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| My feelinG of July 3-4, 2013 |
i Better start by saying i've had this idea ever since i wanted a sleeping bag for Christmas in 2010..? My parents live near the beach so i've always had this fantasy of camping out under the stars. On the beach with just a sleeping bag. Listening to the waves crash and so on. But, there was a significant problem: the closest beach that allowed camping was a good hour and half drive away. i Never got around to doing it except a year ago when i got a tent for Christmas and tore out to Freeman Park with my dad. We had some problems: not being tired at going to sleep at about 8:30, choosing a night with a full moon to name just a few. The next day when we came back, there was so much sand in the tent it was a complete mess.
So on July 2nd, i didn't wake up and say, "i'm going to spend tomorrow night on the beach by myself. No doubt." It was about 2100hrs. on the 2nd that i tentatively made plans to follow through my "solid" plan the next day. The only troubles were having to go to the doctor's and picking up my mom at the airport...close to an hour away. No problem, i thought. If only i knew my ProblemS had only just begun.
The mom had to pick up some vegetables on the way back so that took some extra time, when i got home i figured i could gather everything i needed quickly. i Had no qualms about this and thought it'd be simple enough. i Knew i needed some sort of sustenance for dinner that night and for breakfast the next day and possibly lunch..or just some extra cold hard cash. i Threw some cold cuts, chips, and cherry tomatoes in a plastic bag. i Closed it tightly with barely any air in the bag. i Thought. My dad was telling me i need to sleep on something other than the sleeping bag because the sand gets so dang damp at night. He suggested a trash bag and i thoroughly enjoyed that idea sense our tarp could have been wrapped around are roof with its size.. i Snagged a water bottle that keeps your liquid cold even when left in the sun and filled it with ice, water, and some Bolthouse Farms smoothie. i Kept thinking of one more item to pack and struggled with how to carry my sleeping bag as well as wear a backpack and try to keep some earphones in my head. A lot goin' on. i Would get it all situated and then remember something drastic (e.g. Gatorade/sunscreen) and have to remove every little package to pack it in. It got pretty tiring but finally at about 5:25ish i was peeling out of my driveway with my bike and dorky helmet..(do people still use that word? "Dorky?")
The one good part about leaving that late in the afternoon was that...i knew that the last ferry was to leave at 6. i Was about 7 miles away. With traffic and wind blowing at me almost the entire time. That was the "good" part, that i knew when the ferry was leaving..and i had to BOOK it. No matter the odds. Everything seemed to be okay until i decided to stop for my first water break after going about 2 miles. The struggle was that the bottle was in a side pocket and i have to take off everything but my clothes to put it back in (why didn't i just use a Camel-Back?!). i Kept struggling on the side of the road while cars whizzed by and i decided to check the time. i Was running out of it quick. Then, while my "Summer 2013" playlist jammed away, i started praying that i'd make it.
While i lit out for this ferry still a good ways away, it was mostly uneventful except when i started across a bridge at the wrong section and almost blew out my tires..at least it felt that way. But, as i neared the ferry i noticed car after car driving by.. Most likely they were all coming from the ferry that had arrived. i Wasn't close enough yet to see it and i started trying to fly. i Felt like any minute the boat would leave and i would be left trying to call a parent to pick me up..which of course would have been mortifying. When i got closer, i saw that most of the gate was closed and a red stop sign was over it. i Pedaled faster to see if i could slip behind the gate and still make it on the boat. Someway, (ahah, with God on my side) i sped up to the gate and there was a guy there saying, "Come on, they'll let you on! i'm only stopping the cars." Such a nice old man. So there was a lady who told me quite assuredly that i won't get a ticket but i can pay my fee of $2 and she'll let me on fine. As it turned out, i was almost the last of the last as there were some other bikers (some of whom i weren't sure why the were biking..of if the bike could handle....you know.) and a car that must have managed to talk its way onto the ship. It didn't make sense.
We arrived fine except that on this particular ferry people like to throw food for seagulls and so whether the boat has passengers that are doing this or not, a Flock often follow the boat all day. This is annoying because you know what seagulls can do on top of people as they hover and wait for food. Dreadful, distasteful wretches. But yes, i arrived fine with no "mistakes" to clean up and i took off down the road to the far end of the beaches-- the one i was headed to was North Carolina which was at least 7 or 8 miles. i Wasn't worried because i had made the ferry-- the hardest part, for now..
As i got closer to the town, more and more "marvelous traffic" hurtled around me. i Stopped at a gas station in the shade for a water break and refill my water bottle. That meant once again taking off everything but my shorts and shoes and gulping down my refreshing liquids. i Looked over to the nearby parking lot and there was an.. Interesting individual sitting, more like moping, on a moped. Definitely moping on his moped. He looked like his favorite activities included NOT attempting to brighten anybody's day and Heaven forbid looking "presentable." A worker from this filling station went up to him to try and make conversation as the employee must have been on a break, and...i'm afraid he failed. He asked what type of moped it was and the bony, stringy, greasy and certainly grimy man gave him a faraway, unconcerned look that must have not only confused me (who was just dropping eaves innocently and curiously), but maybe completely losing the poor guy that asked. In other words, even though the employee repeated his question, i'm pretty sure the thoughts in his head were saying, "Why am i asking this? What am i asking again? What's the question? i Think i'll give up now."
i Kept going on my way with only three or four near collisions with clueless tourists who were trying to find the next tourist trap for them to get lost in. It was only about 1940hrs. when i finally made it to the beach, but i had to immediately start walking my bike as the sand was so thick. i Didn't slog too long however before i found an "Emergency Vehicles Only"sign and followed that path closer to the water where i could hop back on and pedal down the beach to find a place to "set up camp." (Not much to set up without a tent, ahah..) i Noticed immediately there were already a good many people with their campers and tents set out and ready to party it up the next day...i thought. At one point there was an "adorable couple" having a picture taken and so i attempted my politeness and tried to go around them but misjudged when a wave was coming in and road through some water ankle deep. Naturally this threw ocean water everywhere drenching my shoes. So i carried on down the beach before i realized, there were just more and more people as i went further down. My saving grace was that there wasn't much activity set up on the other side of the "road" (where people drive in between sand dunes and the water). Let me draw a quick picture for you: sand dunes, maybe 50 or 40 yards of sand, tents, then water soon after that at high tide. i Looked towards the dunes and there wasn't much except one tent...i thought.
Carefully trying to spread out my cut trash bag and towel took a little daylight time with the constant breeze ruffling and scrunching up my flimsy bag. But it worked at last and i settled into my zip-lock bag of goodies..until i realized that the chips had gotten all kinds of moisture in them and all the lettuce had wilted. Nevertheless, i was thankful for something to gnaw. As it got darker, i continued to notice how cars, trucks, (a little old punch bug with an unbearable motor) and the like traveled back forth in front of me on the "highway," as i began to call it. i Cracked open a few pages of the Good Book and played a few notes on the harmonica before i decided to pull out my sleeping bag and situate that. It worked, but with the bottom of it sticking in the sand being longer than my trash bag and towel. Of course my shoes and socks were already off and sandy so i knew i was going to have a Sandy Sleeping Bag by the time it was all over with. i Wasn't too worried about it until i realized that to get into the "helpful" "protective bag" i would have to slide my feet in scraping sand off my feet and coating the inside of the bag. Perfect,..if i wanted to catch some shuteye with a thin layer of clingy, moist (hate that word) sand all over me. The fun was beginning to start, can you tell?
At about 8:30 or 9, fireworks started up. A massive, long show was happening and i had pretty good seats! i Was so far away that i didn't hear the "crackle effect" ones but heard the boom pretty well...delayed, but still heard it. Then i ripped my attention to some similar closer noises about 300 or 500 feet away as people were doing the same activity! It was quite a little spectacle being in between all the action. It was a little unnerving knowing that these distinguished beach goers were drinking beer and were jovial in lighting fireworks. Genius. i've always thought alcohol and any type of explosive were a great combo and these people must have thought so too! Funny how that works out...(if it works out at all..*cough*)
While fireworks blasted all around me, the night sky was perfect. i Could watch some shooting stars as well as a show with all the loud entertainment. (This was a big plus to the evening so i thought i should set this apart...ahah.)
While bombs bursting in air continued with a jolly raucous, there was quite the rowdy behavior going on elsewhere. The vehicles. They never ceased!! It was unbelievable. Truck after truck after Trailblazer after SUV after truck after SUV after truck....after Trailblazer...aft-..you see my point. It was unreal. The amount of wheels running back and fo' and back and fo'! Of course, when the major firework show ended there were a number of cars coming back at the same time and i figured that out after marveling some more about it.. But... Then it started all over again! They just started Runnin' that highway, i mean beach strand.
At about 10:30 there was a group of maybe 2 guys come walking over with this cooler (was really scratching my head at what was in the cooler.....not.) and at first plunked down only about 30 feet away from me, not seeing me in the dark. One of them sounding very intelligent and far from Southern said, "This is us bro!" Then 3 obnoxiously loud girls walked over with more stuff and a flashlight and must have caught sight of me with it for one said, "Is ther' som'body sleepin' over ther'?" in quite the accent that fits so well....in the south. One of the possibly more bright ones got the rest of them to move a little further away so that worked, until a little later..
It only got worse when some silly boys and girls decided they were going to start pretending they were at Myrtle Beach. If you've never been to the Strip in Summer time, i..guess, it's worth it? Anyway, what happens on the Strip is that, starting at about midnight, people will drive up and down with their windows down and yelling or wooing out their windows. Blaring music and tearing back and forth. Sounds like a blast right? Big redneck trucks whistling at girls and comment-i mean yelling about their looks and just being so professional and gentlemanly. Well, that is what happened. Exactly. To the letter. One truck in particular kept driving by this tent that had the 3 clamorous girls (who smoked so attractively.......) and that went over real well with them of course. They only egged them on, flirting at the top of their lungs. One guy said something so classy to one of the girls, i thought he should have not completed his turn and instead, completed something much more helpful like driving into the ocean!
So you see, there was traffic all night long and plenty of "woo girls" to replace all the real ones in New York City bars. Two times. Of course the drunk fireworks were just an added bonus and it was a..mess. Naturally. Drunk fireworks are the best kind, naturally. As it turned out, people were coming a day early to "whoop it up" all night on the eve of the Fourth. And, they wanted to be claiming their spots. Well, as i strived and toiled about falling asleep with all this highway fun, i was lying my head on my hiking backpack which i thought would be enough padding. It was not. Once again the sand got wicked hard and i couldn't get comfortable. It didn't make sense with all the biking and walking through sand..to no avail, my eyes wouldn't stay shut. Oh wait, i remember why i struggled so much: what made it harder was that i kept waking up through the night to more people pulling in. i'm not exaggerating. You're doing the math right. The hour was LATE, yet people kept rolling in as if it was a bright sunny day and they were going to be setting up camp with all this daylight to aid them.. People just set up their camps in complete dark with some LED lights, always managing to get it right in my eyes. Their aim was impeccable. i Guess some good can be found in this too.. i Wasn't ever run over my some car backing up or waking up outside of someone's tent or right next to a car....until the morning. i Couldn't sleep in at all because some people had moved in pretty close to me and had kept a fire going all night and talked away. And the sun was up pretty fast. At about 7:40 two massive 4X4 trucks pulled in right next to me.. "Right," a word that here means a mere 10 feet from my head. i Knew right then that it was time to move on. They tried to be pleasant and greet me, but there wasn't much use in that as they were pretty much "The Invaders."
My July 4th was pretty eventful as well, but not with such colorful folks (except some retired heavy drinkers at a neighborhood picnic, one of which had brought some Vodka!). The ride home consisted of seeing a ton of traffic and feeling powerful being able to pass these forlorn cars waiting and waiting.
It wasn't a miserable experience really, it was just an Experience. One that i will be sure to plan for better next time..and expect Culture to be there on the beach as well! It saddened me that at some times i didn't feel like i had left the county where my parents live and i confess i attended school for a little bit. The whole point of the trip was to see tourists and people who were from "Wi'min'ton," not the place i liked to avoid. Ah well, i still went to that picnic and laughed with some Vets and got to thank them so, not a complete waste of a Fourth at all! Far from it.
If you serve for our Nation, i thank you and please know that i am proud to be an American. There isn't another place like it, on Earth.
