Month: April 2022

I left the cozy cyclist room at the Methodist Church in Palmyra,VA to head west. Once on the roads out of town I rolled on nice country roads that led me to Charlottesville where I passed through the city on nice side streets that were filled with shops, bistros, and many college students. Once out onto the country roads again I got a call from Nancy, she was nearby so we connected and I was able to pick up the next section of maps I had forgotten because I will not meet up with her until Kentucky where she will be camping.

I stopped in White Hall for lunch at a small local market with so many options it was a difficult decision until I saw their BBQ pulled pork with coleslaw sandwich. It was every bit as good as I hoped, I also bought their home baked cherry turnover for after dinner.

I had been riding on rollers, short and steep, most of the day. Now they are getting steep and long, the Blue Ridge Parkway will be tomorrow’s ride. Right now I am at the Cookie Lady’s Bike House, I think I remember her offering this as a place for cyclists to sleep while on the TransAmerica route back as far as 1976. It is now filled with memorabilia from cyclists passing through.

After a nice hearty breakfast followed by coffee I packed and set off for Palmyra, VA. It is much cooler today and the 47 mile to my sleep stop was comfortable.

Rest time!

It was nice to see the sun and dry skies. After breakfast I strung a line to hang all my wet gear. The sun, warmth, and wind dried everything while Nancy and I took the doggies on a walk to Lake Anna and did some birding. I used this day to clean and make minor adjustments to my fenders.

Today I rode through some Civil War battlefields while enjoying perfect riding weather on low traffic roads with history of the past. It feels like June and it’s superb.

I rode into Richmond by mistake and ended up at the Robert E. Lee headquarters so the extra miles were a bonus that I would not have had.

It began misting early on and before reaching Nancy and the Teapot the rain came pouring down and soaking me. Feeling the cold it was good to be through riding and inside.

I left camp in Newport News and rode to the Victory Monument in Yorktown, VA. This added seven miles, but the ride was a good warmup. After taking a few photos, I followed the route west. The parkways are great to ride, with low traffic. I rode through the streets of Williamsburg and headed to Christiansburg. This is when I started thinking about food and a place to pitch a tent for the night.

At the only convenience store in town, I ate a meal of corn dogs and ice cream. I also bought chili and peach cobbler for dinner at camp. While I was there, a man asked where I was going, and this started a long, pleasant conversation and an offer to stay the night at his place. He is in the process of opening an Airbnb. We swapped contact information, but I missed the turn, and when I realized my mistake I decided to continue to a wilderness campsite instead of turning back.

Camp is set up, I’ve eaten, and now it’s time to wind down for the night, as I need to be out of camp by eight AM.

Waking up in Kiptopeke State Park, I began with breakfast and coffee, then moved supplies around so my bike, Ms. Eve R. Green, could fit into the car for the drive across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to Newport News for the last night before heading west.

Our campsite is very nice and quiet within a small loop surrounded by woods. Nancy took the dogs for a walk as I rearranged my bags to more easily find items and to lighten and balance the load. Determining necessary items and finding the best arrangement for my bags will continue to be a learning curve as the days go by.

Today was my last day riding with CK. He is now home and tomorrow I will cross the bay and head to Yorktown, VA to start my journey west. We slept in a motel the night before: it had been a long day riding 76 miles, and there were no camping options. Sleeping inside is not close to the peaceful deep rest and the cool fresh air of a night in a tent.

The low traffic, rolling country roads were quiet and scenic. We carried our lunch to eat in a field midway through the day. We stopped at the edge of a field to heat up beef stew, and this fueled us to our meeting with Nancy at Kiptopeke State Park and to CK’s end of his tour. Those first five days were precious and I’ll carry the memories with me for all of my tour.

On Friday morning we packed up and left Cape Henlopen for Assateague Island. The day started cold with some wind, but not as severe as the day before. It warmed up nicely, and we arrived at Nancy’s campsite in time to set up tents before enjoying a great home cooked meal in the Teapot.

Friday night was cold, but with less wind than the previous night, and we had some shelter in the brush. Saturday morning I warmed my hands by the cook stove while waiting for the water to boil for coffee—a comforting feeling on a cold morning. The route to Onley, VA was nice; cinder trails and quiet country roads that meandered through trees and along fields. This was a long day—76miles. CK and I are now relaxing in a comfy motel room waiting for dinner delivery. The luxury of comfort!