Houston, we have a problem - got duct tape?

We broke camp and got on the road still a bit fuzzy on goals, distances and routes.  We decided  to take a more scenic route along the coast over Emerald Island

This was the normal outcome with Mike and google maps leading the way, where as the alternate route suggested by the intrepid explorer often had various outcomes

I kept reminding Mike we were a team.  If there are any hills in this part of North Carolina, we didn't find them although our course selecttion made things a wee more difficult by adding 20 miles to the journey that passed the 1000 mile marker.

You have to drink an incredible amount of water, which means stops to fill water bottles, gatorade, or iced tea...we had had enough after 70 miles and called it early at 3 pm

We shopped for groceries and did laundry and declared victory over the day.

Dinner for two by TV light

(yes, he drinks a quart of milk)

The next day began as the previous but was not to end smoothly.  The route took us on to State road 17 which had limited sholder and fast moving traffic.  We agrreed to take the longer route on quite road onto Treasure Island thru the towns of Top Sail and Surf City.

With our gear in tow, people are curious as to our journey and share stories of their jouneys across America.  Facinating!

We return to busy State Road 17 when the unexpected tire blowout occurs.  Memorial Day.  No bike shops open and I am 10 miles from nowwhere.  Everybody knows sidewall blowouts can't be repaired and i called Mike with the bad news.   To my astonishment, he carries an emergency tire boot kit for this exact predicament.  Okay?

We need an inner tube and luckily I came prepared with a spare that was the wrong size.  Wait....What?  Yeah, I bought the wrong size tube.  Ugh!

Best we can do is try to make it work, but it fails after about 3 miles.  Did I say it was Memorial Day....nothing open!

Mike pulls the blown out inner tube which he saved out of his bag and begins to to try and patch it...but we need some duct tape.  There is a nearby storage facility that only sells shipping tape.   I make a deal to buy shipping tape and they "loan" me their own roll of duct tape for office only use.

New Life...we are off to Wal Mart twenty miles away for a new tire and tubes....Mike makes it all work including the needed fender adjustment.

While at Wal Mart we get advice to stay at a near by hotel with a pool

Still Alive!

Where's the pool?

We went to dinner and I bought Mike the biggest steak on the menu.  The guy is genius!