I’ve started using “y’all.”

I’m really in the south now! At this moment I’m at a coffee shop in Southport, North Carolina, not too far from the South Carolina border.

Richmond may be my favorite city so far that I visited for the first time on this trip. I ended up staying a couple days longer than I originally planned. I found it to be a fun city to bike around in, although not really bike-friendly. There are some quiet roads up and down the river that I cruised along, in addition to some mountain bike paths that I dared upon before I decided it was a bit too unsafe. While in Richmond I got a couple “new” books to read through when I have spare time. I was also very blessed to have my couchsurfing host Adam give me a de-stressing massage the night before I hit the road.

I spent the fourth of July weekend and week along North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The geography of the place is rather unique, but in general the atmosphere of a coastal tourist trap reminded me of Cape Cod in Massachusetts. The beaches there and everywhere else I’ve been since have been so beautiful with warm water and nice waves. After my last ferry off of the Outer Banks, I passed through many miles of swamp in Cedar Island.

My next big stop was Wilmington, NC, where I stayed with an engaged couple who live in Wrightsville Beach, about ten miles out of town. Audra and John were so kind for not only responding to my last minute call-out for a place to stay, but also for all the quality time they spent with me, ensuring my time there was both restful and fun. My first day in Wilmington I met two women, Sister Silvia Muhammad and Ra’Shonda, who helped me reassert my goals on this trip — mainly that I want to seek out and be open to Black experiences and perspectives. I really appreciate that Sister Silvia called me out on my privilege and took the time to talk to me and show me respect as an individual. She also recommended the next book that I will be reading, The Secret Relationships of Blacks and Jews. Plus she gave me a small sweet bean pie that she baked!

It was just yesterday, the 12th, that I left Wrightsville Beach, and I spent the afternoon and this morning in Carolina Beach with a couple of nice people from Kansas and New Mexico. It is such a pleasure to make friends!

That brings me to now, on my way to my next big stop of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Although it’s a bit off-route, I decided I would stop there because there aren’t any big towns/cities along my route for quite some time.

I have taken just a couple pictures since my last post, so I will eventually make a picture post with whatever I’ve got.

Love and Laughter
-Nathan

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