About an hour into my ride (biking through boring strip mall along highway) it was clear to me that change in my saddle alone wouldn't be enough. So, I pulled over into a parking lot and took some time to make and experiment with a bit bigger change, pushing my saddle back on the rails (and consequently lowering the saddle as well), which I had been reluctant to do, because while it lessens pressure on my hands, it affects other fit parameters that may lead to other problems. But it felt worth the try. Whether it helped is hard to say, as I feel certain I have given myself an injury that will take time to heal. I found myself moving my hand positions constantly, switching from gloved to ungloved to even my big winter gloves, all throughout the day, trying to keep my hands from hurting or being further injured. It was a frustrating exercise.
I biked along 70, deciding to take the long route to Emerald Isle, heading to Atlantic Beach first, and along the island. As expected, thunder rumbled and the heavens opened up and poured down on me. I didn't bother with rain gear. When it's this hot, I welcome getting wet. And with the way it storms around here, I knew it might stop at any moment. So, I let myself get thoroughly soaked. Eventually, just as expected, the storm died, and the sun came back full force, by around the time I reached the coast at Morehead City. I took some time at the visitor center to soak up some of that sun and see the shore, watching a man feed a flock of gulls. It was funny how good I felt wet outside and how frigid it was stepping into the air-conditioned inside to use the restroom, for once actually wanting back into the heat.
It was astounding how quickly I got dry as I rode on. I soon crossed the high rise bridge, with a good shoulder thankfully, to reach Atlantic Beach. Biking along the island was fun. I was frustrated that the main drive didn't give me any view of either the ocean or bay, and for a long time there wasn't much to see. But the ocean was never far off, even if out of sight, with many side parking lots and boardwalks to reach the public Access beach, stretching many, many miles across the island. I was able to enjoy some beach time. But as it started to drizzle again and look like more rain coming, I decided I best start making time.
As I was biking along the shoulder, getting close, suddenly a woman got out of her truck and flagged me down. I was very confused as I approached, until I recognized her from her profile picture. She was my host for tonight. I asked if she was Liz, and she if I was Eli. She was surprised I was coming from this direction since she knew where I had been last night, but I told her I wanted to take the scenic route. She drove home and I powered my way there myself, getting some nice bike trail for the last stretch.
She was soon to leave for work for the evening, but her mother was staying the night, and another guest, a Korean bike tourist making his way from LA to New York, was soon to come. I enjoyed a beer and PB and J sandwiches while talking to my host, then showered after she left. And by the time I finished, the Korean cyclist had arrived. The host's mother was generous enough to take us both out to dinner...a place whose menu definitely helped drill home that I am out of place as a vegetarian in this part of the South (my salad unexpectedly came with a few bacon bits which I felt I had no choice but pretend not to notice). It was interesting having the dual culture exposure to someone Southern and someone from South Korea. The Korean cyclist had had some great adventures on this tour, his first. He talked about how camping in a tent in public parks would get him in trouble, but sleeping on picnic tables no one would bother him. He told a great account of waking up to a spider on him in the desert, and of taking cover under a stone table in a tornado warning. He's more adventurous than I am.
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