Chapter 14: Get Your Green On

HAPPY SAINT PATTY'S DAY!!

If I could paint you a picture of how we feel on this dreary, cold morning it would have a Fairy eating a hot dog hovering over a Leprechaun riding a Unicycle while drinking a beer (which is pretty much how the day went)!

We took it easy with the horrible, bone chilling winds (thank God for yesterday!) and planned to watch the St. Patty's Day parade outside Nags Head, when we ran into the OBX Cycling Club who insisted we ride in the parade with them! We met Val, a beautiful spirit, who had gone on a bike trip with her husband after college in the early 80's. She took us for FREE hot dogs at Kelly's Pub and I celebrated with a Guinness. As it turned out Val and her husband, Robert were good friends with our Warm Showers host for the evening, so they decided to take us site seeing around Kitty Hawk and deliver us to Linda's house via the quiet back roads of Kill Devil Hills.

We arrived to Linda's gorgeous house and said a bittersweet goodbye to Val and Robert. This was one of our best nights on the road as we each cooked a dish and shared an amazing meal together as new friends, baked garlic & parsley Salmon with tomatoes, lentil curry, kale salad, and baked potatoes!

Right before bed Linda had told us that the cats were to stay outside for the night. As we were enjoying our dessert of oranges, dark chocolate and walnuts, I realized one of the cats somehow made her way inside. Of course it was the most timid of the three (Sam and I were in Cat Heaven and missing our little ones). As I was trying the corner her I tripped over Knight, the doberman, caught some air and landed hard. Sam just looked at me with a blank stare on his face. By that time Naomi and Zack were involved so we tried to lure the cat with some dog food after she hid under the bed... Fail. We tossed around ideas to no avail. Leaving the garage door open was not an option because the other cats would get in but we couldn't leave her in the house because she had no access to her bathroom in the garage. It's a Cat Conundrum! Needless to say she let herself out by crying at the door after we semi-gave up from exhaustion, but I could not stop laughing hysterically at the entire hour of Cat Chaos!

A very special Thank you to Val, Robert, and Linda. We talked with each other about our families, our futures, and shared cycling/gardening/nutrition tips! We laughed and shivered and got to know some incredible people. Good luck Val with your new super awesome job as a bike tour guide and Linda with a possible equally awesome job in grant writing! Thank you for opening your hearts and your homes and making our experience completely worth every second. I will never forget you and hope we meet again in our travels.

Nags Head Base Camp

Trying to get the bikes in an elevator was interesting

Let's have a Parade!

Talking to Mama

Touring around with Val 

The Fabulous Freewheelin Foursome

Goodbye!