It's been a while since I slept on the ground!

 

Good thing I checked, while the tent is fine the pole cords have rotted.  I can't seem to get the poles together since there is no more elastic in them.  I have been hammock camping for the last 4 years so I haven't used the tent.  Can't use the hammock on the outer banks because there are no trees with the right spacing.

Emergency trip to REI for replacement poles.  OH NO, they have no replacements for the Half Dome 2+ tent.  They gave me the name of a company that can restring the poles.  I called them and they can't turn the shipment around in time for my departure next week.   I read off the serial number of the tent and she said that she had a replacement pole set in stock and would overnight it to me!  YAY  I will continue packing today.  The remaining gear that I need is current since I use it all with my hammock.

Weather looks ugly for the trip...could be 4 days of rain.  But wise words from Paul that is going with me "There is no bad riding weather just bad gear"  Well we will see about that since really bad weather on the Outer Banks might over wash Rt. 12 and prevent us from getting to the Hatteras ferry.  The plus to the bad weather is the motels and ferries won't be crowded and it is still off season and schools aren't closed yet for the summer.  This is the so called "Shoulder Season" when rents are cheaper.  If push comes to shove the first 2 nights we will motel it and then with no other choice we will camp on Knott's Island since there are no options otherwise and if it's a wet setup and tear down it't won't matter so much since that's our last ferry and we will be heading home. 

That's all for now.

Had to make revisions to the ferry route!

 A riding buddy, Dennis Porterfield, pointed out that there are 3 chain/cable ferries usually approached via gravel roads.  They are hard to find on the maps but Google Maps came to the rescue.  The 3 additions are in reasonable proximity to the route I had already laid out.  So I feel that it is now complete.  So it’s 5 fresh water/river ferries and 5 coastal ferries.  This may add another night out due to more winding around which will slow it down a bit.  

Now I wait for a nice springtime 4 days!