Saturday, June 4

Sadly, today was the day we had to leave the OBX. We had to get to Hatteras early to be sure to get on the 7:00 a.m. ferry, so we broke camp at 6:00 a.m. and were in line at 6:50 a.m. Arrived at Ocracoke and tried to get on an earlier ferry than the 1:00 p.m.  for which we had a reservation. After checking her computer, the friendly lady at the ticket kiosk said “Sorry, sweetheart, not today.” So we took the extra time we had to bicycle around the island.

Ocracoke Island is 13 miles long, and is 20-25 miles from the mainland of North Carolina, across the Pamlico Sound. The year round population is less than 1,000. There is a unique accent and vocabulary called the “Hoi Toider”. It is derived from the Irish and Scottish colonists. They evolved their own dialect and words due to the extreme isolation.  Google “Ocracoke Brogue” if you want more information. Ocracoke has a unique history which revolves around pirates, shipwrecks, and offshore battles.

Nowadays, it’s a rustic little seaside village, lots of restaurants, souvenir shops, and galleries. Of course, there’s a lighthouse there, which is North Carolina’s oldest and the 2nd oldest lighthouse in the USA, operational since 1823. It’s only 65 feet high.

They were also having their annual Ocrafolk Festival, with a full slate of musicians, entertainers and artisan booths.  We got back just in time to get the van in line to wait an hour to load up. But we could listen to the folk music while waiting. It was a 2 1/2 hour ferry ride across to Cedar Point;  we used this time to get in 40 winks, or so. Mary Ann asked a lady with a bike on the ferry about riding on Highway 24. She said we shouldn’t  and recommended an alternate route, on Hwy. 58, which we took. It was out on a spit of land in the ocean and was a lovely ride.

 We are now camped at a really nice campground outside of Hubert, NC. Our plug in wouldn’t fit the outlet and our new neighbor saw us struggling and came over  and resolved the problem for us. By the time we were plugged in we had met his wife, daughter and their family dog and the camp host! Everyone who walked by waved or said hello. At all the other parks, no one even came out of their RV’s. It was nice to visit with some friendly folks. We had Ramen Noodles for dinner (thanks Marie). They were delicious!

Off to Wilmington in the morning.

Mary Ann & Sherri

Friday, June 3

We got up & started riding at 7:00 a.m. The temperature was 77 degrees, but was only expected to rise 2 degrees to 79 throughout the day. We left the van at the campsite in Rodanthe and rode South down Hwy 12 through Wave, Salvo, and finally Avon. We stopped at Muffins & Scones Bakery there and both of us had a breakfast bagel with an egg on it; I added bacon and cheese, and it was delicious!

We left Avon and continued South  to Buxton to see the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. Its black double helix spiral stripes on a white background are quintessential. It is the tallest brick lighthouse in the USA, at 198 ft.  We got there just in time to hear a park ranger giving a talk on its history. Surprisingly,  Alexander Hamilton was instrumental in establishing lighthouses along the East coast back in the early 1800’s. In 1999 the lighthouse was moved about 2900 feet inland, due to erosion undermining its structural integrity. This feat was called the “Move of the Millennium. That same year, the move won the 40th Annual Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers They also moved the lighthouse keeper’s and the double lighthouse keeper’s homes so the site would be historically accurate.

We started back North and got 3 miles from Rodanthe, where our campsite is and the sky opened up! We found an overhang outside a real estate office and took refuge. It let up once and started again with vengeance. After about 15 minutes we were on our way again. We road more than 50 miles, but I can’t give you exact mileage as my odometer kept quitting on me.

Sherri (and Mary Ann) from the OBX of NC

Thursday, June 2

Left Powhatan and drove through the rest of Virginia to the Outer Banks (OBX) of North Carolina. The OBX are barrier islands separating the Atlantic Ocean from the mainland of the upper half of North Carolina. As usual, it took us longer to get there than originally planned.

Sherri has an Adventure Bicycle set of maps for this area and we were trying to find their recommended routes. We finally drove to the visitor center & talked to the “expert”. He set us up with maps and information. The traffic has been really heavy and we hadn’t seen even one bicyclist, so we asked the man at the visitor center if it is a very “bicycle friendly” area and he said “Not really”.

 When we crossed the bridge into Kitty Hawk, we drove North on Hwy 12, the “spine” of the OBX.  Driving North to Corolla, we observed shoulders and bikeways as we went. Sherri started riding in Corolla. Mary Ann drove back to Duck and parked the van. We rode South for about 7 miles then back to the van.

When we were in Corolla we visited the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. It is the most Northern lighthouse of the five on the OBX. It is made of roughly a million red bricks, not painted like many of the lighthouses. We rode as far as we could on a pedestrian/bike path and some on a very narrow designated bike lane on the shoulder of the road. It was terribly hot and humid and getting late. We did not go as far as we would liked to have gone. As has been the case throughout the trip, we got a late start. We loaded up and found our camp spot in Rodanthe, which is the Easternmost point of North Carolina. We showered, went to dinner (first meal out, and we were craving seafood). Doing laundry here. Plan to start early tomorrow morning to beat the heat!

Glad to finally be on the OBX. Now the bike riding adventure really begins!

Sherri and Mary Ann

Thursday, June 2

Left Powhatan and drove through the rest of Virginia to the Outer Banks (OBX) of North Carolina. The OBX are barrier islands separating the Atlantic Ocean from the mainland of the upper half of North Carolina. As usual, it took us longer to get there than originally planned.

Sherri has an Adventure Bicycle set of maps for this area and we were trying to find their recommended routes. We finally drove to the visitor center & talked to the “expert”. He set us up with maps and information. The traffic has been really heavy and we hadn’t seen even one bicyclist, so we asked the man at the visitor center if it is a very “bicycle friendly” area and he said “Not really”.

 When we crossed the bridge into Kitty Hawk, we drove North on Hwy 12, the “spine” of the OBX.  Driving North to Corolla, we observed shoulders and bikeways as we went. Sherri started riding in Corolla. Mary Ann drove back to Duck and parked the van. We rode South for about 7 miles then back to the van.

When we were in Corolla we visited the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. It is the most Northern lighthouse of the five on the OBX. It is made of roughly a million red bricks, not painted like many of the lighthouses. We rode as far as we could on a pedestrian/bike path and some on a very narrow designated bike lane on the shoulder of the road. It was terribly hot and humid and getting late. We did not go as far as we would liked to have gone. As has been the case throughout the trip, we got a late start. We loaded up and found our camp spot in Rodanthe, which is the Easternmost point of North Carolina. We showered, went to dinner (first meal out, and we were craving seafood). Doing laundry here. Plan to start early tomorrow morning to beat the heat!

Glad to finally be on the OBX. Now the bike riding adventure really begins!

Sherri and Mary Ann

Wednesday, June 1

Spent the day in the van. A four state day, last part of Illinois before the border with Indiana, all the way through Indiana and, West Virginia, and partway into Virginia.

Lots of Interstate driving. Passed by or through a number of good sized cities: Louisville KY (site of the 2014 HDSA National Convention), Frankfort KY (the state capital), Lexington KY, then Huntington and Charleston WV.

 Our day ended in Powhatan, VA at the Cozy Acres RV Park. Sherri got the short end of the driving rotation stick. Yesterday she had to drive about 20 miles on a gravel detour for road construction on the I-64. Today she had to drive about another 20 miles on a winding, hilly two lane road through the mountains. (Those of us from the West don’t call the Appalachians “mountains” though!)

The good news is we are only about three hours from our starting point and should be on the bikes by late morning right on schedule, on June 2. Hoping to see where the Wright brothers flew their first flights tomorrow!

Gas is not seeming to come down in price at all.

Sherri and Mary Ann

Thank you for visiting our personal page! With your help, we can help HDSA achieve their mission to improve the lives of everyone with Huntington’s Disease and their loved ones. Many thanks for your support, and feel free to tell others of our webpage, our goal, and our heart for HD and the families struggling with HD and its consequences.

For those who may be unfamiliar with “Bike for the Cure,” let me digress. In 1997, when the Internet was still in its infancy, Marie became aware of Huntington’s Disease through meeting Carmen Leal, author of Faces of Huntington’s and Portraits of Huntington’s, via the Christian Writer’s Group list. In June 1998, at Carmen’s invitation, she attended the 13th Annual HDSA Convention in Denver, CO. During those three days,she met many people with HD, caregivers, and people at-risk. She was deeply moved. Her Christian faith required action; “… let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18). She had to do something, but didn’t know what — yet.

Later on in the Fall of 1998, Marie met Charlotte Reicks, through a mutual friend. She and Evelyn Logan were planning a long-distance bicycle ride across America for the American Bible Society and the Lutheran Hour Ministries. The light went on! Marie asked them if she could join them, and ride for HD, and they said she could! The original duo became a trio, and in 1999 we rode from Santa Monica CA to Arlington VA, to the 14th Annual HDSA National Convention. “Bike for the Cure” became a reality and now a tradition.

At the Convention in Arlington VA, Marie met Pat Pillis’ son Kevin Benham, who wanted to join her in 2000 and ride across America. She agreed, and they began to plan, but it became increasingly obvious that Kevin could not keep the commitment, due to some of the soft symptoms of HD.  Marie was so blessed when Scott Springer (a 20 something year old friend of Pat Pillis‘) stepped up and said he would ride, in Kevin’s place. Scott and Marie rode from Santa Monica CA to the Canaveral National Seashore outside Orlando FL. Sadly, Kevin’s HD progressed and he passed away in 2013 in New York State.

Bike for the Cure XX is the 20th ride for HD; prior rides include two coast-to-coast rides Bike for the Cure ’99 and Bike for the Cure 2000, Border War on HD (Vancouver, BC, Canada – Tijuana, Mexico), Ramble ‘Round the Colonies (Manchester NH – Columbus OH), Trek Across Texas (Texline – Houston), Kick HD on Route 66 (Albuquerque NM – St. Louis MO and the KATY Trail), Coastin’ for HD (Wilmington DE – Atlanta GA), Midwest Meander for HD (Kearney NE – Milwaukee WI and Chicago IL – St. Louis MO), Rockies to Plains (Grand Junction CO – Oklahoma City OK), Cycle the Heartland (Clinton MO – Pittsburgh PA), Canyons to Cactus (Grand Junction CO – Phoenix AZ), Coastin’ to Carolina (Bar Harbor ME – Raleigh NC), Plains to Lakes (Belle Fourche SD – Minneapolis MN), Venture to Vegas (Grand Junction CO – Las Vegas NV), Pedal the Gulf for HD (Galveston TX – Jacksonville FL), and Bikin’ the Dixie Highway for HD (Sault Ste Marie MI – Louisville KY), Bike for the Cure XVII (Albuquerque NM – Dallas TX),  Bikin’ the Trails for HD (Pittsburgh PA – Baltimore MD) and Bike for the Cure XIX (Kansas City MO – Schaumberg IL) Over 24,000 miles have been pedaled, through parts of 47 states and Washington DC. Our fundraising goal is $22,000 to bring the total raised to $740,000.

These past nineteen rides would not have been possible without others who have also shared in the riding and fundraising. Past riders include Gary  Heiman (Plains to Lakes, Venture to Vegas, Pedal the Gulf for HD, Bikin’ the Dixie Highway, Bike for the Cure XVII, and Bikin’ the Trails for HD), Alina Del Rio  (Bikin’ the Dixie Highway, Bike for the Cure XVIII, Bikin’ the Trails for HD, and Bike for the Cure XIX), Scott Springer (see above),    Amanda Adams (Border War on HD), Amy Mack (Bikin’ the Dixie Highway and Bikin’ the Trails for HD,) John & Marie Elsner (Ramble ‘Round the Colonies), Sandy Lozier (Midwest Meander for HD, Rockies to Plains, and Bike for the Cure XIX), Hope Chynoweth (Pedal the Gulf for HD), Devon Walker (Pedal the Gulf for HD),  Kathy Lindner (Bikin’ the Dixie Highway), Shana Martin Verstegen (Midwest Meander for HD), Shane Williams (Border War on HD) and Sara Jaramillo and her then seven year old daughter Cassie (Rockies to Plains).  Marie’s wonderful husband Ron has been “the wind beneath my wings” over the years, forwarding the Daily Messages on e-mail to now  about 200 folks and managing our website. Heartfelt gratitude to Jennifer Hickok, who designs a new website each year.

Each year, the ride ends at the site of the HDSA National Convention. This year, the National Convention is in  Los Angeles, CA.Arrival at the Convention Hotel has become an annual rite. In Pittsburgh PA in 2008, Marie was honored as the recipient of the National Award for Outstanding Fundraising.

Thanks to all past donors who have given to help find a cure! These rides have changed our lives for the better. Marie’s grafting into the HD Community (since it does not run in her family) has afforded her and the other riders opportunities to meet the most amazing people we know, and to see so much of the country we love!