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Kingston - Charleston
10/30/2019
Kingston - Charleston
By Patrick M Lynch
Posted: 2019-10-30T10:18:00Z

Kingston to Charleston Sc.

  
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Day 1: Because of mechanical issues with the Wolfe Island ferry I had to change my schedule 1 hour earlier and to take the ferry at 8:00 am.

I was going to get a "Send Off" by fellow members but after 9:00 am the ferry would be out of service until 4:00 pm not allowing my friends to be able to return to the mainland. 


                                                                                                                                                                    

 
Arrived at Southwick Shores SP.  50.8 miles. 

The 9-Mile Point nuclear station is visible on the south shore of the Lake, east of Oswego.



Day 2:  To O
eida Shores County Park, just north of Syracuse, 45.0 miles. 

Day 3: 
 I am in Cortland NY tonight, at the Country Music Park. 47.3 miles.


Day 4I'm in the Chenango Valley State park. 38 miles,1300 feet of climbing, and good weather along the beautiful valleys. Only one saddle boil to report. 

Day 5: Arriving at East Lake CG, New Milford, PA. PA is hilly!  Only 32 miles today, and 1850 feet of climbing.  Temp rose to 29C, a lovely summer day. After a number of days on Highway 11, I finally left it today.



 







Day 6: !!!!!!  A damn Brompton at Prompton Dam. 
Arrived at Cherry Ridge CG, Prompton, PA. 42 miles, 2200 feet of climbing.
The first 10 miles was on gravel roads, with 1,000 feet of climbing, in summer temps, 25C and up.
The weather has been great, mere drops of rain today. 
Did Imention that PA is hilly? 
2/3 of the vehicles here appear to be pickup trucks.
The area is very lightly populated.  
I came across the D&H trail, but it was unrideable, esp on a Brompton.




Day 7
.  In Mt. Pocono CG.  33.7 miles.  Climb of 2270 feet. 8C cooler.  


 

 

                                        Palmer bikeway near Easton, PA.       



Day 8Tonight at Ringing Rock CG, Milford, PA. 57.4 miles, 1670 feet of climbing, but 2800 of descent.    

                                                   


Weather is good, traffic is noticeably denser.  Easton is a pleasant city, with many bikeways.
Note:. PA is a bigggg State. 

The Delaware River bridge from New Hope, PA to Lambertville, NY.
This is where I finally get to join the route in the book, Bicycling the Atlantic Coast.

 
Day 9The weather is still good except for a few warm showers this pm. 48.5 mi, much of it along the Delaware onthe D&L Trail, an old canalway. 
Tonight is the only planned motel stop, at Bordentown Motel 6, as there are no campground within 30 miles of Trenton, NJ. 
You will be glad to know (maybe?) that the butt boil has resolved itself, thanks to liberal applications of Body Glide, an anti friction stick.

Legs are tired in the mornings, but seem to improve as the day goes on. The mountains are behind me, 380 feet of climb today but 650 of descent. 
Just passed through Trenton, where the DA just ruled that a pair in a laundromat who pumped 15 bullets into an assailant were acting in self defence. As one does. 

Day 10.
Leaving this morning! Here is the Delaware Canal..



                                  Trail blockage near Pemberton NJ.            
Another 49 miles today, mostly flat, no rain, temps in the mid 20s.
I'm near Vineland, NJ, at Buena Vista CG, just inland from Atlantic City, NJ. 
A fine way to celebrate my 73rd birthday. 


Day 11:   
35 miles today, temp around 29C.  NJ is very flat and sandy around here, and not far above sea level. I am 4 miles from the ocean now, in Avalon CG.  I am just passing the 500 Mile mark.





Day 12:

An unpredicted Thunderstorm last night. After, about 6-12 flashes and loud explosions, as transformers blew up.
I thought they were more used to tough weather conditions than that.

Today, I went down the Cape May Peninsula along the shore. There are an astounding number of houses along the shoreline, 5-6 streets deep, and just above the waterline.

Crossed the Delaware estuary on the ferry, 90 minutes, and am now camped at Cape Henlopen SP.  31.2 miles today.

Picture 1: Entering Avalon NJ from the shore side. They are right at the water level!




Picture 2: Monster Truck Show on Wildwood Beach. Only in America!





Picture 3: Boarding on the Cape May to Lewes ferry




Picture 4. Car Carrier in the Delaware River





Day 13: A ride south along the barrier dunes today, a perfect roadway and 12 foot bike paved margin, 35 miles, ending in Ocean City, Maryland, with a stroll along the boardwalk.
Another motel, laundry is done, ready to go early in the am, to ride to Pocomoke City, and get a rental car to cross the Chesapeake bridge-tunnel.
Weather is great for the last day of September, about 20C overnight. 

 
Day 14 :The South end of the boardwalk at dawn, in Ocean City, Maryland. 




Looking west from the Oceanic Motel, along the inlet in Ocean City

I biked 37 miles from there to Pocomoke City to pick up a rental car.

Then I drove down the Delmarva Peninsula, and across the 16 miles of bridges and tunnels of the Chesapeake. 

What a sight that was. I dropped the car in downtown Norfolk, and biked a further 21 miles through heavy traffic to the Trav-L CG in Virginia Beach, setting up my tent as the sun went down, and cooking by headlamp. 

South of Rehoboth, Delaware



Taken from a bridge near Delaware Shores SP



DAY 15:
Campsite at Bell's Island, NC. A little piece of heaven, but only 3 feet above sea level.


 
It appears that Ocracoke, the bottom (south) of the Outer Banks is still closed, but I can still get on near Kitty Hawk, and off again by a bridge 20 miles further south.

Then I will cut across country south west, hitting the coast again south of Jacksonville NC, which will take about 4-5 days.
Then I will be back on the originally planned track. There will be several more ferries. They call these regions Tidewater, and the Lowlands for a reason. 
Very hot today, 38C in Norfolk. It is still 26C at 10 pm.  36 very hot and sweaty miles today, but I like warm weather!

Day 16.  46.9 miles to Kitty Hawk, and on to Joe and Kay's CG, near the Wright Brothers Monument.


Day 17:  Left the Outer Banks, because Ocracoke was still closed, and headed SW to reach the ocean in a few days,  south of Jacksonville, NC. 

Biked inland and south, through low and waterlogged country, which became drier and more suitable for farming.  I was headed for a Forest Preserve south of Columbia, NC, but after 53 miles, my information was incorrect, no camping was allowed. 
I had to bike another 17 miles, for a total of 70.5 miles, to Pettigrew SP, where I got the second last site (It was Friday).  The park is on Lake Phelps, a peculiar formation of unknown cause, that is about 35 square miles, but nowhere more than 9 feet deep, with an average depth of 4.5 feet. 
There are lots of sandy farm fields around, stretching for many miles, with very few houses visible.


Day 18:  Tonight I'm in Twin Lakes RV Resort in Chocowinity NC.  66.7 miles today, av 11.3 despite 7 miles on farm roads, sometimes pushing the bike through sand. Odo 3961.4 mi. Campsites are farther apart inland hence the longer distances. 



The electrical outlets in the Chocowinity campground were located 6 feet above the ground so the floods could not get into the conduits. 

Some North Carolinians have a different attitude towards President Trump

 
 
Day 19:  52.8 miles to White Oaks River CG in Mayville, NC.  Some headwinds.  Farming country, with a lot of deserted houses.  Brief warm showers.  Went mainly along Highway 17, which can be very busy. 
 

Day 20:  46.7 miles to Laniers CG in Surf City, NC.


Day 21:  48.9 miles to Carolina Beach SP.  Rain was predicted, but the forecast changed.  After supper, had a beer in a tiki bar.


Day 22:  40.3 miles to Wishing Well CG, Sunset Beach, west of Shallotte, NC.  Just over 1,000 miles so far.


Day 23. 40.1 miles to Knights Inn, Myrtle Beach, at $32 was cheaper than Myrtle Beach SP at $42.  Sunshine, temps in the mid 20Cs. Traffic was very heavy along Highway 17. 

A Canadian tourist in Myrtle Beach



Day 24:  54.2 miles to Elmwood free Hunting Camp primitive campsite in SC,  4 miles north of Highway 17, and near the Hampton Plantation. Almost ready to roll the following morning.                                                  


Day 25.
  To KOA in Mount Pleasant. Saw the Hampton Plantation State Historic site. 35.2 miles. Average 10.7. Odo 4281.6 miles. 

 

Day 26:  Rode to Charleston over the famous Ravenel Bridge, then north to a motel near Charleston Airport, booking in for two nights

Day 27:  To Fort Sumter ferry, and to Slave Mart Museum in Charleston. 24.3 miles.  Odo 4338.9. Exceeded the 1200 Mile/ 2000 km mark. 
Three flights tomorrow, hopefully depositing me and my baggage at Watertown around noon. 

Charleston in the distance from Fort Sumter. 


Day 28:  Rode to airport at 2;30 am, packed the Brompton in double-bagged Dimpa bags from Ikea, checked it in, and the front bag also.  The flights to Charlotte and Philadelphia went ok, but the final flight to Watertown was 3 hours late.  However, my bags did arrive.  The handlers had dropped the bike so that two of the four back racks stays were broken, this was the third time in 8 years that had happened. I pushed the rack approx straight, loaded up, and biked in temps 17C lower to catch the very last Horne ferry of the season from Cape Vincent.  Then across Wolfe Island to catch the ferry at the Winter dock.  I arrived home about 8:30 pm.
Total mileage: 2,027 km.
Canadian tourist at Myrtle Beach.