Annual NC Coastal Ride Oct 21-23

Still in the planning stages but to continue 2 of our personal traditions- autumn ride to the coast and visiting all of my state's parks, rec areas, etc.- Ken the HD Guy and I are heading east!

Leave out from Asheboro, NC on Friday Oct 21. Meander southeast to visit Bladen Lakes State Forest and Fort Fisher State Park then back up along the coast towards Topsail Beach/Surf City, NC to overnight. Then on to Hammocks Beach State Park and Fort Macon State Park. Here's where things might get a little dicey.....ferry from Cedar Island out to the outer Outer Banks- first Ocracoke lighthouse. Ferry again from Ocracoke to Hatteras- another lighthouse! Motor to southern Nag's Head to overnight and seafood. Long day timewise, not so much miles-wise.

Sunday we go home.

No leader except whoever has the route/destination on a gps. Very informal, everyone is welcome. Minimal interstate but when east of Raleigh-wood things get kinda straight and flat. Feelings won't be hurt if someone wants to peel off and go his own way for sights, riding, whatever. Everyone makes his own reservations, etc. I will email routes I develop to anyone who asks.

If you're an ATGATT snob be aware that some participants may not meet your personal requirements. You may want to consider staying away if this is the case. JSNS.

For those who, like me, need pictures- the basic routes. Day 1 starts on the left and goes southeast magenta then north-ish red. Day 2 is blue east and on. Under the route label is 2 different ferry rides. Day 3 is go home, no routing need for that!

Friday night, 10/21

Comfort Suites

130 Workshop LN

Jacksonville, NC

Saturday night, 10/22

Rodeway Inn & Suites

7218 S Virginia Dare Trail

Nag's Head, NC

Saturday supper here.

BUMP. Haven't changed, still planning to go.

B U M P

The ride is a GO!! Called motels and seafood restaurant, all is well. Rerouting required around the still-flooded Carolina Bays area. Ferry ride is out as Ocracoke Island is off limits still except to residents, owners, authorized vendors, etc.

I've been asked why things are still flooded so......

imagine the Everglades. Big, wide, very slow moving river. Well, that's the (North) Carolina Bays area here. 60-80 miles from the coast, elevation of 55-80 ft. Simply no place for the water to drain to at a foot per mile average declination. As we speak some of the southern parts of I-95 are still under water. Traffic is being routed to the south and west so we're gonna try going around the north and east sides.

Wish us luck!! Could be a lot of u-turns, even more than normal!

I need to get to the OBX some off season for a ride...have fun on your ride.

I will visit this area sometime. with wifey likely.

wheatonFJR said:

I need to get to the OBX some off season for a ride...have fun on your ride.
I will visit this area sometime. with wifey likely.

Click to expand...

Seems I recall someone sayone something like that last year.......

So anywho, the visitor ban for Ocracoke Island has been lifted! Now to see if the the southern ferry is running yet, glad we made reservations!

rbentnail said:

wheatonFJR said:

I need to get to the OBX some off season for a ride...have fun on your ride.

I will visit this area sometime. with wifey likely.

Click to expand...

Seems I recall someone sayone something like that last year.......
So anywho, the visitor ban for Ocracoke Island has been lifted! Now to see if the the southern ferry is running yet, glad we made reservations!

Click to expand...

Yep, atleast you know I WANT to get out there. This year after the hurricane, prolly not.

wheatonFJR said:

rbentnail said:

wheatonFJR said:

I need to get to the OBX some off season for a ride...have fun on your ride.

I will visit this area sometime. with wifey likely.

Click to expand...

Seems I recall someone sayone something like that last year.......
So anywho, the visitor ban for Ocracoke Island has been lifted! Now to see if the the southern ferry is running yet, glad we made reservations!

Click to expand...

Yep, atleast you know I WANT to get out there. This year after the hurricane, prolly not.

Click to expand...

Yeah maybe not but u-turns and rerouting on the fly can be an adventure in themselves!

rbentnail said:

wheatonFJR said:

rbentnail said:

wheatonFJR said:

I need to get to the OBX some off season for a ride...have fun on your ride.

I will visit this area sometime. with wifey likely.

Click to expand...

Seems I recall someone sayone something like that last year.......
So anywho, the visitor ban for Ocracoke Island has been lifted! Now to see if the the southern ferry is running yet, glad we made reservations!

Click to expand...

Yep, atleast you know I WANT to get out there. This year after the hurricane, prolly not.

Click to expand...

Yeah maybe not but u-turns and rerouting on the fly can be an adventure in themselves!

Click to expand...

I haven't been back there since 74 and my wife has never been there...definitely on the list for a longer weekend with wifey.

wheatonFJR said:

I haven't been back there since 74 and my wife has never been there...definitely on the list for a longer weekend with wifey.

Click to expand...

Goofy event for the weekend, too. Old Long-time US Navy friends up by D.C., both retired, love to travel, non-bikers but the kind of folks who will drive 4,5,6 hrs for a good sight, visit and/or meal.

So I emailed them a couple of weeks ago and told them of the trip and said if they're really bored to come on down for a night, we'll have seafood the go home in the morning. Turns out they had booked a long weekend the same time, not far down the road, and will be dining with us Saturday night. Very cool!!

Welp, we went!!

As mentioned earlier, over the past few years Ken the HD Guy and I have created a couple of traditions for ourselves- an autumn ride to the coast and seeking out & visiting all of NC's State Parks. This year was no different....

So Friday Ken shows up at my place as scheduled. I live in central NC, Ken about 150 miles up the road in Lynchburg, VA. Don't diss him b/c he's on a Harley- he and I have ridden various trips from Maine to Mobile and numerous places in between.


First day's ride was uneventful, first heading southeast with a wide swing detour around Hurricane Matthew still-flooded areas to our first stop- Fort Fisher State Historical Site. We walked around a bit, stretching after 220 miles.





Then lunchtime. Tho the planned route from here was different, I smelled a cafe as we passed so we backtracked to it for lunch. It was worth it!




Then on to our second stop of the day, Hammock's Beach State Park.


Then on to the motel & supper. Didn't do much as we had to get an early start the next morning to catch our first ferry of the trip!

Next morning was early out, 6:30, before sunrise, since we had ferry reservations to get to Ocracoke Island- the lower part of the famed NC Outer Banks. The ferry runs only 3 times per day so we did the 10:30 am one. But first, another State Park on the way. Fort Macon. Pardon the hand- I had to shade the very early morning sun.



Now, I know folks are always extolling the vistas of the mountains, and rightly so. But IMHO people don't visit the coast enough so I'll try to show the vastness, variety and beauty of it along with the ferry to Out Yonder. It was pretty windy, "38 Nor'Wester" the man said so there was no traveling far from the bikes with the 6-8 foot swells. We did fine without lashing them down. In the last pic of this group, dead in the middle, you can see the first of our 3 lighthouse visits- the Ocracoke Island Lighthouse.

Once on Ocracoke we visited the British Cemetery to pay our respects.



And on to the lighthouse.....





.....and lunch. Didn't want much as we were meeting folks for seafood later that evening.


Then another ferry to get to the next island, Hatteras, and its Lighthouse. The guy on the bike was doing a ride too- some 50 miles to the first ferry where we met him, the length of Okracoke (18 miles?) and on the ferry with us again to Hatteras.







Then supper and sleep.



Sunday = LastDay. We slept in, relatively, until nearly 9 o'clock!! Man, that felt good. Then off we go to our final destination before heading home, the Bodie Island Lighthouse.



Then homeward bound. Uneventful ending but I'll leave you with one last pic, a panorama thing. Ken on the left, while on the ferry approaching Hatteras.


So now, after some 4 years of travels hither and yon we have (AFAIK) completed our tour of NC's state parks. The list started with 27 parks and grew & grew as we found state recreation areas, forests, and the like. The list now is up to 47 different places visited. I've said before- this is a great way to a) not ride the same places over and over, get out and visit your tax dollars at work in your own state! Many of these places I never would have seen as they are on dead end roads and we (the collective "we") tend to plan loop rides.

Darn! I wish I had know about this. It looks like fun. I'd like to join you next year.

JAB said:

Darn! I wish I had know about this. It looks like fun. I'd like to join you next year.

Click to expand...

Then you gotta keep up with this section https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/forum/67-southeast/

Plans for next fall have already begun. JS.