Marshallberg: Save The Harbor Motorcycle Rally

Marshallberg, NC

The Daily News Progress invades community, threatens way of life.

That could be the headline but maybe replace Progress with Greed. Either way it’s a classic story of the little guys being trampled on with total disregard for rights and privileges granted by the United States of America. Sound familiar? In this case the folks in Marshallberg are refusing to accept the change and outright theft of their way of life. A way of life that goes back many generations and actually threatens what you may have on your dinner plate when you enjoy a seafood meal in the real Down East.

There was a ride organized in order to raise money to assist the good folks in the Marshallberg area. A ride organized and orchestrated in such a manner it impressed most everyone in attendance. Max is awesome!

Debbie and I left home at 8:30 Saturday morning and after a stop at Bojangles in James City for a quick breakfast we were in route to Beaufort by 9:15 or so. Line up started at 9:00 with bikes out at 11:00.

We arrived at the parking lot at Cubbies Restaurant in Beaufort a little after 10:00. I had wondered on the ride down if the attendance would be good for such a cause in eastern Carteret County. I had no reason to be concerned since by the time we were to leave there were about 75 bikes and about 100 in attendance since there were quite a few 2 up bikes. Registration took place inside Cubbies. They opened very early to accommodate the riders and event workers. Someone was eating chili fries at 10:15 AM!

As usual we checked out the bikes and chatted with some riders. There was a real mix of bikes in this group from dirt bikes to cruisers including most makes I could think of. This young man seemed right at home on this bike and seemed anxious for the event to begin.

We had a police escort as we left Beaufort and Beaufort PD handed us off to a Carteret County Sheriff Deputy as we ran down 101.

The weather was fantastic. As we ran down highway 101 it was near 65, clear skies and light wind.

We cross over the Intracoastal Waterway between Beaufort and Havelock.

This shot is about a mile from the Craven/Carteret line on 101 and the county line is where we were handed off to a Craven County Sheriff Deputy. This was slick in operation. Craven gets in front of Carteret and Carteret pulls off just past the line. The riders never slowed more than the 45MPH zone at the transfer point.

We cruised through Havelock, red lights and all, since Havelock PD gave us safe passage through all the intersections.

We took the back way through town and reentered on 70 West just outside town. 15 miles to New Bern.

We exit 70 and turn on to 55 east. Just past the bridge mid point the group was separated due to the merge lanes on the bridge. Not to worry, a stop was only a mile away at the Handy Mart just east of Bridgeton.

All lined up. This stop allowed a bathroom break and a snack. Lunch was still a ways off.

Max was on top of the event the whole time. His planning proved to be excellent and made the ride very enjoyable. Next stop: the ferry.

On down 55 east and right on to highway 306 in Grantsboro. We were going to make the 1:15 ferry to Cherry Branch.

Max even had a chase vehicle with trailer in case there were any mechanical issues. See upper left of this picture.

The entire group including the chase vehicle made it on the ferry.

It was quite a sight. Even the ferry crew was interested enough to take a few pictures. We ride off the ferry and take 101 back to Beaufort and then back on 70 East. Here we are crossing North River. And yes we have arrived. Where is everyone. Oh yeah, the shrimp dinner! They were faster from the bikes to the food than when they were riding. There was fresh fried shrimp, baked beans, cole slaw and hush puppies. And of course sweet tea. There was also Cake. Two of them actually. Here Max, the Master of Ceremonies calls the winning tickets for the raffle prizes. There were a lot of prizes. Debbie and I won two free games at the Strike Zone in New Bern. The 50/50 drawing was over $150.00. With the 4:00 sun to the west it is as if diamonds cascade across the harbor. Sadly, the ride is over so we make our way back home by way of the short cut through Merrimon and Laurel roads. Probably the best ride we have participated in because of planning and the food. Met some great new friends and enjoyed the weather. For us it was 195 miles since we live only a mile or so from location B. Almost like two round trips to Beaufort plus a little. Of course there was a rider who rode down from Baltimore the night before. Now that’s dedication. And it got him a free t-shirt. Parting Shots

Faces in the crowd

Almost Gone, Completely Forgotten

 

Michael, over at www.losterariders.com ,  has some great shots of old buildings and it got me to thinking of what I have seen in our rural part of the state of North Carolina. You don't need to ride far to see the results of progress, well maybe progress isn't the word I'm looking for here. While at Michael's site I just couldn't keep from wondering, when I see the abandoned structure, just what happened right at the end.  At one point the lights were on, perhaps children were running and shouting and happy.  A dog was curled up at his master's feet in front of a warm crackling fire, paws twitching with dreams of the days adventures.  A young husband and wife were discussing their dreams and ambitions while the aroma of delicious food wafted from the kitchen.  There was no TV, no Internet.  A few bare bulbs for light and barely running water.  Home cooking was all you knew and the kids were in by dark.  But how did it end?  What caused the structure to be set adrift in the tide of humanity?  A picture truly is worth a thousand words.

The sun still shines through the back window. (Near Scotland Neck, NC)

Someone's comfortable chair still remains. (Near Scotland Neck, NC)

The smell of fried chicken on a Sunday afternoon. (Near Scotland Neck, NC)

There's room for one more horse. (Statesville, NC)

Mid Winter Ride

Looking back I see it's been a while since my last entry.  The holidays were part, as well as some not so good weekend weather.  I'll try not to let that happen again.

After lunch on Sunday, seeing the mercury rise to near 70, we decide to break the winter doldrums.  Jeans and a mid weight leather jacket seemed appropriate along with my normal light weight leather gloves. With Debbie dressed in a similar fashion we head west, across the Neuse River.

We started off at 1:00PM to Lawson's Creek in New Bern.  The ride over the high rise was interesting due to the winds gusting to 25 mph at times.  Yes, even the Ultra suffers from wind effect.  Actually she suffers more than the Sportster did due in part to the large area offered by the saddle bags, fairing and windshield.

At Lawson's Creek we note quite a few bass fishermen had launched and the Coast Guard had launched their inflatable at the ramp.  We circled the park then headed downtown.

At the corner of Middle and Broad we parked in order to take some photos of the new art work on exhibit. If memory serves me correctly, JC Penny's stood here some 35 years ago.  Debbie says it was the only place in New Bern at the time to get Girl Scout accessories.  Of course then there was no Mall and both Penny's and Belk's were downtown as were McClellans, Kress, Africana Mens Shop, The Surplus Store and Hawk's Radio and TV.  Remember the RCA Victor Dog? The Sound of His Master's Voice.

Next, we're off to Union Point to see who's browsing the area.  We find quite a group of folks, both young and old, enjoying the unseasonably warm temperatures.  We cruise on through town down Broad Street and what a sight Broad Street is with everything all torn up in anticipation of completion of the revitalization of the area.   And of course there is the 300 year celebration of New Bern in 2010.  I just don't see how the plans will easily accommodate the traffic downtown once the bridge is complete. We circle through Glenburnie Park and note the Dog Park and Disc Golf Course are very active.

That was enough for in-town touring so we set out down Old US 70 to Cove City.  I can remember when this stretch of two lane highway was the main road, to and from New Bern for travelers from the west, in the early 70's.  Now it's a quiet, fairly straight stretch of road mostly used by local residents.  One could be tempted to exceed the speed limit on such a long straight stretch.  Once in Cove City we take a left on 1001 or Trenton Road and ride over Hwy 70 Bypass and on in to Trenton to stop at the C Mart for a bottle of water.

Back to the center of Trenton at the courthouse intersection and pick up Hwy 58 to Pollocksville.  I was anticipating some photos of Brock's Mill Pond but due in part to lack of rain fall there was a mere trickle of water over the dam.   The last time we rode this strip of asphalt we witnessed a rather large black bear and two cubs crossing the highway just south of Trenton.  Hwy 58 is a very nice, wide stretch of highway between these two points.

In Pollocksville we take a right and ride 1004 or Island Creek Road to James City.  This is one of my favorite local roads to ride.  The traffic is light, the road slightly winding as you pass through an almost complete canopy of trees in places.  However there are the near miss and rare direct encounter stories of bike and deer.  This is after all a remote stretch of road in the northern boundaries of the Croatan National Forest.  There is a nature walk about halfway between Pollocksville and James City that is quite nice.  A great place for a cool weather stroll. LINK

A very successful and enjoyable 60 mile cruise.  This was one day that the weather was absolutely perfect for a light jacket.  It sure makes me think of spring that is just around the corner.