, we also headed into a Noreaster (also known as a big storm) and so our excitement was delayed as we pitched our tent under the bathhouse of a campsite. It was weird. Despite the offset, this actually threw us into the arms of our new friend, Freida!

Kathrin's friend, Karrie, works in the alumni department at Guildford and has been looking for people for us to stay with along the way. Well, (thank dear goodness) Karrie is good friends with Frieda who lives in Grandy, a small town outside of Kitty Hawk. Frieda heard of our distress and drove straight over to pick us up. We left the bikes at the police station and moved in with Frieda for two days (we got a little roof happy). Frieda and her husband, Ben were unbelievably kind and generous. In a fun two days of normalcy, she took us shoe shopping and we all became jelly sisters. It was wonderful.

When we got back to the Outer Banks the storm had passed and we got three days of slightly windy, but sunny, beautiful biking. We swam twice daily and I tried to fish, but it's hard to fish in the ocean with drift wood and some line. Right now we're headed down the coast for Wilimington, NC. While our plans have slowly been morphing as we realize how much this trip will cost, we're trying to focus on small goals. Wilmington in a few days, Charleston a week after that and maybe Savannah a bit after that. We'll see what happens.

Ok, that's where we are at the moment. Hope everyone is as happy as us.

Do we look better, harder, faster, stronger?

Without further ado (and in reverse order, chronologically), PICTURES!

City girls' first look at cotton fields.

North Cakalaky!

Finally, we all make it into one picture.

 

The lighting was too perfect... we took senior photos.

The first flat of the trip: killed it. 

First lunch. We weren't very good at chewing yet. 

Big aliens. 

Forever August

We four are rounding out day five in the friendly city of Richmond, Virginia. A friend of my (Hannah's) brother Mike had welcomed him as a guest while on his music tours in the past, and now they welcome us strangers on our bike tour. Good people! Thanks to Mike, his roommates, his girlfriend, and Empire Restaurant for their great curly fries. Keep the calories coming.

The last five days have changed us body and soul... or maybe a little more ego than soul. What began as modest and almost embarrassed whispers of "Do you feel a bit stronger today?" or, "The hills must be smaller here, right?" are now loud proclamations that "WE ARE STRONG BIKING WOMEN." Despite our burning thighs and aching calves, we feel better and more capable every day.

And such kindness! Today, we happened on a group of bikers who were making their ride home from their weekly lunch in Ashland. Paul, the leader of the pack, was returning to his home in Richmond, and after scoffing at our GPS (I believe his words were, "Barf, barf!") he led us on a shortcut that left us all but two blocks from Mike's apartment. Paul has toured most of the 50 states and Europe, and gave us some welcomed advice. He sent us off with a box of "Bag Balm," an anti-chaffing remedy used by farmers on cows. We don't have any cows on our tour, but I think we'll figure out what to do with it.

Virginia is BEAUTIFUL, and we are so content with this feeling of being set in a perpetual August. This trip has made us a few very happy girls.

And then there were hills....

WE DID THE FIRST DAY!!

51 miles and a generous ride from the Babiczs. We love them! Just in time to avoid a torrential downpour. We gave the Babiczs a potted pansy because we were kind of feeling like some (pansies). But we're off again, doing less miles to avoid the "record breaking heat" (the heat index is supposed to reach 105!) and to rest Kathrin's poor little knee. Spirits are high, we're grateful for our hospitable hosts and keep being reminded of the kindness of strangers.