Day 61: Elizabeth City

Plan B kicked in today. I suppose it had to happen eventually, having evaded some rainfall, some of it biblical, for 60 days, on the 61st day the heavens opened and it I got soaked all the way down to my undergarments. The only consolation was that the temperature only dropped to 24°C.

In tent sheltering from the rain.

As a consequence the grand depart was delayed until 11.30am, after which I managed to stay dry until 12.30pm when there was a very heavy downpour that lasted until approximately 3pm.

Obviously the cessation of rain was good, but then I discovered that I'd been exceptionally stupid (even by my standards): I'd left my glasses at the 7 Eleven store where I'd stopped for refreshments, which was some 8 miles back up the road. So that added an additional 16 miles to the day's milage.

So, the decision was made to abandon Merchant Millpond State Park and camping and, instead seek refuge in a hotel in Elizabeth City. The reasons are as follows:

1. VERY wet me and tent: Can dry everything out
2. Have not had wifi for days: Can catch up with blog etc
3. The state parks are full of bugs that appear to enjoy feasting on me! So a night without additional bits would be most welcome.

So all things considered it was an easy decision to make. Just leaves a near 100 mile cycle tomorrow but, the forecast is for no rain and the next day is a rest day.