outerbanks cycling

Date: May 29, 2004

outerbanks cycling

Date: May 29, 2004

While stationed at Seymour Johnson AFB in Goldsboro,NC I rode self contain to the beach solo 3 times.

My first year I rode to Ocracoke Island.via New Bern and Sealevel.

The next year I cycled to the Bodie (Body) Island Light House and set up camp at Oregon Inlet Camp Ground. I camped out in Greenville, Goose Creek State Park, Engelhard, Manteo and then met my family at Oregon Inlet.

The last year I camped outside of New Bern, then Otway, Cape Lookout , Ocracoke and finished up at Rodanthe.

What would you like to know?

I used the North Carolina Bicycling Highway maps . Map set A "Mountains to the Sea" and Map set F "Ocracoke Option" Both sets were a great resource.

If you send me your E-mail I can send you some pictures.

Take care I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Date: May 30, 2004

thanks, bill!

i guess my main concern is keeping the chain and cassette free of sand as well as the brakes. .i,ll have to protect my bike with some sort of plastic while at the beach,and do some cleaning/maintenance when i can. i know it,s windy there as well, so i,m wondering if the sand will stick to my chain while riding.

i,ll be riding from currituck to ocracoke and back,and all of the camping will be beach camping.

i,d love to see your photos,bill,and you can send them to the email address listed here.

thanks for any info.

felicia

Date: May 31, 2004

hi Felicia

i live in kill devil hills, and i dont cycle south of nags head on highway 12 towards Hatteras. especially now that the tourist season is in full swing - the shoulder is narrow and sometimes non-existant; with delivery trucks, RVs and other tourists zooming by at 60+ miles an hour, eyes everywhere but the road. also, oregon inlet bridge has no shoulder. it frustrates me to hear the NCDOT brag about cycling opportunities on the outer banks and to know that really, it is not that safe. sorry to be a killjoy. good news is, once you get to Ocracoke, it's an awesome island, and the town is perfect for a cruizer. just dont forget the sunscreen and mosquito spray.

i ride the beach road from south nags head to north kitty hawk in the early mornings, nice quiet ride, and i ride back in kitty hawk village, duck woods, and southern shores, beautiful meritime forest, quiet roads. Chip at KDH Cycle will help you with anything you need. super folks in there.

good luck

Date: May 31, 2004

i didnt see your last post about the sand. definatly a problem. use a thin lube and a can of air, and clean well when you get home. i am learning that you must be extremely diligent about cleaning and replacing your chain. i'm on my third cassette on my year old bike. (riding in rain doesnt help) i just switched to a teflon lube. hope it helps. those cassettes aint cheap!

Date: Jun 1, 2004

I biked the entire OBX on a 8 day trip from Trenton NJ to Wilmington NC October 2002. It was a perfect time. The campgrounds were open, but not crowded. I stayed at the oregon inlet campground, and a private campground in Ocracoke.

The pros: Easy biking. Nice places to visit.

The cons: One road for most of the way, usally with no view. Bugs. Winnebego travel homes that crowded me to the side of the shoulder. Isolation-a huuricane was wandering around in the Atlantic, and if it headed our way I needed to find a way off. Wind can be bad even in good weather.

Date: Jun 2, 2004

Felicia,

Good to see you back w CNC again. Good luck on your trip to the OB. That's a cool place to ride and wander.

We rode OB in '99 as aprt of CNC, from Swan Qtr to Maneo. I remember NC 12 as being narrow and high traffic-ed, esp that day. They had given the call to evacuate the OB, and folks were hauling big boats north on 12 all day past us as we rode north. Look out for fishing tackle hanging off the side of the boats, it was close a few times... I did enjoy the views from the bridges, and off both sides of 12. At times, water is on both sides only a few yards away.

Good question re sand and lube. If you can hear your chain, it needs attention. If you notice it as you ride, look for a hose at a convenience store and wash your chain off w water. A good lube will not wash off, but the sand and gunk will. I like Prolink myself. Durable w/o being greasy, doesn't seem to attract gunk. If it's windy, and it's more likely to be windy than not, you'll see sand devils sweeping across the road at times. I'd wash your whole bike once you leave the island to get all teh salt and sand off of it. Be sure to leave your bike in the full sun to dry after you wash it, water in small crevices is a bad thing.

I'd plan to stay at a B&B in Ocracoke and ride for a day or 2. It's only 16 mi, but lots of empty beaches where the horses run. Did you know that 4 British sailors are buried near the lighthouse? These guys were defending the US in the spring of 42 when their small ship was sunk by a Uboat. Churchill sent the US ships to defend US waters cause the US Navy was unprepared for the Uboat onslaught. Their bodies washed up on shore, and the locals buried them. I plan to visit their graves and pay my respects next time I am there.

Enjoy your trip, Jack

Date: Jun 2, 2004

quote: hi maureen! thanks for all your tips. i,ll be staying in kitty hawk at the hostel for 2 nights. i'd like to see the wright museum and any other worthwile attractions there may be. i know it,s a touristy area,so i don,t plan on staying too long!

i thought there were bike paths along parts of the outer banks?? although i prefer the road since it,s faster, there may be times early in the am when io,d enjoy the path. let me know your thoughts on this.

thanks for the tips!

felicia

Originally posted by: maureen
"hi Felicia i live in kill devil hills, and i dont cycle south of nags head on highway 12 towards Hatteras. especially now that the tourist season is in full swing - the shoulder is narrow and sometimes non-existant; with delivery trucks, RVs and other tourists zooming by at 60+ miles an hour, eyes everywhere but the road. also, oregon inlet bridge has no shoulder. it frustrates me to hear the NCDOT brag about cycling opportunities on the outer banks and to know that really, it is not that safe. sorry to be a killjoy. good news is, once you get to Ocracoke, it's an awesome island, and the town is perfect for a cruizer. just dont forget the sunscreen and mosquito spray. i ride the beach road from south nags head to north kitty hawk in the early mornings, nice quiet ride, and i ride back in kitty hawk village, duck woods, and southern shores, beautiful meritime forest, quiet roads. Chip at KDH Cycle will help you with anything you need. super folks in there. good luck "

Date: Jun 2, 2004

jack!

good to hear from you. thanks for the useful tips! i appreciate any and all info,good and bad, from riders who have done riding on obx.

i also use pro link,so that,s a start. i do plan to keep my bike as clean as possible as often as possible. i,m going to camp at the nps campground for 2 nights and then stay in a guest house for 2 before heading back north.

sounds like "be careful" is the name of the game while riding on 12. early starts should help with traffic as well as travelling mid week. where are these bike paths i,ve been reading about?

thanks for the input!

felicia

Date: Jun 2, 2004

Hi Felicia,

Did you get the photos ? I sent them to the CNC e-mail address. I didn,t see any other address.

The comment about washing your chain off with a hose is exactly what I did. The sand comes right off.

Bill

Date: Jun 4, 2004

Hi Felicia
I live in Duck, and thought I'd put in my two cents worth. I agree with you about bike paths generally, but I tend to use the Southern Shores path because it has pretty low pedestrian traffic and I think it is safer than the roads it borders. You'll find wide shoulders from Corolla to Duck, then the Duck trail. This is problematic. The trail has a lot of traffic, and the road (Hwy 12) is horrible. Pick your poision and take it slow thru Duck. In SS, take to the residential streets, you'll see some beautiful parts of the Outer Banks not usually seen by tourists. On Woods Road in KH, use the road, the bike path is beautiful but unridable. The hostel is in a great location. From there, take KH road to Moor Shore Dr. Turn on Moor Shore and take the brand new path that cuts through to Bay Drive in KDH. You can go all the way south on bay drive and connect to the KDH path which takes you right to the back door of the memorial. Going south from there, take the beach road. The by-pass is too busy and WAY too fast.

As for the sand problem, the key is to have a clean drive train. Use a wax lube like White Lightning, and use it sparingly. I've never replaced a cassette in 16k miles, and my chains usually last 3-4k miles. You're not likely to encounter blowing sand on the road, but watch out for sand on the road, it's slippery. If you're camping at park service campgrounds, they tend to be pretty sandy, and you might have some blowing sand. I'd cover up my drive train when parked there.

Watch out for those RV's on Hatteras Island.

Have fun.

Date: Jun 5, 2004

hi again

What Earl said, plus,

let me add:
Cottage rental turnover day is Saturday; therefore, highway 12 from corolla to Kitty Hawk is a zoo on Saturdays. I have heard that Wednesday is the busiest day for Ocracoke. Day trippers from the northern outerbanks head down there middle week, after they have had a couple beach days and are all sunburned. monday or tuesday is probably your best bet.

I really don’t know what to tell you about highway 12 south of Naghead. If you want to go to hatteras, it’s really the only practical way. The worse part is the bridge and the section of road right after it. There is no shoulder, and the road drops 6 inches to very soft sand. there is a 2 ft wide shoulder that starts somewhere between the bridge and rodanthe.

here is detail of the backroads and places of interest.

From corolla, go thru duck. Take a right at the first light past duck (sea oats trail) and follow it around to the stop sign. Take a right at the stop sign (hillcrest drive). Go approx 1 mile, right at stopsign (hickory). Down the hill, enjoy the scenery, you are in duck woods. Take a right at the stopsign (east dogwood trail). Over bridge, left at stopsign. (north dogwood).. Go 2 miles, (I highly recommend a little detour at mile 1.5, taking a right at ginguite trail and following it along ginguite creek; really beautiful. Then take a left at the stopsign (pintail) and you are back to n dogwood). Back on dogwood, go thru the stoplight, now you are in kitty hawk maritime forest and the road is now called Woods road. After about a half mile, there will be a small unmarked road to the right with a grey guardhouse. There is a covered bridge a short way down that road. I have been down there and nobody seemed to care. You should check it out. After you check out the bridge and come back, take woods road to the stop sign (kitty hawk road). Take a right. the hostel is on the right.

There is a bath house on the beach road (hwy 12) just south of kitty hawk road. Johns drivein is about a quarter mile south of that and had great (fresh)tuna sandwiches. Also, at the intersection of bch rd and kitty hawk road is a restaurant called black pelican. Supposedly good woodfired pizza, probably pricey. About 2 blocks south of kitty hawk road on the 158 bypass (on the right) is a health food store and deli. I strongly suggest you do not ride your bike on the bypass. Go thru the parking lot on the first block and walk the second.

Once you leave the hostel to continue south on the outerbanks, go back out kitty hawk road, but take a right on moore shore rd. keep a eye to the right. About 6 houses down you will see a monument marking where the Wright bros built their plane. Keeping going on moore shore till it dead ends on a bike path. Take the bike path, enjoy the view!! When it ends, go up the top of the hill and take a right at the stopsign. You will now be on bay drive. Go approx 3 miles to stopsign. But, if you need groceries, take a left at third street (this is before the stopsign) and go to 158 to the foodlion. Back on bay, follow it around, turns into canal rd. take a right at stopsign, you are now on first st. although I don’t think there any signs telling you. Take 1st (it’s bendy) to the dead end and get on the bike path. This will take you to colington rd. the bike path follows colington road. The second driveway to the left is the wright bros airport. Turn in there and follow the sidewalk to the monument. The museum is on the other side. Walk up the top of the hill for an excellent view. You can leave the park via the way you came in or out the front exit. Either way, you want to head east to the beach road. Go south on the beach road. KDH cycle is on the left, just south of the light. Really nice folks in there, Chip and Sonny. Continue south on the beach road. Past milepost 11, there is a galaxy golf course on the right and a public bath house on the left. On the next block is Tortugas Lie, a killer place to have lunch. You can park your bike behind the restaurant (north side) back at the volley ball courts. My brother co-ownes the restaurant. If the hostess is a high-school age brunette, that would be my daughter. Less then a mile down the road past tortugas is jockey’s ridge. The highest natural sanddune on the east coast. If you want to visit it. Take a right on hollowell st, cross the bypass into the park. There is a walk-thru museum, and I’m sure if you asked, they would let you put your bike inside somewhere. Climb the dune for an excellent view of the sound and ocean. Continue south on 12, less than a mile, at the south west corner of 12 and soundside rd, is an old wooden building that houses a museum that holds things found by a women who lived there and beachcombed every day of her adult life. Lots of beachglass, bottles and other stuff from what I have heard. I haven’t been in it yet, but plan to go. I don’t even think there is a sign. The building use to be Midgette's seafood store. Continue south on 12 - just past mp 16, it will bend to the west, you want to go straight on old Oregon inlet rd, this is less busy than 12 and will take you thru south nagshead and will meet up with 12 about 5 miles down. Once you meet up with 12 you need to take a left and watch out for traffic! Bodie island lighthouse (pronounced body) is on the right. Check it out. Cant climb it though. Continue south. Once you get to rodanthe, the first store on the right (liberty gas) is the biggest grocery store in town. Don’t know about places to eat. If you are spending the night, I guess I would recommend Down Under, on the right, and possibly the pier house restaurant (if it’s still there after Isabelle) for breakfast.

There is a bike shop and food lion grocery in avon on the right at the second light. There is a conners grocery in buxton on the right after the lighthouse entrance. And orange blossom bakery also on the right.

Well, that aught to get you going, have fun!
I’d gladly give you my cell phone number to hold on to in case you needed emergency help. I’m in hatteras wednesdays and thursdays.
I’m obxcylist at earthlink dot net

Date: Jun 6, 2004

Wow, Maureen covered that in detail. That route through SS is my EXACT training route. I know we must pass each other sometimes. I was on Hatteras yesterday, and noticed that the shoulder starts about two miles south of the bridge. After that, its not too bad, but before is nasty...be careful.

The Black Pelican isn't too expensive, by OBX standards and the pizzas are good. She forgot to mention Cap'n Franks in Kitty Hawk on the bypass...only the best hotdogs anywhere.

That should be more advice than your ever wanted from the OBX!

Date: Jun 6, 2004

thanks earl and maureen for all the detailed info! maybe you ought to ride with me!

maureen...thanks for your email. the way you gave it to me is probably the most secure! likewise mine is:

bkrchkfp at yahoo dot com

bill from statesville...if you are reading this please resend me the photos! i didn,t realize that when we typed our email in the page it didn,t show up. my apologies! cnc is probably enjoying them!

thanks to EVERYONE who has replied to this email. if there are more people who would like to contribute, i am going to print out the info and take a real close look at it. i leave on the 16th of june, not too long from now.

thanks again!

safe riding to all,

felicia

Date: Jun 7, 2004

quote:
Originally posted by: Earl
" She forgot to mention Cap'n Franks in Kitty Hawk on the bypass...only the best hotdogs anywhere.
"

it's not that i forgot, i'm a vegetarian. never been to Franks. sorry. well, not really sorry. health food store is right past Franks. ;)

Date: Jun 7, 2004

I still don't have your E-mail address. How do you get someones e-mail. Here is mine. o2duck@aol.com. Drop me a line. You must type the letter "o" as in oh! not "0" as in zero.

Bill

Date: Sep 27, 2004

Hey Felicia...I've done all the CNC's so seems I should know you...anyway...I live in Hampstead, NC (Topsail Island area). We just did here to Mateo - Bath- and back...self contained, 450+...I can probably give you some hints...I've done this twice (about 4 years ago also) fun trip. Let me know if I can help....oops...looks like you've already completed....dahhhhhh, you were riding same time as I was...lol.

Frankie