(picture: crossing into our latest State)

Date: 8 May 2011
Woke up in: Kure Beach, North Carolina
Fell asleep in: Georgetown, South Carolina
Miles ridden today: 109
Total miles ridden so far: 1,008
Weather: Hot, hot, hot

We had an action-packed day today: crossing the state line into South Carolina, riding more than 100 miles in a day AND watching as our cycle computers ticked over the 1,000 mile point. A thousand whole miles! We really have come a long way since setting off from Bridgewater, New Jersey on 17 April.

Will’s been doing some muttering about wanting to do an 100 mile + day for the last week or so, and after our rather pathetic effort yesterday we had some making up to do milage wise.

We kicked off today with our final ride on North Carolina’s ferry system, crossing from Fort Fisher to Southport, and kept on riding all the way to the state line: 48 or so miles in and we were finally in a new State – takes a bit longer to get across them than cycling through England’s counties!

South Carolina State greeted us with a well-timed rest centre shortly afterwards; a shade covered picnic table, vending machines and a toilet block feel like heaven on earth after miles of cycling on a sticky, hot day.

Then it was back on the bikes and off along the Route 17 all the way to Georgetown, via the insanely busy roads around Myrtle Beach, where the film Shag (it’s about dancing, just in case you mysteriously didn’t watch it repeatedly when you were 15, as I did) was based. Not for the faint of heart, but it made me cycle faster.

Eighty five miles in we could have camped, but the prize of cycling 100 miles in a day was tantalisingly close, and we still had an hour of daylight left. On we cycled, and on, and on. We watched the sunset over the river as we cycled across the bridge and into Georgetown. An oddly satisfying day of crazy cycling. Time for a takeaway pizza, me thinks!