Where’s Kman

Seattle, Wa to Greensboro, NC
2302 miles
484.6 average mph
This will be my last post. I flew home yesterday and arrived late last night.
Thanks again to everyone who has followed along with my journey. It was a fantastic trip and the adventure of a lifetime.

Hey all you guys from the AmEx ride, you should do a ride to Oklahoma Rd. Some Saturday. It think it would be about 150 miles round trip. It’s a nice little climb that starts at the church near the entrance to Stone Mtn. State Park. You will know you are near the top when you see the words ‘hurt, pain, and agony’ chalked on the road. Make sure to bring an extra 20 pounds of deadweight to make it a little more challenging!

Greensboro, NC to Traphill, NC
88 miles
16.4 average mph
Sandy Ridge Rd.
Old Salem Rd.
Kernersville Rd.
Waughtown Rd.
Robinhood Rd.
Yadkinville Rd.
Center Rd.
Austin-Traphill Rd.
As you can see from the photos I took at the top of Stone Mountain I was caught in a downpour and had to find shelter under some big trees. Luckily I was already at my campsite and on foot and didn’t have to worry about riding in the rain. It has stopped now and I had better get off the mountain before it gets dark – but I will have to finish this first because there is no reception in the dead zone valley campground. It’s getting dark and I hear some loud animal noises in the trees – gotta go.

Greensboro, NC

I will be at my home in Greensboro, NC for the next 3 days so that I can go to my daughter’s high school graduation ceremony on Sunday, June 7.   As it turns out it is a good thing I’m indoors because it looks like it is going to rain all day today in Greensboro.   I will be back on the road again on Monday, June 8 and headed towards the mountains.

Raleigh, NC to Greensboro, NC

85 miles

16.0 average mph

Walnut Rd.

Maynard Rd.

High House Rd.

Green Level Rd.

Farrington Rd.

Mt. Carmel Rd.

Greensboro-Chapel Hill Rd.

Alamance Church Rd.

I took a slightly different to Greensboro than I did from Greensboro because highway 54 from Chapel Hill to Raleigh is NOT bicycle friendly.  Way too much traffic.     I want to say hello to Colnago Bob, the barefoot rider, and the other two guys from Burlington who rode with me on Alamance Church Rd. for a few miles this afternoon.   Enjoy the ride!    I have not had any rain on the first four days of my journey and the rain gods seems to be smiling on me because I arrived at my destination this afternoon about 15 minutes before a thunderstorm rolled in.  The flatlands gave way to slightly rolling hills today which was a welcome change.

Seven Springs, NC to Raleigh, NC

89 miles
14.9 average mph

Hwy 111
Hwy 581
Old Kenly Rd.
Old Beulah Rd.
Buffalo Rd.
Ten-Ten Rd.

Woke up to a THUMP at my campsite last night. I pointed my flashlight around my tent and saw my front bike bag, which has a reflective strip on it, quickly moving off into the woods. I needed the bag so got up and chased it down and scared the raccoon who was draging it away but not before he could unzip the bag and take out a small bag of beef jerky. He wasn’t interested in my granola bars and everything else in the bag was untouched. Went to the Tobacco Museum in Kenly, NC. Did you know that tobacco is first grown in greenhouses starting in mid Feb. And then the seedlings are transplanted to the fields in early April. I didn’t. Another flat day on the road today. There are no hills in this part of the state. Hello to Martin and Chris who are bike riders I met in Smithfield, NC.

Surf City, NC to Seven Springs, NC

72 miles
16.3 average mph

Hwy 50
Hwy 111

My son drove me and my bike to the Atlantic Ocean for the official beginning of the journey. He took some pictures of me holding the bike in the surf at the beach. Make sure to check the photo gallery every day to see these pictures and others because I will be adding new photos daily. It was a bit warmer and muggy today so not quite as pleasant as yesterday but still not to bad. This part of NC is very flat like the midwest but there are more trees and some wetland or swampy areas.

Greensboro, NC to Raleigh, NC

84 miles
15.7 average mph

Alamance Church Rd. Greensboro Chapel Hill Rd.
Hwy 54.

My ride got off to an auspicious beginning! It’s a beautiful day; 84 degrees, blue sky, no wind, birds singing, etc. In other words – a perfect day for a bike ride. Met an old Korean and Vietnam War Air Force vet when I stopped for lunch. He told me a lot of war stories but I could only understand about half of what he said because he didn’t have any teeth. I did hear him say he had seen coyotes, wolves, and black panthers in the area recently while camping in the woods. Oh my! I was not expecting wild animals so close to home.