January 15, 2017 - Winter without cold!

It's mid-January and the morning lows are in the high 40's and the highs are in the high 60's, perfect riding weather to go to the beach.  It's a good thing that my college roommate and his wife have a house in Calabash, NC because I am heading for seafood!  It is a leisurely 3 1/2 hour ride through the countryside of NC to Calabash and the farms are beautiful to see in all seasons.  The other option is I-40 to Wilmington then Rt. 17 which is much faster at 3 hours.  But I hate I-40 and love the farm country.  I set out on my usual route near Spivey's Corner, where the hog hollering' contest is held, then down by Clinton for an easy ride in mid - 60's temperatures.  No problems as expected on a new bike and really enjoying the wind protection of the RT.  Spent 2 nights and 3 days with Larry and Rene then took a leisurely ride up to Holden Beach where we will rent a house for a week in September!  I love the beach in the winter!

The tough thing about visiting your friends that are also retired is that a lot of time is spent planning meals and joining friends at various restaurants.  We had breakfast at the Purple Onion in Shallotte, NC which is absolutely the best!  We were joined by 4 friends from Myrtle Beach and the meal was more a meeting place to plan more meals for the day!  The Purple Onion is a bakery first but has a wonderful restaurant.  I am sure each of us consumed no less than 1500 calories for breakfast and this was just the start of the day.  I got my dose of fried seafood in the evening so I clearly exceeded my usually calorie intake by three times.  They know how to fix seafood in Calabash, NC.

The ride home was uneventful but I did notice a bit of pulsing in the bike on the ride through the country.  Well, it could be just gusting winds so I made a mental note of it to pay attention on a still day and see if it still does it and I had my 600 mile service when I got back to Cary.