Hungtington Beach State Park

Duke Disease

I felt totally weаk, trail turned from paved into graveled, and I wasn’t going to make it as any slight uphill would kill me. I cycled to the nearest road and stopped a car. This time a quite reasonable question from driver, where I’m going, irritated me a lot, and I just hissed from my last strength – “out of here!”

– Stayed 2 days in Durham with Katherine and Joanne, working from the library of the Duke Uni
– Was frozen as a penguin there and had got a horrible air conditioner disease. Air conditioning, probably, is too healthy for me.

Photo: Staying in Durham

– This disease has all symptoms of bilateral pneumonia + angina and feels like all together. Near Raleigh I felt totally weаk, trail turned from paved into graveled, and I wasn’t going to make it as any slight uphill would kill me. I cycled to the nearest road and stopped a car. This time a quite reasonable question from driver, where I’m going, irritated me a lot, and I just hissed from my last strength – “out of here!” He brought me to McDonald’s and bought me a lunch.
– Thunderstorm was coming, but I can’t sit and wait it at McDonald’s because of air conditioner. Also I can’t pedal because of weakness. So I came to a highway rump with no clear idea what for.
– Very soon a car stopped. The driver was a bicyclist, going to Wilmington, which was couple of hundreds miles ahead in trail. His name was Hap, because he was born when everybody was screaming “Happy New Year”. I slept over a thunderstorm and my weakness crisis in the car. After a few hours, in Wilmington, I felt much better, and pedaled to Carolina Beach campground. No point to look for people’s backyard if there is a lot of campgrounds all over the sea-coast. That is good and bad.

Photo: Camping in Carolina Beach

Camping in Carolina Beach

– Next morning – a ferry (seagulls were scarring, Hitchcock, Birds-2), then trying to pedal across the strongest head wind. After a couple of minutes of trying I took a ride for a few miles.

Photo: Ferry Southport Fort Fisher

Ferry Southport Fort Fisher

Photo: Ferry Southport Fort Fisher

Ferry Southport Fort Fisher

– Just after 8PM and before a thunderstorm I approached Huntington Beach State Park.

Photo: Hungtington Beach State Park

Hungtington Beach State Park

But wasn’t allowed to hung my hammock there because I didn’t book ahead!

Photo: Hungtington Beach State Park

Hungtington Beach State Park

– So glad they sent me to pedal towards night thunderstorm. Soon I met Anissa outside of her house and got a princess bed on her porch! We chat till the midnight.

Photo: Hungtington Beach State Park

Anissa and Steve

Photo: Hungtington Beach State Park

My bed on the porch

– I was a bit sleepy next morning, when, following their advice, cycled a bit back to see Brookgreen Gardens

Photo: Hungtington Beach State ParkPhoto: Hungtington Beach State ParkPhoto: Hungtington Beach State ParkPhoto: Hungtington Beach State ParkPhoto: Strong head windPhoto: Strong head windPhoto: Sleeping in hammock on a campgroundPhoto: Sleeping in hammock on a campgroundPhoto: Lake ForestPhoto: Lake ForestPhoto: Lake Forest

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From journalism and car racing in Russia to teaching at the University in South Africa, where she won Alliance de France and the British Consulate international photo contests, she switched paths: earned a silver medal at the 2011 World Masters Athletics USA, hiked the 2,081-mile Appalachian Trail, navigated the Amazon from Peru to Brazil, biked Route 66 from Chicago to LA, from London to Orkney, and from Canada to Key West, and launched an art project at Midcoast Maine. During lockdown drove to Olympic Valley Palisades Tahoe where became a ski and swim instructor, then… well, enough for now.