Coffee and fudge

About a month ago, my mother and I decided to (insanely) join a bike tour of the Outer Banks of North Carolina-- the first vacation either of us had taken in almost a year. We thought it'd be great to re-energize our workout motivation for the coming winter months.

Little did we know that we'd eat so much good food that we wouldn't even feel like moving.

We started out in New Bern, NC... the home of Pepsi-Cola. My mother ordered a Diet Coke at a restaurant and got a VERY dirty look.

Also hit up a killer coffee shop called Port City Java. I guess it's a chain, but I loved it! Especially the fact that they had corn cups and that the coffee was locally roasted.

We also stopped at Bear City Fudge, where they had over thirty different kinds of fudge! Our favorites were the caramel pecan (left) and the tiger butter (right). 

Our fearless tour leaders, Cy and Wayne, worked culinary magic in the trailer for a picnic lunch on a long ride day. Cy made an incredible raw seaweed, kale, and collard green salad with an asian vinaigrette (recipe coming soon!):

And a simple, fresh crab salad:

Once we made it to Ocracoke, I immediately located the "locals" coffeeshop, The Ocracoke Coffee Company, and plunked down with iced coffee, a cinnamon roll, and the best raisin-nut bran muffin EVER (once I crack that recipe, it'll be up here for sure). My mother worked on her National Novel Writer's Month project, and I worked on... well, homework.

We also had an incredible home-cooked breakfast the next day at the B&B we were staying in, The Castle. Pure southern hospitality... and lots of bacon grease.

Then we ferried over to Hatteras and biked the length of that island. Along the way, we stopped and stuck our faces in a pickle.

And saw another fudge shop claiming to have been on the Food Network... They really like their fudge down in North Carolina.

Another ferry ride the next morning to get to the trail leading to our last stop on the route, Beaufort. Again, coffee is key.

Once we got to Beaufort, I had to locate the coffee shop there. I still have no idea what an "ice rage" is, but it sounds intimidating, to be sure.

This was also the place where a townie proposed to me... and where I threw up a little in my mouth because it was so gross.

After one last day of cycling, we ended at Beaufort Grocery.

Flaming cheese. Mmmm...