We are now in the area of North Carolina that was effected by Matthew. Many downed trees are still visible, and there are still lots of 'road closed' signs. One of these was on our route, but we took a chance and continued. We lucked out.
Most of the day, the terrain gently rolled. We were almost exclusively on tertiary roads, so most of the day we saw this:
The dominant conifer in these parts is the Loblolly Pine. The tree grows rapidly, more 24 inches a year, and is planted for pulp wood, structural wood, and as a shade tree. The needles are 8 inches long, so branches of young trees can look rather furry. The tree will grow to almost 100 feet in height.
We always try to notice and understand the crops we pass while riding. Mostly we have been seeing beans and corn, with the occasional tomato and squash. Today, however, we began to notice evidence of a new crop. Dry sticks with some white fluffy bits scattered on the ground.
Harvested cotton, maybe?
We arrived in Fayetteville around 2:30 PM, 04:16:28 of bike time and 53.7 miles today.
Tomorrow we ride 38 miles to Lumberton, and our last night in North Carolina.
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