The Bleached African Rides N.C.

<o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" name="State"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:ApplyBreakingRules/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> Been visiting with friends here in NC, and were treated to 2 days of riding...this is just a short write-up with pics for the people back home….read it if you want.
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This is Marvin (who's house I'm crashing) <st1lace><st1:city>Jamesville</st1:city> <st1:state>NC</st1:state></st1lace>, Charles from <st1lace><st1:city>Hendersonville</st1:city> <st1:state>NC</st1:state></st1lace> and Me, the bleached African from <st1:country-region><st1lace>South Africa</st1lace></st1:country-region>.
Charles, who rides the Wing-a-bago, rode up yesterday, a full day's ride in itself, but were ready for 2 more days of this before hanging it back home on Sunday....all in a days work when riding the flying couch .
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First call of duty is to gas up. For the first stretch I was on Marvin’s RF, but would swap it out for a loaned VFR a bit later.
All gassed we are set, and a great day’s riding lays ahead:
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[FONT=&quot]Life sure is GOOD
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to cont.


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Grabbing the 64 we rolled east to where we picked up the VFR(thanks Josh) for the rest of the ride.

As I soon learned, any stop was a bathroom break....American guys are worse than Souf Efrikan woman...s'true....

Filling the VFR was a good opportunity for Charles to grab a bite to eat....like bathroom breaks, eatin is something that happens a lot...not that I would complain about THAT though!!

The Honda V4 was thumping along like a steam train eating up the miles and soon we rolled through Plymouth and on over the Albemarle via the 45.

Heading east om Hwy 17 we hit Edenton and made a run along the waterfront:

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Funky canons right there & a pretty place for sure.

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In Edenton we made a quick stop at Marvin's workplace so he could make sure people were actually working while he was out riding...I think the party started as we turned the corner and made our way to Elizabeth City

As you would've guessed it was also a perfect bathroom break

One reason we took this route is to stop by the Grave Digger shop:

Here with Charles' Wing-a-bago pozin.....

We hung around checking out all the different evolutions of the monster truck. Looking at the early version, raised all redneck style with square tubing on leave springs, you gotta hand it to these guys jumping cars with that little travel....it HAD to be bone jarring. Respect!

Since and it was close to lunch time....and they had a funky diner setup....and it was time again for bathroom break....ehem.....we had lunch in the Diggers Diner.....works for me:

and there needs tom be a picture of the food...I know, I know....


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to cont.
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All filled and fired up, the 158 took us in a southerly direction towards Point Harbor where we crossed the Albemarle Sound again.

Now where I am from we have bridges, but this thing was like all the bridges in Souf Efrika put together then multiplied by 4....and it was not even the longest one we will travel over this day.....this is truly one of those things that are bigger and better in the US....awesome experience!!

Here trailing Marvin's Purple Connie:



Next important stop was Kitty Hawk!
Here I found that I am not the only skint stylee traveler. I refuse to pay for no stinkin trophy picture and will rather go an extra mile before paying anyone any entry fee....and so we took our been there, got the picture from the free side of the First Flight monument.



Cheap people are found all over the continent....I feel better .

to be cont.
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Lighthouses:

Once on the Outer Banks we headed South chasing down the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, our next major point of interest.

The ride down this road was awesome, ocean on one side and the Sound on the other....again we don't have stuff like this back home, so again a unique experience.

First stop here though was the Bodie Island Lighthouse.

One more:



From here it was past Hatteras Island to the big momma.....
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
and the obligatory funky trophy shot.....




Marvin showed me where they moved this old girl from, and it must have been nail biting for whoever the guy in charge of moving operations were.....not a job I would've wanted.

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The lighthouse was our turn around point, and so after heading to the point where the lighthouse used to stand and the picture of the scoot out there, we headed north, back to the mainland.

Turning West when we hit whalebone and onto Hwy 64 and another one of them monster long bridges.

The Luxo-lounger covering my 6 over the Bonner Bridge:



On to Naggs Head where a bathroom and food awaits........hehe


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DOLPHIN !!! what!!.....people should not be eatin Dolphin!! Sure enough, right there on the menu.....
Flipper!!

Charles showed me the "other" Dolphin in pictures on the wall, and since I was sure to freak out at least one person back home with my story of eating Dolphin in the US.....Dolphin was what I wanted on my plate:




After another bathroom break...sheeeshh....we said goodbye to Manteo and kicked up the pace down Rt 64






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Getting a bit saddle sore and with my right hand on the edge of going into a terminal cramp we pull up for the last .....you guessed it....bathroom break



An hour later we park the VFR and swap back to the RF for tomorrows ride:



Day 2, Coming to a screen near you..... soon:
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Great so far. Thanks!
Me lovey OBX.

Barbecue is something you eat, not something you do or heaven forbid, the thing you do it on.

Down here that is a fact that no dictionary, Wikipedia, or discussion, violent or otherwise will change...ever. So this second day of riding was dedicated to chasing down good Barbecue. Fortunately one of, or for some THE place, to find the perfect mix of chopped pig, mixed with just the right amount of chopped crackling and other things I'm not privy of can be found within easy riding distance from Marvin's house.

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So after breakfast and a quick bathroom break we fire up our scoots and point them in the general direction of Ayden.

Sorry, no pictures of the ride there, I was hungry, the ride was fast, bathroom breaks few and so the camera remained firmly stacked away.
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By midday we arrived at what looked nothing like a famous eatery :



Marvin said it was going to be good though, and I trust him when it comes to food...he's a Baptist.

It is called the Skylight Inn, and inside they had some impressive pictures and newspaper cuttings of all the previous presidents that had eaten here.
The dude choppin the pork looked monster serious, so things were looking good....did I mention the line were to the door?



Somehow I expected more of a taste sensation.........but some Texas Pete sorted that....



Funky looking place.....



After lunch we headed back home. Again not many pictures for the afternoon, but we did cross this cool bridge on the way out of Greenville.



Pictures of the ride back.....sorry not much there:





Just outside of Jamesville we ran across this ...:huh...yard art???



Yea well nofine....

And so ended 2 great days of riding on the wrong side of the road.

Charles hung around till around 9PM before making the trip back to Hendersonville, which he made by 4AM the next morning......Goldwing riders.......
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And this is late breaking news, but it seems not only GS riders like to pass you standing up while looking down on you....Connie riders do it too....



Punks.


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I drove all the way down to Hatteras, then took a 45 minutes ferry to Ocracoke Is to spend the night. Then continued the next day via another ferry to Cedar Is. and on to Mirtle Beach.

Nice ride you did!

It looks like you guys had a good time even if the BBQ was so so.

Robert Overby
Grimesland NC
2009 R 1200GSA
2007 K 1200 GT
1990 Harley LowRider

Yea it looks like you could set up a cool ride to include a few ferry trips on a OBX loop??

Sorry to hear about the BBQ.

Is it too late to send you to B's BBQ in Greenville? They open at 11 and shut the doors when the food runs out.

Not sure if we will have time for another run before I head back home.....will see....where are they located??

They are at the intersection of 5th St (Hwy 43 Bypass) and B's BBQ Rd. NW corner of Greenville. It is a small cinder block building that looks a bit rundown, but there should be a line out the front door. If you go, get there early.

You guys are about an hour from me - nice trip report! Since you're close by, try a "Bill's" hot dog in downtown "Little Washington" They have an interesting potato chili on them with a hint of horseradish.

Funny that, we ate just around the corner from there Wednesday, and the guy I was with stopped in front of Bill's to show me where to get the "worlds best hotdog" .... his wife just pulled a face.......hehe......BUT, there were a load a people in there though!