Nearly Virginia…

But not quite.  I’m in Henderson, NC, having slept well in a Knights Inn (a poor substitute for a Motel 6 — this one’s phone didn’t work, its bathroom was falling apart, and the sheets had holes.  Other than that, it’s fine.)

Four Corners Day , Epic Ride Day 41:

I left Mike and Joyce’s heading for Dave vanSlyke’s house near Salisbury, NC.  Dave’s a member of the NT-Owners Club and a member of an even more exclusive club:  The NT-Owners 50,000 mile sticker owner’s group.  I presented  him with his sticker and he proudly put on his left pannier:

I gave it to him daylight but didn’t take the picture until we got here to Henderson.  Dave also has a Zumo350LM like I just got and we spent some time figuring out how to plan a trip on the Zumo.  One might say that Garmin’s instructions are both sparse and non-intuitive.  But we made great headway.  Then we learned that the Zumo needs a micro-SD card to hold more than part of a big route.

While at Dave’s I also realized that I’d left my SD card for my camera at Mike and Joyce’s, so it was off to Walmart before we made any serious mileage.  Then we ate at Zaxby’s where they had thoughtfully hung this sign in my honor:

Dave in Zaxby’s parking lot.

Dave on the road.

After we left Zaxby’s we rode about 140 miles NE on I-85 until I’d had enough for the day.  I checked into the Knights Inn and Dave and I went to the nearby Cracker Barrel for an excellent apple dumpling ala mode and conversation.

Dave rides one-way 55 miles to work every night and he added a neat thing to increase his visibility.  It’s a combo of an LED that shines only on his wheel rim and photoluminiscent tape that soaks up the photons from the LED and then emits them as he rides:

They’re brighter than they look in this shot.

Today, I’m headed for Chesapeake, VA, to buy an EZPass so I’ll have access to toll bridges and roads in the NE.  Nearly all the northeastern states share the same freeway billing system, which seems like a great idea.  Then I’ll go over/under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel, up the eastern peninsula of Chesapeake Bay through Virginia, Delaware and Maryland.  I’ll skirt Philadelphia and head up into Pennsylvania and New York.  I don’t know how far I’ll get today, but may actually camp again tonight.

I realized last night that I’d been within about 15 miles of good friends Bill and Barb Horgan in Concord, NC.  I wish I could have seen them.  I’ve probably been close to others I would have wanted to see on the Epic Ride, but the Four Corners imposes some time limits.  I’ve got to get to Madawaska by midnight Sunday to be a “finisher.”  I’m guessing that I’ll be there by Saturday.

Stats:  Day, 437 miles; Trip, 14,230 miles; Year, 20,231 miles; Total, 72,204 miles.