Saturday, May 05, 2012

Bicycles

From The Story of Ocracoke Island, compiled by Calvin J. O'Neal, Alice K. Rondthaler, and Anita Fletcher, 1976:

"When they built the first road at Ocracoke [during World War II], someone on the mainland joked it would be 'mostly a sidewalk for pedestrians!' He was right about the pedestrians, but he failed to see how quickly the pedestrians would become bicyclers.

"The road was finished in August, 1950. School opened next month and the yard filled up with bicycles. Pupils who didn't have a bicycle for opening day waited eagerly for Santa Claus, and Santa Claus delivered generously. It was a grand new feeling, riding on the smooth hard cement, but of course, the bicycles were also ridden in the sand and salt, and in a year the great bicycle age lay mostly in the back yards, rusted."

Of course, as the years passed Ocracoke has embraced the bicycle even more enthusiastically. The bicycle has become the vehicle of choice for many islanders and visitors alike. Enjoy your ride!

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Project Nutmeg, and how Ocracoke almost became a site for testing nuclear weapons. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm.

5 comments:

  1. Our first visit to Ocracoke wzs May 1989. We came over on the Cedar I ferry. When we rolled off the ferry people walking and riding bicycles has stayed in my mind. Each afternoon I would sit on the porch of the Pony Island motel and watch the bicycle riders on rte 12.

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  2. I almost died running head-on into another biker late one moonless night on the way to Howard's Pub. My brain was so frazzled that I was tuning in radio stations from Philadelphia! I'm better now. Glad to see you still blogging away Philip. Please say hello to Al for me. My wife Isabelle and daughter Gloria are looking forward to seeing Molasses Creek at the LEAF Festival in Black Mountain next weekend.

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  3. Anonymous2:33 PM

    I'm sorry for the collision on the bike, however if one rides a bike at night the smart thing to do is have a head light on the bike or your helmet I don't suppose the poster was wearing a helmet either, the other cyclist was not practicing safe riding habits as he too did not have a light or a red flashing light to alert others of one's presence.. What is it Forrest Gump said , life is like stupid is as stupid does

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  4. I was stupid. End of story.

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  5. Anonymous3:40 PM

    Oh, that explains why some people are cyclophobic!

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