Day 18: Carolina Beach State Park, NC

I did 45+ miles yesterday, mostly into a strong headwind.  Strong enough that coming off the ferry at Fort Fisher the best I could manage for one stretch was 11 mph (the one hour wait for the ferry across the Cape Fear River didn't help - all my muscles had tightened up).  There the winds were even worse - coming directly off the Atlantic, with nothing to break them.  And the extended forecast looks as though we will be heading into the wind for several days, though right now the forecast doesn't include winds quite as strong as yesterday's.  All I can say is that I slept like a baby last night - I was instantly unconscious and didn't wake up until I felt Lana licking my face in the morning.

Crossing the Cape Fear River.

Our sister ferry passes us mid-channel.

The ferry crossing was $10 for a vehicle under 40 feet in length.  It would have been an additional $2 for the bike, so we stowed that in the van for the crossing.

We camped at Carolina Beach State Park, south of Wilmington.  It was $17 per night, plus a $3 "transaction fee," which gave us a primitive site near the showers.  But we had to present a drivers license in order to register, and once Alea had done that we learned that she qualified for the $5 senior discount.  So $15 is a good deal, as this is a very nice park.  

Pausing for a break from the wind.

A part of the campground is in the process of being upgraded.  The outside campsites in one of the two loops are all being enlarged to accommodate big rigs with slide outs, and they will all will have water and 50 amp electric service.  It's hard to say whether or not the eventual plan is to add power and water to all sites.  They'll likely implement a two tier pricing system once the renovated sites are ready to be occupied.