From Fort Fisher, it was a short drive to Wilmington, NC. There was a cute downtown area and riverwalk.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Fort Fisher
This was a Confederate sand fort that protected Wilmington, the largest town in North Carolina (at the time), just 30 minutes to the north. Apparently sand forts held up better against exploding shells than the wood or mortar forts.
Shark tooth fossil
There was a fossil pit next to the parking lot a the aquarium, so we went digging for fossils. We ended up finding around 25 fossilized teeth. Having never done this before, I was pretty pleased with myself.
Ferry to Ft. Fisher
The next day we drove to Southport, North Carolina and took the ferry to Fort Fisher, a Civil War Confederate Fort and to visit the Aquarium. It was $5 for the ferry but free for motorcycles (I sat in the car).
Friday, September 12, 2008
Myrtle Beach
The beach is nice here and the water is around 85 F. The Gulf Stream warms the water. There are many condos skyrises along the beach, and loads of restaurants and stores in town.
Rob and Allison
I stopped in Myrtle Beach, SC, only 45 minutes from Georgetown, and stayed with my friends from my Biloxi days. We went to get lunch at a New York Pizzeria. I had a salad. Distance travelled: 43 miles.
Bay View Inn
The next morning was clear so took care of some bike maintenance, checking the oil, and resetting the computer, and lubing the chain. By the time I was finished, a dark cloud loomed and I got back on the bike. Sure enough, 15 minutes later I went through a short shower, but long enough to soak my boots again. Will they ever dry?
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Bay View Inn
Around 730pm, the rain lightened and I got back on my bike to look for a place to stay up north. I decided to avoid the interstate because of the rain, and bypassed Hilton Head which was under a rain cloud. I lucked out with only a few spells of rain, and drove for the next 3.5 hours to Georgetown, SC. I found the first motel in town ($45) and checked in. Distance travelled: 401 miles.
Savannah College of Art and Design
That's my bike parked to the far right under the awning. It's on the sidewalk next to the bicycles. I pretty much will avoid paying for parking whilst I ride my bike. After my trip to Miami, I realized that a motorcycle can get away with free parking if you park between parking meters on the white line.
Savannah riverwalk
Old cotton warehouses by the river are now converted into trendy restaurants and bars.
Vinnie Van Gogo Pizzeria
It started to rain again, so I stopped for a pizza here with a pink lemonade. I called up my brother Kevin for weather and travel advice for the rest of the day. It was early, around 2pm when I arrived in Savannah, so it was too early to call it quits. Kevin and I were decided where the rain clouds were headed and when I would have a good weather window.
Downtown Savannah
Savannah has a beautiful downtown area with many shops and restaurants and garden squares.
Locking my helmet and jacket
I found an outdoor outfitter and bought a pacsafe mesh. I wanted the 120 L size, but they only had the 65-L size. It was a pricey $70 that I spent, not feeling comfortable having all my gear just bungeed to the bike. I placed the mesh on the gear just as a visual deterrent. I never used it again. What a waste. I have found that for the most part, people don't mess with motorcycles.
Sidewalk parking
The rest of the afternoon, I took Interstate-90 and crossed the state line into Georgia, heading toward Savannah. As I approached Savannah, it began to rain and continued to rain all afternoon. After a quick visit to the Visitor's Center, I headed downtown, and parked on the sidewalk next to the other bicycles.
Ferdinanda Beach
From Jacksonville, I headed to Amelia Island, Florida about 30 minutes north. I stopped here at Ferdinanda Beach and had a couple granola bars.
Jacksonville
From Starke, I took the Interstate to Jacksonville, Florida, about 90 minutes away. I stopped down by the riverside area and then promptly left when I realized there was nothing to see there on a Thursday morning.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Five dollar meal
A medium drink, a side order (I had a salad), three mini burgers, and two mini chili hot dogs. How can you beat that?
Seafoam green walls
The floor was very dirty -- after a few steps my feet would be black. Oh well. At least I could dry out my clothes and supplies and warm up. It was an early end to my first day. It continued to rain most of the evening until 9pm, when I decided to go out and find some food. The only thing open was Krystal, so I had my first meal there.
Deluxe Inn
Around 5pm, I was cold, wet, tired, and had to use to restroom. I didn't have the GPS to guide me as it had been raining and my pda phone isn't waterproof, so I decided to stop at this cheap-looking motel in Starke, Florida. It was only $35/night. Distance travelled: 180 miles -- pathetic.
Abandoned gas station
I spent an hour under cover, waiting for the rain to stop, in Ocala, Florida. It never did, so I rode for the next couple hours under light rain.
Hard rain
It wasn't long after I rode off that the rain from Hurricane Ike down south affected my trip. I had been driving on Interstate-75 when a heavy downpour unleashed. I then decided to take local highway 301, where gas stations could provide more frequent cover.
Cheap GPS receiver mount
I installed a $50 motorcycle mount for my pda phone, a 12v power plug to my battery, and duct taped a ziplock bag to my crossbar for the GPS bluetooth receiver. Nice.
Bike with gear
How did I end up with this much stuff? All I wanted was a backpack, but then I decided to bring some camping gear (sleeping pad, sleeping bag, bivy tent, bivy sack, cook set, stove) and some motorcycle maintenance supplies (brake fluid, chain lube, oil, tools). There are expensive luggage options for motorcycles, which can be up to $1000, but I installed a tail rack so I could bungee cord a milk crate to it. I also bungee corded the backpack to the milk crate. It's stable, but also has some give.
Heading off again
It's been just over two years since I returned to the States from my 'round-the-world trip, and it's time for me to head out again. In the last three months I bought a motorcycle, took a safety course, obtained my license, and put in my 90-day notice at the job. After a week of goodbye meals at work and a drunken night out with friends, I loaded up my "farkled" bike and headed out on the road. The plan -- to make it to San Diego before my October 14th return flight back to Tampa (I have to actually pack up and move out with my truck by November 5th and go to Haiti for a medical mission October 17th).
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