FLETC Day 5



It's Friday and day 5 on the bike.  Our route started in Myrtle Beach, SC and finished in Southport, NC.  Our SC stops included North Myrtle Beach and Loris.   We woke up in Myrtle Beach to a really bad storm and were under a tornado warning.  At 5:00AM I was selfishly praying that Rich would send a message to sleep in and we'd just start a little later.  That didn't happen.  We started on the bike about 30 minutes later than planned and somehow we managed to have a good day for weather (other than some heavy winds... which appear to be what we get to look forward to the next couple of days in NC.  

After such a long day yesterday, a late arrival, and an early morning we are all a bit cranky to get the day started but as the day progressed there seemed to be a bit more chatter in the pace line and we were working together as a team to get through some of the longer legs.  While still fighting winds, the temperature wasn't too bad and the rains stayed away.

In NC we stopped in Tabor City to meet Tony Miller, the father of Patrolman Shane Miller. Miller was killed in an automobile accident during a vehicle pursuit on his first shift as an officer with the Tabor City Police Department.

The Tabor City Police provide a very quaint memorial service and when Tony Miller began to speak about his son and his appreciation for the FLETC ride, there wasn't a dry eye in the house.  Tony Miller and Tabor City provided us a flag to carry with us to Washington, D.C. to place at Shane's name on the memorial wall. 

Article and Video: Cyclists stop in Tabor City 


One of our last stops for the day was in Boiling Springs Lake, NC where we met Mr. and Mrs. Prince, the parents of Police Officer James Mitchell Prince. Officer Mitch Prince was shot and killed after making a traffic stop The Boiling Springs had a memorial service and asked our team to place a wreath at their memorial.



Arrived this evening in Southport, NC.  Tomorrow we continue north.
Today 111.5 Miles & 18.1 mph average | Total of 5 Days - 557 Miles

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