264 miles: Outer Banks NC

[racinchef]

What a ride! I was able to hook up with a new riding buddy that lives in Gatesville, NC and we shot the Outer Banks and around the Albemarle Sound. The temperature when I left the house at 6:40 am was a brisk 32F. I left out of Virginia Beach southward along the coast down through a rural part of the area known as Back Bay. It was a totally different world than the helter skelter of the rest of the Hampton Roads area. I hooked up with route 168 just south of the toll road, the Chesapeake Expressway. I met Richard, who rides a Yamaha V-Star Silverado 1100, at place called the Border Station and we had breakfast and plotted our strategy. We followed 168 all the way to 158 and continued east on 158 to Nags Head and Whalebone where we crossed over to Roanoke Island through Manteo on route 64. From here we continued westward and over the Alligator River to the mainland. For the longest time it seemed we were riding through swampland with a narrow muddy river running alongside the highway. Finally we hit civilization in Columbia and made a much-needed bathroom and fuel stop. In Scuppernong, west of Columbia, we turned off 64 and onto route 94 heading north toward Edenton. We hooked up with route 32 before too long and crossed another part of the Albemarle Sound. We eventually crossed US17 in Edenton and continued on 32 all the way up to Sunbury and route 158 turning west toward Gatesville where Richard lives. Another cup of coffee at Richard’s and I resumed my trek northward bisecting US13 and crossing into VA. I took the route 13 bypass around Suffolk and hooked up with the route 58 bypass and into I64 back to Virginia Beach and home. Mileage was about 264 and I was out for 8 hours. The temperature was supposed to get into the mid to high 50’s and it probably did, but it never seemed to warm up very much as we never stopped very long. My thermometer did show 60F when I got home. Any time we crossed an expanse of water it seemed cooler either due to lower temps or wind-chill. Having lived in VT, I’ve come to realize that cold is relative to where you are and what you are doing outside. The roads were terrific all along the way by New England standards and most of the scenery was flat wide open fields except when we were near or crossing water. There will be a similar ride going on April 23-26 during the annual Outer Banks Bike Week. See http://www.outerbanksbikeweek.com Sorry, this link will take you to the Kitty Hawk Harley dealership where you can select the Outer Banks Bike Week from the webpage.

[Cajunrider]

Sounds like you guys had a great ride. My wife and I did a 300 mile round trip back to my old hometown of Ville Platte, LA. That is French for "Flat Town". We visited relatives and headed home before dark. Kind of cool but a beautiful day to ride. Plenty of bikes on the road and at the Biker Barn Saloon on I-49.