Into North Carolina

Old Glory with North Carlina State Flag in tow.

Happy to move into a new region...hopefully warmer.

    

Let the Children come to me.

                           Mark 10:14

Free speech demonstration at a Holiday parade

                            

One handsome water tower in Selma, NC

The traffic in this city was ruff

Clean rooms in Rocky Mount, NC

Continuing south into North Carolina I enjoyed the flat terrain. Northern Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York were very hilly and I'm sure it's that way not to far to the west. I was originally considering traveling closer to the coast but I'm at a point in my travels where I want to take the most direct route south with the least amount of effort. Hwy 301 provided the safest most efficient way to move south. This is an excellent road to ride on with a good shoulder, markings and fresh pavement in many segments.

I spent time in Rocky Mount, Kenly, and Fayetteville on this leg. Fayetteville is the home of Fort Bragg Army base and it wasn't a very "bike friendly" city. The traffic was congested with no bike lanes that I remembered. I noticed the fast food restaurants stayed busy especially during the lunch hour with cars lined up deep.  I presume that many folks who work on the Army base want to take their lunch off base and drive to town for a quick bite. When people simultaneously do this, it leads to a lot of congestion on the roads and drive-thrus. One thing I observed about the roads around military bases, is that they tend to be neglected and behind the times in upkeep and accessibility. Perhaps the traffic engineers design them that way to discourage the enlisted from going AWOL (absent without leave). I feel that when a enlisted person wants to leave the base and they find it so congested and uninviting, they decide to stay where they are on base instead.

Enjoying a beautiful North Carolina sunset on my way to Laurinburg, NC

Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."

Luke 1:39-45 

A welcome oasis 10 miles north of Fayetteville

I'm at a point in my tour where I've been treating myself well, and that means spending time in hotels. The nights have been getting longer and there isn't as much daylight out there to utilize either. In turn, I've been enjoying the temporary luxury that hotels provide with a place to bathe, do laundry, rest and enjoy sports on TV. 

Friendly staff & tasty breakfast here

I learned that 'Tar-Heels' is a term used for people who use the pine tar from indigenous pine trees to waterproof wooden sailing vessels. These boats performed important trade functions, and were instrumental in developing the rich history of North Carolina. Additionally, this term is used to represent a State school.