And it goes like this…

The alarm goes off at 3:30 AM.  Snooze it for 9 minutes. Snooze it again.  Third time is the charm! Talk in the tent for a bit.  Discuss the previous day, how we slept, plans for the day, weather, etc. Pet some dogs.  Get kisses from Junebug.  She loves morning wake-up time.  Watch Biscuit pretend he is still sleeping.  While still in tent (to avoid bugs), put the sleeping gear back in the appropriate pouches…two sleeping pads, two sleeping bags, a dog blanket, three pillows and all of the other various things that made it into the tent overnight.  Get dressed like a character from Tron. Pack up the tent. Get a small bite to eat.  Pack up the bike panniers.  Prepare the trailer.  Walk dogs.  Start bike computers.  Turn on blinky lights. Ride off at 5:00 in the dark.  Ride for 1-2 hours, stop and feed the crew.  Roll again in 60 minutes.  Ride, taking breaks when needed, until the miles are done for the day (15 to 55 depending on the conditions and our destination).  Find a campsite.  Walk dogs.  Get a people snack.  Take a five minute rest.  Note: The term “five minutes” means lay out the army blanket and pass out for a few minutes.  Eat lunch.  Setup camp.  Do some chores…laundry, blog updates, charge devices, answer emails/texts, research upcoming campsites, bike/gear repair and maintenance, check weather, etc.  Explore the area. Eat dinner.  Workout. Prepare for the next day by packing up what we can and getting clothes ready.  Eat dinner.  In bed by 8.  Asleep by 9. Who wants in on this?!

Days 5-10

TRIP TOTALS

Showers:                          2 (each)

Tent Nights:                     8

Hotel Nights:                   0

“Rustic” Cabin Nights:    2

Meals Purchased:           0

Miles Traveled:               289.8

Current Food Craving:   Jason’s Deli…all-you-can-eat salad bar.  Oh my.

Best Quote: “Um, how long has it been since you have had a shower?”

We are almost out of North Carolina!   Right now we are camped just shy of Wilmington and will be in South Carolina in three days or so.  It will be pretty exciting to enter a new state!

The trip keeps showing us the kindness of strangers.  We have been given bottled water, Powerade (partially frozen so it would be cold), bagels, snacks, an offer to stay on a farm if we get to Atlanta, an offer to run into town and get us supplies, and a place to stay out of the rain for the night.  We are living a simple life, so these gestures mean a lot to us.  If you are reading this, thank you to all who have helped us.

The riding has been great.  Once we left the outer banks, the terrain changed and became more hilly, but so far nothing too bad and certainly nothing we couldn’t handle.  It is working out very well to have these sort of miles early in the trip to get used to everything, plus get stronger.

Mechanically, we haven’t had any major issues either.  All of our equipment and gear is performing as expected.  All that research we did is paying dividends now.

The pups are as happy as could be.  They both love exploring at all of the new places we have been and the last two they were able to hang out off-leash.  Last night Junebug treed a squirrel, which proved to be a lot of entertainment for our four-legged crew.  Tonight they are passed out.  It’s good to see tired little puppies.

We are having such a great time!  Thanks for following along!

Mark, Georgia, Junebug and Biscuit