HILTON HEAD, SOUTH CAROLINA
It was another pleasant morning. My group consisted of Meg Shipman, Jae Slye, Gwyn Reece, and me. We were Group 1 and this time we could roll out of the hotel after the dedication circle.
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| Atlantic Ocean |
With cue sheets showing left turns when they should be right turns andvice versa, the cue sheets have become a thing of the past. We just followed our driver, Alex Wright. Each day was special and this would be a special day.
It was yellow jersey and I wore a yellow jersey. My Team Fight jersey was dirty and smelly so I wore my CCC jersey as the back was a tribute to Jake the Hero Grecco.
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| Alex, Meg, Jae, Barry, Gwyn |
Alex drove ahead and would wait for us at the turns. While we would pass he would be jumping up and down and waving the Team Fight flag. LSU must have lost a hell of a good cheerleader when he left.
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| Alex Wright |
As we meandered down the coast we occasionally had to go inland on US 17. That is not a fun road to cycle on.
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| Ferris Wheel, North Myrtle Beach |
Twenty eight miles in we missed a turn as he wanted us to turn on 16th Street. Instead we went to 15th Street then turned back one block. As we passed the First Baptist Church of Surfside Alex spotted a playground full of kids. He had an idea – the right idea – and we all doubled back for a photo op. Alex first asked the teachers if the kids would pose with the flag but they suggested we be in the picture as well. And we did. Yep, we used this kids for a photo op.
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| The Kids of the First Baptist Church of Surfside |
It was very meaningful meeting those kids and their teachers. I wonder if they went home and told their parents about these cyclists riding by.
One teacher told us about a pediatric cancer center at the Medical University of South Carolina and told us to contact Jacqueline Kraveka. And we would. Well, we would try.
It was fun, and more relaxing, riding on the coastal road. But eventually the coastal road ran out and we had to ride on US 17.
I don’t like Rte 17 in Virginia and I don’t like it in South Carolina. Four lanes, no shoulder, and heavy traffic. But Alex followed right behind us for more than 20 miles which gave us a protective barrier. Because cars were coming at speed on a large vehicle and not four cyclists, they had to move over. But many saw “honk if you hate cancer” written on the van and gave courteous honks as they passed.
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| Gwyn and Meg coming over a high bridge near Georgetown |
Our moment of truth came when three sheriffs’ cars went by and none stopped to warn us not to block traffic. That made the rest of the ride even better.
We had a good ride. At 63 miles it was a personal best for Meg.
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| Jae, Barry, Gwyn, Meg |
On the drive to Hilton Head I called three numbers to reach Dr. Kraveka. We wanted to come by and visit their cancer center. When I reached someone who seemed to know what I was talking about I was informed they were having an open house today at 4:00 and it would be a bad time to swing by. I was disappointed and I think my colleagues were too.
We had located one of the other groups and could have had two groups visit the cancer center. I have a personal interest in pediatric cancer and count this failed visit, even though it was not planned, as my one disappointment in the trip.
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| Andy Veliuona and Rob Keleher at Sonic in Charleston SC |
As we drove the two groups met up at Sonic in Charleston. Rob Keleher had never seen car hops on roller blades so this was a treat. Then we motored on to Hilton Head.
Dinner tonight was Dominos Pizza by the pool.
