We enjoyed the Pony Island Motel on Ocracoke Island, where we met a bunch of serious fishermen who have stayed here several times before on their fishing trips to the Outer Banks.
I spent some time with the desk clerk discussing the island natives and their distinctive "brogue" that has been studied by sociolinguists from universities. It seems that the folks on Ocracoke are so isolated that they have maintained their own accented speech - different from any other place in the US. The desk clerk says her accent has softened because she must deal with the public all day. She told me that there are 130 children at the Ocracoke Island school (all 12 grades). She says the population has swelled in recent years because an extended Mexican family has settled on Ocracoke Island and 40 of the children are from their family. She says this has impacted the brogue since the newer children are not natives of the island. I was fascinated by her story.
On Tuesday morning, we head to the ferry for the 2.5 hour trip to Cedar Island.
The harbor here is very historic and quaint. This is truly a picturesque fishing village. When you visit, leave your car at the hotel and rent a bicycle. We saw hundreds of bikes available. The Ocracoke lighthouse is near the center of this photo.
The ferry ride was pleasant and long - 2.5 hours! We met many other bikers - from Texas, Kentucky and Boone, North Carolina. At the end of the ferry ride is Cedar Island, where the speech dialect is like that in Ocracoke, but thicker. We decided to skip the lighthouse at Cape Lookout because it involves a 32 mile diversion off our course, and Sid really wants to make it to Myrtle Beach for the night.
We saw this outside of Jacksonville, NC. I wondered what it was.
We passed Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Air Station - a moving sight with "welcome home" signs made from bedsheets posted on the fence just outside the base entrances. Jacksonville is quite the military town.
We stopped in Shallotte, NC, after a 4 hour endurance run without a stop. We had hoped to reach Myrtle Beach (44 miles from there), but couldn't make it after I had a meltdown at a gas station refusing to get on the bike...then it rained on us...rough afternoon...
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