![Razz :P](./images/smilies/icon_razz.gif)
I did a few spins around town and then used my last day to head out to Tybee Island, which is 30km away, where the Savannah River meets the Atlantic. In order to make sunrise on the beach (and be back in time for a 9:30 plenary) I had to leave the hotel at 5:50. Sunrise was at 7:20. Local riders told me to only do the Tybee run in the morning because "drivers don't usually start drinking until 10 am." The guys at my rental shop loaned me a crappy little headlight which wasn't good for much, but I had the foresight to bring my good tail light from home. Without a big red flasher out the back it would have been an even scarier ride. Because of all the tributaries and marshy bits, much of the route is along highway bridges featuring about a six-inch "shoulder" outside the fog lines and nowhere for passing trucks to go. Where the roads had shoulders, they were full of crap—crap my headlight would only pick out at the last minute. Even the roads in town were pretty nasty, with plenty of crevices and holes that could wrestle a 25mm tire to the ground in a heartbeat. Riding down there made me really appreciate our B.C. infrastructure.
Riding with Tripleshot, and especially Barton's recent LSDs, prepared my legs well for the three hours of semi-panicked effort. I didn't get hit by a truck, which was good. The only hills in this part of the world are the slight inclines that lead up to a bridge deck. I made it to the beach through the warm (17C), humid darkness with 10 minutes to spare before sun-up. Then I rode three kilometres down the beach before asking a local walking his dogs about a good breakfast place (always a priority!) Turns out he also rides a road bike and once worked in Vancouver. He invited me to his nearby condo complex so I could rinse the rental's drivetrain and feel less guilty for covering it in salty sand.
![Embarassed :oops:](./images/smilies/icon_redface.gif)
The ride back took me past some very cool, old riverfront estates, surrounded by iconic southern live oaks, draped in Spanish moss. It's a truly picturesque part of the world, and I found nearly all the folks I met gracious and very polite (after I got past the standard reply of "uh-huh" to my "thank you"!)
Here's a short edit of some ride video I took on my crappy iPhone. The park at the end is where Forrest Gump was filmed, sitting on his park bench waiting for the bus.
I also went to a gun show. But that's another video...
![Shocked :shock:](./images/smilies/icon_eek.gif)