Day 4: Mineral, VA to Charlottesville, VA

Today four of us broke off from the main group to take a short cut. We rode about 40 miles, instead of 60. Very hot and humid, with long rolling hills. 

We passed what I termed the "Highway to Hell"

Also, a cyclist who ran out of water

Took a couple selfies with our mascot

And got told to quit riding on the sidewalk. Convinced him to let me take a photo

Stopped to visit the Sammy Chapter at U. Virginia

Politically incorrect statue of Lewis and Clark protecting Sacagawea

And trainloads of the local currency 

Would write more but exhausted (but satisfied). Thanks for reading!

Day 3: Mechanicsville, VA to Mineral, VA

Whoever comes up with the names to these Virginia towns might need to be put in a padded room. Between Mechanicsville and Mineral we passed Bumpass, VA. 

Today was tough cycling, relatively hilly and very hot. The countryside however is incredibly beautiful 

We had breakfast in a cool coffee house in a tiny quaint town with a railroad track running right through the middle of if. 

Drivers in VA are very respectful to cyclists and often times drive completely in the opposite lane

And here's an action shot 

Also- I tried a pickled sausage today. Believe it or not it's actually nastier than it sounds. That thing is bright pink. 

And my favorite photo of the day really struck a chord:

Thanks for reading!

Logistics

A lot of people have been wondering about the logistics of my trip. A lot went into it but I'll give a short rundown. 

First off, I'm following the trans America trail, it's a mapped cross country bicycle route. I bought a set of maps that literally have turn by turn directions heading both east and west between Virginia and Oregon. 

I'm riding a street machine recumbent bicycle and am carrying all my gear in 2 panniers (saddlebags) that hang behind the seat, as well as strapping some gear onto the rear rack. I have clothes, bike tools, a mess kit and stove, toiletries, a sleeping bag, and instead of a tent I brought a fancy hammock (with mosquito netting and rain tarp). I don't think I'll ever come across a place where I can't find 2 trees, but in case I can't, I have a sleeping pad and can build a lean to. As I write this I'm laying in my hammock strung between 2 wooden beams behind a fire house. Yes, they let us camp there. 

I'm traveling with 10 other people. Every night we plan the next days route and destination. We leave early in the morning and try to take afternoons off when it's hottest. Yesterday we rode 53 miles, today 63, and tomorrow is going to be a very hilly 30 miles. 

For food I've been cooking eggs and making egg sandwiches in the morning. I am trying to cook most of my food, but in rural Virginia I'm having an easier time finding gas stations and restaurants than I am grocery stores. They have surprisingly good Mexican food out in the sticks. 

My fully loaded bike:

Day 2: butt is starting to get sore

Today was awesome, we rode 53 miles to our campsite in Mechanicsville, Viringinia, a suburb of Richmond. Passed at several old civic war battlefields as well as US president John Tyler's home. Everyone here is so friendly almost everyone we pass waves or says hello. Drivers ask where we're going and offer advice about the road ahead. Rural Virginia is very beautiful and I highly reccomend visiting. 

Another highlight- Wayne, on of the cyclists, has his girlfriend following us in a van. They've got a full crate of every sort of liquor that you can think of and have been very generous with it. Talk about a great way to end the day! 

Alzheimer's association

I'm trying to bring awareness to Alzheimer's and fundraiser for the Alzheimer's association during this trip. Check out the link below

http://act.alz.org/goto/transamerica4alzheimers

Day 1

Pulled into Yorktown Virginia at 6:30 am this morning. After getting 2 hours of sleep I met up with the other 13 cyclists in my group. We have a very diverse group of people from all walks of life. Students, a lawyer, a retired surgeon, a young couple, a man towing his dog in a trailer. We rode a short 30 miles to a campsite on the Chickahominy River. We got some serious thunderstorms today- fortunately my hammock kept dry. The Chesapeake Bay Area is absolutely beautiful and I'll have a lot more photos and stories over the coming days. Tomorrow we're riding 50 miles to Mechanicsville, Virginia.