One of my besties, Scottie, has a sister who goes to UNC, Wilmington. I talked with him the night before, and he decided to hop in his car and drive from DC to Wilmington to visit his sister and to hang with yours truly.

It had taken me over 2 weeks to get there by bicycle. On a whim, he got in his car and met me in like 6 hours.

I’ve probably spent more time with Scottie in these past 10 years than anyone else I know. We picked up right where we had left off, and by that night, I had almost completely forgotten I was on this bike trip.

He graduated from UNCW a few years ago, so he knew all the good spots to hit. We had decided to get a hotel overlooking the sound in Wrightsville, and we moved on in and I enjoyed a full day off of the bike.

 

There were some fun waves rolling through, and even though it was chilly, we decided to paddle out. I borrowed a board and squeezed into his extra wetsuit and we joined the crowd out in the water. There were some good guys out, but it was spread out enough that we could still find our own little spot. We got some good ones, and before my hands and feet froze off, we headed back to the hotel.

His sister, Claire, was great to us, and it was fun having her along. Her friends were super nice, and Scottie was quite the hit. After an afternoon with those ladies, Scottie and I decided to go on a tour of the “beach bars.” There were great little dives and other more popular spots, and we decided to settle in to one with live music.

We found a spot right next to the lead singer, “Juice.” He reminded me of a bigger version of Zac Brown, and he could belt it out almost as well. Every song they played was awesome, and they played through the rest of the night. It was one of the first times that I really felt like I was “On the Road.” I could just imagine Kerouac and Dean Moriarty absolutely diggin’ life. Live music, lively town, with someone there to hang your hat on, just excited on life. Next thing I know, we’re hanging out with the band and the bartender after they had closed the bar.

It was a late night, but we were up and at ’em the next day. We took one last trip out to our dock and shot the breeze while soaking in our last moments in Wrightsville Beach. 

 

We both had long days of travel ahead. Scottie was going to provide me with a ride out of the middle of town in Wilmington and sling-shot me on my way to my next stop, Myrtle Beach.