Day 3: The Long and Winding Road

Day 3:

7:00 AM to 10:00 PM

495 miles

Holiday Inn Express: Against my better judgement we wake up at 6:00 AM to get a head start. I had to convince Mike to stop and eat the complimentary breakfast. He later admitted it was better then Perkins.

Roanoke Virginia (The Lost Colony): We stopped at the supposed site of Roanoke Virginia. The story goes that in the 1500's, people from England came to colonize America. They began to run out of supplies, so they sent one person back to get some more. Unfortunately all of the ships were being utilized for the war, so he could not return until 3 years later. When he did return, the people were gone and the only signs were the letters CRO carved on a tree and CROATOAN carved on a fence post. No one knows what happened to the people and the actual site of the colony has also been lost. When we got there at 7:30 in the morning, it also appeared to be a ghost town. We wandered around what appeared to be a stage area. I'm not sure if we were actually allowed there.

I also found a realistic looking hut and a plastic fish which helped me imagine what it must have been like as a settler.

There was also a scene from Charlotte's Web on display. I'm not sure how it relates to the lost colony.

Gas Station #148: I can't remember how many times I've filled up. I feel like we're on a tour of America's gas stations. Mike informs me that we'll have to fill up 6 more times before we reach Florida. 

Gas Station #149: We pull over to gas up and it starts to thunderstorm. After waiting for about a half hour, we put on our rain gear and power through it. We ride for about 20 miles and the sky clears. It's amazing how fast your clothes can dry on a motorcycle.

Somewhere on Rte 17: One of Mike's rain covers starts to slip off. I motion for him to pull over and attempt to pull into a driveway. Anticipating Mike not being able to slow down fast enough, I myself do not slow down fast enough and I bump into a curb which sends the bike to the ground. For a minute my ankle was trapped under the bike, but I was able to pull it up and get out of the road. Luckily, the frameslider blocked any damage. We take a 5 minute break and reflect on our thoughts. 

Myrtle Beach: We stop at "The Great Outdoors" sporting goods emporium. I have never seen so much hunting/camping/fishing equipment in all my life. Mike buys some shorts. Then we go to Hooters and I eat 20 hot wings.

South Carolina: Mike and I switch bikes to give my back a rest. Apparently you can't cruise on a Honda Shadow doing 70 in 3rd gear because it will overheat. Luckily the bike has a safety mechanism which turns the engine off when it gets too hot. We pour some bottled water on the engine and let it sit for a few minutes. Mike takes his bike back. 

Southern South Carolina: The sun is really pretty as it's setting and we're driving through the last part of Rte 17. We pull over to reflect a little bit on all the driving we've done. Mike looks for alligators in the marsh below an underpass. While we are resting on a bridge a police officer pulls over and checks us out. He turns out to be very friendly and gives us directions to our next intersection and some recommendations for places to stop and eat. He looks like he is about 23. 

McDonalds: We pull over to get some food and decide that enough is enough for one day. We're disappointed we didn't make Florida, but we don't want to push ourselves too much.