Let Me Play in the Countryside

After a month of riding circles in New Bern neighborhoods, I was ready to get out to the countryside to bike a leisurely pace and enjoy the sights and smells of farmland. So it was that an interesting and affordable Airbnb brought me west to Pittsboro, North Carolina where I was greeted by friendly faces and happy critters. 

There were a few surprises during my week here.  I was told that coyotes and bobcats do roam and while I did hear the coyotes, it was the smell of skunk that woke me from a dead sleep one night.  I also thought it was great to have the barn protection in case of some stormy weather, but I didn't plan on temps going to 37 degrees! Getting out of the sleeping bag was a bit of a challenge a few mornings.  

The one disappointment was not being able to leisurely bike. While it certainly felt like countryside, Pittsboro is less than an hour to Raleigh, Durham and Greensboro, so now a commuter town where drivers don't slow down on the narrow roads to or from home.  Yikes.  That said, it was still a relaxing and peaceful week on the farm, and a pleasure to spend time with Melissa and the entire community of folks alongside the herd, flock, et al who come and go. 

I'm now back in Greenville, South Carolina after a 5-year lapse simply kicking tires.