On the Bike:
Okay, you are probably asking how we picked the Dismal Swamp for a bike ride?!? We found the trail as we were trying to figure out where we would ride in North Carolina. We nixed beach riding along the coast after spending time in Corolla. Roads were congested and narrow. Remember we had our hybrids and you can’t ride bikes on the beach as far as we could tell. The Dismal Swamp was close to our base camp at Joni and Bill’s house in Moyock. We didn’t want to just do a neighborhood ride to check the box for the state.The Dismal Swamp Canal Trail is an asphalt pathway that cuts along the edge of the Dismal Swamp canal. A heavy tree canopy keeps the ride shady and cool. When we came to the end of the official trail we rode on a couple miles to the small town of South Mills then looped back to the Welcome Center where we were parked. We walked across the floating bridge on the canal and after talking to the Park Ranger, made an attempt to ride the dirt trail in the State Park. We had a 5 mile loop planned….Mother Nature had other ideas. Rains in the area over the past couple days had made the dirt path muddy and slick, too much of a challenge for us. Slightly muddied and close to a couple wipeouts were enough for us to bail after about a mile and a half of effort. There are plenty of trails inside the park that you could explore under better conditions (on foot or bike).Parking is available at the northern trailhead at the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center (2356 US Highway 17 N.), 3 miles south of the VA/NC border. Another trailhead and parking area is located at the trail’s southern end at the intersection of US Highway 17 and NC 343.
Off the Bike:
Corolla Wild Horse tour – Don’t be fooled by the name of the company – Corolla Jeep Adventures….they offer a great Wild Horse Tour, Our guided tour was in a converted hummer. Jeeps are available to rent as well. We had a great time and our guide was fantastic and a wealth of information (wish we could remember his name). We not only saw horses, a large herd came out of the dunes, to run on the beach. While on the beach, and to everyone’s surprise, they stopped to inspect a family’s open cooler! These wild mustangs can be traced back to the Spanish explorers arrival on the Outer Banks in the 16th century. They roam freely around the beach, private residences and dirt roads just off the coast. While we were out on the tour, we rode past an unfortunate tragic accident where a pickup truck had struck and killed a horse. If you are in the area we highly recommend scheduling a tour, the horses are dwindling in number.
Tortuga’s Lie in Nags Head – Great food, great atmosphere. You may need to be patient, it’s that popular. They were also featured on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. Jerk Chicken on the lunch and dinner menu, and pork Antonio (jerk seasoned pork chops) on the dinner menu. Triple D is one of our go to guides for helping us decide where to eat when we are in a new place….we try to avoid the chain restaurants when we are on an adventure.
Seaside Art Gallery – Joni and Bill’s interior design skills gave us inspiration to stop at some art galleries and antique stores looking for wall art. What a surprise when the piece we found that spoke to us “Gator Head Trough” was from an artist (David Hunter) who lives in Winter Park, FL (we are both from Central Florida). In my opinion, this little gallery has something for everyone’s taste and style.
North Banks Restaurant and Raw Bar in Corolla – Great little place that had an amazing appetizer of North Carolina Yellowfin Tuna bites. Huge portions, and a great staff. When you are eating Keto style, finding great salads and proteins that aren’t covered in sauces are a relief, especially if you get tired of eating cheeseburgers without the bun every day…..
Currituck Beach Lighthouse – Check off another lighthouse in our long term quest to see all the OBX lighthouses. Built in 1875, this is the only lighthouse on the Outer Banks that is not painted. The markings on the lighthouses helped sailors navigate the NC coastline during daylight hours.
Traffic jam – we can’t forget to mention the massive traffic jam that we encountered in Indiana on Interstate 64 that had the road blocked and turned our planned pit stop in Lexington at 9:30pm to a midnight arrival. With a planned start time of 6:00am the Hampton Inn off of I64 was one of the shorter pitstops that we have ever had. Our Mini Countryman served as our dependable bike hauler and luggage transport. Yes, we were packed to the gills for the trip. We were surprised and disappointed when our travel nemesis, the check engine light, came on 30 minutes into the 2045 mile adventure!Joni and Bill – it would not have been the awesome start to our epic adventure without the time we spent with great friends. They welcomed us into their home, and made us comfortable. They didn’t even bat an eye when Ray crawled out of bed each morning at 5 am to get in his 3-4 miles runs (he was in training for a sprint triathlon in two months). Add in the Keto diet restrictions, smoothies in the NutriBullet, Apple Cider Vinegar lemonades and peanut butter/chocolate fat bombs and we just feel so blessed to have such great friends in our life. They even introduced use to air fryer cooking. We bought one the weekend after we got back, though we couldn’t get the cool red one they had.
Thanks for checking out our post on our North Carolina adventure! Have you got any tips for North Carolina adventures (trails, parks, restaurants, antique shops, etc.) that we should look into for our next visit? Leave a comment or drop us a line on our contact us page. We are always on the lookout for new places to ride, see, eat or explore! We would love to hear from you!