Hello Charleston, SC! We also hit 2100 miles for the trip.

In our last episode: Rain, monster trucks, rites of passage, and a brewer's welcome.

Many, many thanks to Brian for taking us into his home and showing us the Kitty Hawk nightlife!

For our next attraction, readership, I humbly present to you.....the Outer Banks of North Carolina! The Graveyard of the Atlantic, final resting place of the pirate Blackbeard, and birthplace of flight!

Riding the Outer Banks (OBX) has been, quite possibly, the best detour we've ridden thus far. The 25mph tailwinds allowed us to boogie down the blacktop with ease, carrying us to the birthplace of modern aviation. At the Wright brother's monument and museum, a park ranger explained to us the Wright brother's engineering creativity, which is something of an historical relic in the "Space Age." It took the Wright Bros. over thousands of test designs before they settled on a design for a flying machine. Those gentlemen were no amateurs, and their slavish dedication to discovering flight changed the course of history. Just think, without areospace engineers, we wouldn't have the aluminum that comprises the frame of my bike! Thanks, Orville and Wilbur!

While the venerable Wright Bros. have definitley left their mark on human history, a different feature of the OBX left its mark on my history. The lighthouses! As the tailwinds carried us through the OBX, we passed by the Bodie Island lighthouse, which lit me up. They may not seem like items of marvel, but North Carolina's lighthouses are sentinels that remind us of our seafaring history. The OBX lighthouses are like very huge and important lamps. They tower over the land/seascape to warn sailors of old that certain death awaits them if they approach the intermittent blink of the lights. They are tall, they sport unique paint jobs, and they are cooler than any lifeguard you'll ever meet.

We continued down the OBX's only road and saw a sunset the likes of which you can only see when you're on the open ocean. The OBX is a strip of land no more than a few hundrend yards wide in the middle of the Atlantic, so we saw both sunrise and sunset in epic settings. Perfect.

Those epic settings have to end, do they not? No, readership, they do not. The next day, we planned to ride to land's end, whereupon our arrival was scheduled for 10:30AM. As we arrived at land's end, North Carolina's Department of Transportation provided us with a ferry to Okracoke Island. Unfortunately for your heroes, the former tailwind morphed into a headwind. Pedal as we might, we were not able to arrive at the ferry's morning departure. Ever the improvisors, your heroes did what they do best. They rode their bikes slowly. Slowly down a deserted road bordered on the left by sand dunes and on the right by miles of pristine beach. Perfect.

Along those pristine beaches ran a flock(?) of wild horses (Editor's note: the Okracoke horses are more properly seen in "gaggles"). The conclusion of the slow ride dropped us off at another lighthouse: the Okracoke Lighthouse. We caught the 2 hour ferry back to the mainland in the shadow of the lighthouse as the sun slipped away. Perfect.

We loaded our bikes alongside cars on the ferry, and assumed our seats in the lounge of the ship. Next to us sat Wimp and Midge, a travelling couple themselves. Wimp and Midge had a camper shell on the back of their truck, and they were cruising the OBX with their dogs, Iggy and Chloe. We struck up conversation, and resumed the conversation for the 2 hour ferry ride. Conversation was so good that we all agreed to camp at the same campsite, where Midge fixed a great dinner for us. Wimp pulled out some lawnchairs, and the night carried us past our bedtimes as we hemmed and hawed...

Just arrived in Wilmington, NC. First stop: Front Street Brewery!

This is a title.

So, after departing the dry breakfast restaurant and saying goodbye and thank you to our new friend Lucy, we headed on down the road in the rain. We stopped to get some groceries and it looked like there was no end in sight, so we decided to make it a short day and get a hotel. That way, we could wash clothes, clean bikes, and let everything dry out from the past 15 or so hours of rain.

It was a pricier hotel than we usually stay in, but pricy hotels mean nice continental breakfasts! We loaded up on yogurt, waffles, weird egg concoctions, cereal, juice and coffee. Bicycle jerseys have three pockets in the back, which are convenient for storing extra breakfast items (sans syrup, of course).

We happened upon a marching band practicing, so I wanted to stop and reminisce. They were, perhaps not as good as the legendary Woodlands High School Marching Highlander Band, but they had heart and they made me smile. We stopped at a random convenience store and were greeted by the delicious aroma of barbecue. Ah yes, we were truly in the South. Pulled pork sandwich....yum!!

Went through Fredericksburg, where they had a park dedicated to the civil war battle, and then hit Ashland, VA the next day (I think?). It's the home of Randolph-Macon college as well as a really cool train town. There were tracks running right through the middle of town. We hung out for a bit at The Station Cafe and talked to the owner (nice guy) and also picked up some groceries.  We went across the street (and across the tracks) to a wine shop, where they were having a wine tasting. Camped out nearby that evening, and came back to The Station the next day for coffee, hot dogs, and a few electrons to put into our cell phone batteries.

Ashland, VA

We got on the road and headed toward Richmond. We hadn't covered a ton of miles in the past couple days, but we decided to stop and snap a few photos and then stop and get a pint of beer and watch college football at a bar. Nice people there - a bit strange, but very friendly.

Richmond, VA state capital building

Stayed out near the airport in Richmond and got dolled up for Halloween the next day. Ed had a Frankenstein mask (see the photo stream above) and, well, there are no words for my costume:

Some kind of bicycle fairy princess..?

We got a lot of friendly honks and waves that day.  Rode through a Civil War battlefield site, complete with cannons.  We made it about 30 miles early in the day, and after stopping to have some beans, Ed's bike started making funny sounds, and the back derailler (the thing that changes gears) basically fell off. We limped to a bike shop, about 6 miles away. The shop is called Pedals, Chains, and Things. The owner, Gary, was closed that day but answered the phone and came out to help us out. (Thank you, Gary!)  He, unfortunately, didn't have the part we needed, but gave us a ride to the only motel in town, a super classy one that didn't smell terrible at all. (Can you sense my sarcasm?)

Anyways, after some emergency surgery, we shortened the chain and turned Ed's bike into a single speed. He secretly wants to be a hipster anyways. We were stuck for the day, so we had some beers and watched Forrest Gump.

The next day we got up early, stored our bike trailers with the hotel manager, who spoke approximately 12 words of English, and booked it into Richmond (30 miles away) to get to the next bike shop in hopes of finding our part. We stopped about halfway and got a free coffee from some nice ladies (and a nice dog, Whiskey) who had bought an old bait and tackle shop and were turning it into a little market and art shop.

We ended up at the Bunny Hop Bicycle Shop, where they had our part and even sold Ed a new (used) mountain bike derailleur for a great price.  While we were waiting on the repairs, we went to a local barcade - a bar that had tons of arcade games - and had an interesting Thanksgiving sandwich - turkey, stuffing, and even cranberry sauce. It was tasty! We had a good time playing Mortal Kombat and there was even a game where you were playing as a bartenter, getting drinks to people before they got too angry, catching empty glasses, and picking up tips. Super fun!

Random picture from DC. Look, we look like normal people!!

Things worked out well in Richmond, we ended up with a working bike for Ed (yay!) and we got back to our motel in Hopewell get our trailers back.  The hotel manager had apparently misunderstood how long we'd take in Richmond, and yelled at us for taking too long and making him have to move our trailers around. He was un. happy. We apologized but he basically told us to get lost. Oh well, you win some and you lose some. We camped out behind the motel that night - it smelled better and it was free.

We got on the road the next day and finally got to covering some serious miles.  Southern Virginia and northern North Carolina were pretty remote, so there's not too much to report from those days. The land is pretty flat, luckily, so we can get some good mileage in.

Welcome to North Carolina! Yes, I'm still wearing my tiara.

We went through some swampland in North Carolina, where we saw tons of ducks and even a bald eagle! Definitely didn't expect that.  We camped out behind a little roadside cafe and almost got carried away by swarms of mosquitoes. It was awful! We hid in the tent and were mostly spared from them. The next morning, the owner came out and told us it was fine we'd camped there (it was already closed for the day when we showed up so we hoped for the best) but to be careful where we camped because in rural North Carolina we might get shot by folks who weren't quite as welcoming!

We had a great breakfast at Peggy's cafe and went on our way, hoping to avoid the rain that was forecast for all day.  We were headed towards Kitty Hawk and the outer banks of North Carolina.  We did well, but it started pouring on us the last 20 miles.  We did happen to stop by the home of Grave Digger, an apparently super famous monster truck:

There were tons of trucks everywhere and a huge garage where they rebuilt the crashed rigs. Sounds like it'd be a cool job!

We stopped into the Weeping Radish Brewery for a pint of beer, since the rain wasn't letting up. The folks there weren't very busy, so they asked us lots of questions about the trip, and gave us huge glasses of beer and some delicious homemade broccoli cheese soup and some pizza. Yum yum yum!

At the brewery, totally soaked but happy to be drinking a beer.

While we were there, Ed got a call from his old roommate. Bar exam results had come out. Ed passed! Conveniently, we were at a brewery! Congratulations to Ed!

One of the brewers, Brian, invited us to stay in a spare room in the house he was living in. He had hiked the PCT (Pacific Crest trail, like the Appalachian trail, but on the west coast) a few years ago and had been lucky enough to meet a few 'trail angels', people who feed hikers, leave them water, or put them up for a night. So he was kind enough to put us up, since he knew what it was like to be in our shoes. We stayed last night in a great house, drank a few beers with Brian to celebrate Ed's passing the bar, and ate some fantastic Cuban salad and bratwurst which was a gift from the brewery. Thank you, Brian, for your amazingly generous hospitality! You're awesome!

Now we're taking a day off, might take another one tomorrow (we'll see) and we'll be riding down the outer banks hoping for sunshine and no rain. Stay tuned!

Headed into the South!

In our last episode, your heroes were touring the nation’s capital, dining on worldly cuisine and feasting their eyes on monuments to our founding fathers. The next morning, Bobby Chui played the role of a most gracious host and cooked your brave heroes a breakfast of pumpkin pancakes.



We were set up for a great day of riding out of D.C. Bellies full of pumpkin pancakes. Decent weather. A dedicated bike trail into Mt. Vernon. We jumped onto our bikes and rode past the Lincoln Memorial once more. As Vanessa dismounted to snap a picture, something else snapped. One of the steel rails under her saddle snapped in half. We stared at the broken piece for a few minutes scratching our heads, wondering how the actual saddle could snap in two. Our spare parts bag is rather comprehensive, but we neglected to pack a spare saddle. But, we had the next best thing: duct tape! We taped up the seat well enough to get us to a bike shop that was only a couple of miles away.

After the pit stop, we rode the Mt. Vernon bike trail, which begins at Arlington National Cemetery and runs alongside the Potomac for some 20 miles. This was probably one of the best stretches of riding we’ve enjoyed thus far. The trail ran through green parks and fields, and seemed to be mostly downhill. At one point, we stopped to tighten up the spokes on my rear wheel just in time to see an overzealous rider wipe out as he tried to pass a couple of other cyclists and a woman pushing a stroller. This goes to show that there is no room for riding aggressively on a lazy bike trail.

Along the bike trail, there was a park that abuts a runway at Reagan International Airport. As we pedaled by, a plane passed not 50 feet over our heads! I felt like that we were in that scene in Wayne’s World (you know the scene). Later, my wheel got wobbly again, and we conveniently spied probably the best, and most properly targeted advertising on a bike trail. “Bike mechanic: 1 block to the right.” Ron at Wheel Nuts trued my wheels, and got us riding smooth.


The next day, we woke up to rain. We packed up the tent like two people possessed, and got on the road before 8. We made it approximately a half mile before the rain gods became angry again. We pulled into a little breakfast joint, where the waitress Lucy was thrilled that we were riding our bikes down the east coast. She gave us rosary beads, brownies for the road, and some free sodas. She told us that she had never gotten a post card from Key West. That, kind readers, shall change in roughly 3 weeks!

Mechanical problems kept us in Hopewell, VA last night and tonight. All's fixed now and we'll be in NC in a few days!

In our last episode: Your bold heroes were riding their steeds into the capital of our great nation. As the daylight grew dim, they found themselves with weary legs in unknown areas of the unfamiliar city. With over 70 miles of hilly terrain behind them, your heroes were faced with a decision: continue to pedal in through the dark streets of Washington, or hire a taxi to complete the ride in safety.

Well, we can no longer claim that we rode from Maine to Florida entirely on bicycles. We rode the last 5 miles to Craig's apartment on Capitol Hill.......in a taxi. This proved to be one of the best decisions we've (it was Vanessa's decision) made, because we would have ridden our bikes for at least another hour in the dark to find Craig's apartment. When we arrived, Craig did his best to pretend like we hadn't showered in ***** days (Editor's note: the number of days without shower has been withheld to protect the privacy of your heroes). We then showered, and proceeded to shindig at Capitol City Brewing Co. with a huge pile of friends. Shout out to
Jeff and Erica, their friends Jason and Susie, Shelley, Bobby Chiu!

The next day, Craig became a tour guide for us, and showed us some cool stuff around Capitol Hill that we would have never otherwise found. Our first notable event happened before we even arrived at our initial destination. As we walked past an average townhome, we saw a box set by the curb. The box whispered to us: "Search through me, and take whatever strikes your interest." So we searched. And we found treasure. I found a belt buckle with a built-in bottle opener. Vanessa found 5 seasons worth of Simpson's episodes on DVD. Score!

After our free junk score, we walked through Eastern Market and filled up on free apples,
crab cakes, empanadas, brownies, fried green tomatoes, and iced tea. We were able to justify our caloric intake by repeating to ourselves, "We be ridin' to Flawduh!" That afternoon, we took the Metro for the first time, and checked out Craig's law school, which is a few blocks from the White House and very nicely appointed. Not a bad location for mastery of The Law.

Our afternoon walking around D.C. left us famished. Before describing our dinner that night, I must point out that "ours is a nation of laws, not of men." One of these laws is "Upon sensation of the hunger, thou shalt fill thy belly with a chili dog from Ben's Chili Bowl." Fearing being branded an outlaw, I stopped at Ben's Chili Bowl to sample their chili smothered franks. Ben's is not a restaurant. It is an experience. It was, without a shadow of a doubt, the best hot dog in existence. Mindblowingly good.

15 minutes after the Ben's-induced out of body experience, we sat down at an Ethiopian restaurant, where we enjoyed the other best-meal-of-the-day that day. Ethiopian food is unlike anything I've eaten before, but the rosy and woozy feeling of satisfaction that I felt after stuffing myself is enough to convince me that Ethiopian food is good in a very serious way. Imagine Indian food with more spice served on a spongy, tangy bread. No need for utensils. A perfect meal!

Our last day in Washington began with more culinary escapades, and ended with more traditional tourism. To start the day, Vanessa, Bobby Chiu, and myself stumbled upon a Salvadoran pupuseria. A few months ago, Bobby showed me and Vanessa around Houston's chinatown, and we had some very memorable and delicious Chinese dishes (stinky tofu was delicious!). That day, Bobby and Vanessa got a taste of the mighty pupusa in......the middle of D.C. It was an unlikely place to find a huge concentration of Salvadoran folks, but the food was almost as good as back in El Salvador.

After the meal, Vanessa and I did like good tourists do and rode around all of the monuments. Normally, the typical monument isn't able to establish a dialogue with the present. They often embody only the days gone by, and their stories are only told by dusty history books. The monuments in Washington are different. They breathe.

As we rode from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial, from the Roosevelt to the Jefferson, I felt a connection to those enshrined men. At the risk of sounding excessively reverent, this entire bike trip would have been an impossibility had it not been for the direction of Lincoln during the Civil War. To add some perspective, without Lincoln, we would have needed a passport to cross into Virginia. The leadership of those men in those days past has defined our lives in the present day, and, all political squabbling aside, we have much to be thankful for.