We rent bikes, Dawn and Erin and I do, from the rental place about a mile up the road. Then we ride them further north to the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. Takes about thirty-five minutes to ride to the lighthouse, a bit longer than I was calculating. And it’s hotter and sweatier work than I planned as well.

They’re strong, sturdy bikes. Lead sleds, Dave Corkran would’ve called them. There’s no gears, just the one speed. For a lot of the way we ride just on the edge of the roadway; other times there’s a path on the west side.

We rest on the front porch of the gift shop at the lighthouse for a while, Erin and Dawn in the rocking chairs on the porch. I go in and marvel over the models of ships that they have. The biggest most beautiful one is of a cutter, but it’s six-hundred dollars. The affordable one they’ve got for a hundred bucks is really just a cheap toy. An expensive cheap toy.

Up atop the lighthouse we try to spot a plane or planes taking Rob and Carol and John and Steve on a tour of the Outer Banks. Erin gets a text message from Steve just as they’re arriving, and we see the plane. I do giant waving and the pilot dips his wings. Great fun.

We take it slower on the ride back, stopping for a beer on the way. Erin is nice and lets me finish her beer as well. The bartender gives us a tip as to the ride back, telling us to take the private road through the country club. Dawn and Erin just want the straightest way back, but I take that scenic route. There’s one hill where I have to get off and push, but it’s a much more pleasant ride back. They get home maybe five, ten minutes before I do.

Feels so good just to fall back into the pool.