A Rest Day in Blacksburg

Well here I am in Blacksburg, VA on day 10 of my trip. It's been quite a week! Last Friday night I stayed on the southern side of Fredericksburg after my last rest day. My host was a scout master who has led a few teams of boy scouts across the country on bicycle and he described his adventures doing that. There was another guy staying that night in the same home who was working on making a complete circuit of the US on bicycle. He'd started out in (I believe) Washington state, worked his way down the Pacific coast, made his way across the southern tier of the US and was in the midst of heading northwards where he would take the northern tier and finish back where he started in the pacific northwest. He rides alone. That made me feel a little safer/ easier about my little trip.

The following morning I headed south towards Doswell, VA whose only claim to fame is King's Dominion. I met a fellow cyclist named Laurie and we rode a ways together, perhaps 5 miles or so. She was practicing for a ride for Multiple Sclerosis and we got a chance to share some stories and pray together. A little while after parting ways I was riding over some railroad tracks and took a tumble scraping up my forearm and elbow. Nothing very serious so I just kept going and treated it once I got to my hosts' house. I saw a couple of minor historic sights there. There was a cabin whereat Stonewall Jackson drank from this lady's water pitcher. After she found out who the guy was she refused to let anyone else drink from that pitcher. And I saw an historic cemetery wherein were buried the wife of a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a soldier from the Revolutionary War and a confederate soldier. Of course there were others buried there, just those 3 stood out. The house I stayed at in Doswell had so much character, though, that it almost felt historic in and of itself! I can't even really put it into words. It had really taken on the personality of its owners from the decorations to the materials used to craft it to the little things that all mix together into an amalgam of beauty. The closest thing I've ever seen to this place was my grandma's house in Asheville, NC.

On Sunday morning I called a couple Walmart stores in Ashland, VA who'd expressed interest in seeing me as I passed through to tell them that where I was staying was right smack dab on the trail West and that it would be so much easier for me to just bypass Ashland and head for Palmyra, VA. They said that was just fine and they completely understood so after getting off the phone I headed due West for my first real day crossing the US. It was a fairly uneventful ride and I got to Palmyra in the late afternoon. I did bump into another cyclist named Warren who rode with me perhaps about 5 miles or so. He shared some tidbits of local history with me and we parted ways right as I got into Palmyra. My host met me at a gas station and gave me a ride to his house. That evening was spent enjoying dinner, drinking a mixed drink and watching The Hunt for Red October with my host and his roommate.

The next morning I had a *major* scare! Got all my bags packed, got a ride back to the gas station from the previous evening, loaded everything onto Fledge, and prepared to set off. But then I couldn't find my cycling cleats. They weren't in my bags or in my host's car or at the house. It seemed they were just gone. Nowhere. I can't ride without cleats. Not long distances anyway. It's kind of like loading up your car only to discover you don't have your keys. I looked behind the gas station. Nothing. Behind the next building over where I'd leaned Fledge up against a railing. Nothing. I was about to start panicking. Then my host walks into the gas station and asks the attendant. They'd found my cleats the previous evening and brought them inside in case I came back looking for them. I desperately tried to get the attendant to take a $10 gift of profuse thanks for holding them for me but he insisted that it was unnecessary and would not take it. Riding down the road that day I was thanking God for protecting me from my own stupid mistakes and foolish decisions.

About 2 hours after leaving Palmyra, I hit Charlottesville, VA in all its glory. I made a significant detour to go see an old college buddy and stop at a Walmart store. Adding that detour tacked on almost 17 miles to my route, not counting how much time I would spend lost trying to figure out how to get back on the Adventure Cycling map. I eventually got back on track but spent a LOT of energy and composure in the process. That ride had several low points where I was just sweating my brains out, not sure I was headed in the right direction and very mildly dehydrated. On my way towards my host's home I stopped at a convenience store and purchased the freaking best 2 bottles of Gatorade I have ever tasted in the entire history of my life! I can't even express how good that gatorade was! Literally no words!

I ended up getting where I was going just before the sun really went down. At this point it was about 8 pm and I'd been on the bike for about 11 hours. Another beautiful home. I felt like I was in an elvish residence at Rivendell. It was just magic. Had chicken, cabbage and mushrooms for dinner and hit the sack. The next day I'd be going over the Blue Ridge Parkway and would need my energy.

I hit the road about 9 am and the ride was relatively easy until I started heading up the mountain. That morning, the mountain beat me. I made it about a third of the way up but my legs were just so sore and I was breathing so heavily. I walked the bike the rest of the distance up the mountain and even that was a real test of strength. On getting to the top, I took a nice break, drank a good bit of water and snapped some pictures. Now when you're on the parkway it's not too bad. You've got a good number of hills and dips but it's nothing like getting up to the parkway itself. After a while I got myself "in the zone" and when I would come up against a somewhat daunting hill I would insult it telling it that it was about to be beaten by a guy who hadn't even been a serious cyclist a year and a half ago. This was a very effective tactic. haha

On approaching my descent into Vesuvius, VA I said a quick prayer that my brakes would hold. This was an insane downgrade. I basically rode my brakes the whole entire way down and even then took a breather when my hands started to get really sore from holding the brakes in place. But I made it to the bottom without a broken neck or any damage to my bicycle.

That night I was in a cabin off the beaten path without running water, electricity or anything except (amazingly) a few bars of cell phone reception. It reminded me of Christopher McCandless' bus. I camped outside as the cabin was a tad warm for me and got much better sleep than I'd expected.

The next day's destination was Buchanan, VA about 45 miles down the road. I made it there between 4-5 hours later and, since I hadn't found a host, decided to splurge on a motel room. After an 11 hour ride followed by climbing a mountain I desperately needed a good shower and a soft bed to sleep in. I ate dinner at the only restaurant within walking distance even though it was just a tad on the pricey side. The waiter, on seeing how hungry I was, brought out some dried fruits and nuts for me at no additional charge and when I told him what I was doing on bicycle he got me a cup of noodles to take along!

Yesterday's ride was LONG at 55+ miles to Blacksburg, VA. A good bit of it felt like I was riding through the French countryside with rolling hills, beautiful scenery, several wineries and many farms. My approach into Blacksburg was incredibly hilly but I rode the entire way without walking. Last night I ate a huge dinner at a mexican restaurant and got a fantastic night's sleep. Now to enjoy my day off!

After making it to the Blue Ridge Parkway!

A little guy I rescued from probably getting run over by a car!

My host's doggie, Zelda!

Some random pictures!

Well my itinerary got a little warped. I ended up going Fredericksburg to Doswell to Palmyra to Afton to back on track with Vesuvius. We'll see how tightly I hold to the plan in the future.

Picture Update

My approach into our nation's capital

The Lincoln Memorial

The Capitol Building is under construction.

A friendly tourist offered to take my picture!

Setting a new record for number of states covered!

The tiny town of Occoquan, VA

Some pretty trees

Stonewall Jackson drank a pitcher of water at this historic house right near the place I stayed at on Saturday night

Beautiful riding weather!

A *lot* of the scenery looks like this.

An historic church

From Fredericksburg, VA

The wife of a signer of the Declaration of Independence is buried here.

The house I stayed at on Saturday night. This place was beautiful!

Paco the cat!

Day 5: Fredericksburg, VA Rest Day

Boy has my week been busy! A week ago Sunday my friend Bruce and I left Hanover, PA around 7:20 and made it down to Lewes, DE a little before 10:30. He dropped me off at a church about 6 miles from the beach where I attended my last Sunday worship service for a while. Not a great service but that's beside the point. Around noon I was standing outside the church doors trying to figure out how to get ready to cycle to the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk. I was wearing jeans and a cotton T-shirt and really had never ridden Fledge with all this weight before. I was pretty nervous and tense but I climbed on, set my GPS for the beachfront and pedaled away. That afternoon I met with a reporter at the Cape Gazette, got some pictures with the Atlantic in the background and headed over to my host's house around 2 pm. We hung out at his house for a little while before heading out to try and see some sights. It was nearing Sunday evening so the sightseeing opportunities were severely limited. We ended up taking a walk on the boardwalk before heading to a nice seafood restaurant. Tavish, my host's dog got some excitement for the evening when we decided to pop in "Call of the Wild" as our feature film for the evening. Now Tavish is a very unique dog. I've never come across one like him. Other dogs seem to recognize that something interesting is going on on the television screen but Tavish can actually recognize what the pictures are of. Let me tell you... Call of the Wild drove him up the wall! When dogs/wolves were on screen and barking or howling he would bark and try to lunge at the screen! And he was a pretty big guy too! Hard to restrain!

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!