Anyway, the next morning I got up, packed my bags, and set off for Denton, Maryland. It was a fairly uneventful ride with pretty average scenery. It was nice being on bicycle, though, and I had it nice and easy with mostly flat terrain. Approaching Denton, Google maps put me on a nasty road. Not nasty as in lots of traffic but as in unpaved and filled with sand. I wiped out on that road but didn't suffer any ill effects as the sand was nice and soft. Suffice it to say I walked for a good while until I got back on some good, solid blacktop. I dropped one of my cycling cleats while walking too and ended up having to run back a pace to pick it up again.
Getting into Denton, I stopped at the Walmart and was very pleasantly surprised by a nice range of products like Gatorade, energy bars, etc. One of the assistant managers came up to the front to get me a nice big sandwich to do some carb-loading with. After that, I headed to my host's house. That evening I had a wonderful dinner of chicken and assorted sides whilst getting to know my host family. After that, I had some down time watching Jaws before turning in for the night.
The second day found me filled with anxiety and mildly sore legs. I would be crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge which doesn't allow bicycles. The plan was to hold a sign reading "Need ride across bridge! Please!" near the last major intersection before the bridge and hope that the person who stopped wouldn't ax or kidnap me. "What am I *thinking*??? You've never tried asking random people for a ride before! This could be the end of your trip right here if nobody stops or if someone without good intentions decides to make quick work of you!" I logged into Facebook and checked the "Memories" they had compiled for me of statuses I'd posted on the same date in previous years. I kid you not, there was a post from the same exact day last year using the Chesapeake Bay Bridge as an illustration of how God continues to be faithful when we are full of anxiety and fear. When I posted that status crossing the US on bicycle wasn't even on my radar! I had *no* idea that I'd be doing something like this much less taking that route much less getting ready to cross that bridge on the same day a year after posting that status. That was such a God thing I just cried tears of joy and thanked Him for being so faithful to my cowardly, fearful heart that pretty much doubts his grace full-time. Of course something like that *could* be mere coincidence but just think of the odds!
Setting out, I had a fairly uneventful ride until I got to the Choptank River bridge which was closed. There was no other way for bicycles to go so I stopped at an Extended Stay facility and met some of the nicest people! The one guy offered to give me a ride, gave me some trail mix and water and then a $20 towards the cause. I declined the ride and ventured onto the highway where bikes technically aren't allowed for one short stretch figuring that any police officer who tried to stop me would understand and let me off the hook. No police, nice wide shoulder and a quick departure back onto the bike path.
About 5 minutes after I started holding my sign up, a friendly lady named Danielle in a rental car pulled over and we loaded my bicycle into the back. It wasn't ideal but it worked with the bungee cords and we made it to a 7-11 in Annapolis where she let me out and gave me some guidelines on how to get to Bowie.
I got lost on the way to Bowie. Google Maps started feeding me 2 different sets of directions simultaneously and I ended up getting help from 3 nice people in a little park. By the time I arrived in Bowie I was completely shot. Exhausted, mildly dehydrated, and extremely annoyed at Google Maps. My friend Jamin met me at the front door with a big smile and gave me a hug even though I was encrusted in sweat and very slightly more tanned than I'd like to have been. We had a great evening, though, complete with a nice dinner of pasta, chicken, and collard greens, a venti-sized Starbucks s'mores frappucino and a large chocolate shake from McDonald's.
The next morning I set off for Burke at about 9 am and had a good ride until I reached downtown Washington where Google's directions got a little skewed again. Apart from Google screwing me over about 3 different times it was a fairly uneventful ride. I was just glad I'd survived most of the DC suburbs and would be getting back out into the countryside and onto Adventure Cycling's maps tomorrow. Wednesday evening was special as I spent it with the last familiar faces I'd see for a while. My aunt and uncle took me out for a nice big dinner and then we returned to watch some television while I programmed the next day's route into my phone.
Thursday morning I had an omelette for breakfast and headed out the door right around 9 am again. Once I got on Adventure Cycling's maps everything got a little better. I now have my "system" in place for how I'll keep track of where I'm turning next and I can do so without having to stop, pull my phone out and check my route every few minutes. I bumped into two cyclists named Clyde and Brent about halfway through my ride and we got into Fredericksburg together. Clyde was in a recumbent and Brent was hauling a trailer. Having other people around made everything so much better! Even the little I had to do before to ensure I was on the right road I no longer had to do. It's wonderful just being able to follow someone ahead of you and have them let you know where the next turn is. We caused a number of very minor traffic jams on some of the back roads but had a great time. By this time I was 4 days in and my legs were starting to get a little stronger (although they were still sore) so we finished the ride about an hour and a half ahead of schedule. Had pizza for dinner and took a walk in downtown Fredericksburg last night but called it quits when the rain moved in in a major way.
So that's it for details! Keep following, friends!
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