Blogs from Virginia, United States, North America - page 10

As I was sitting at the entrance of the Blue Ridge Parkway after completing my ride, another bicyclist stopped for a chat. During the conversation I asked him where the closest food was and he informed me it was back down the mountain in Waynesboro. Since he lived close by, he offered to take me to dinner. Dan and his daughater Arin picked me up and we went down to a great restaurant in Waynesboro called “The Green Leaf Grill”. The food was really great! I got my salad fix along with some delicious French Onion Soup. Then he dropped me off at the Kroger for a few minutes so I could get a few provisions. What was going to most likely be a nutrition bar and popcorn dinner became a great meal. The bicycle community ... read more

Not a lot to talk about today. I started early because the weather report showed heavy showers on the way. I rode pretty hard all day hoping I could minimize the wetness. I did stop and spend some time at Patric Henry’s home which was only 1/2 mile off my route. Tom is the caretaker of the property and although it was quite early, he strolled out to welcome me and gave me a personal tour of the property. I really wished I could stay longer but the sky was getting darker by the minute. On the way to Mineral, I was waved down by a delightful woman named Susan. She told me about the local thrift shop with FREE food a block off the route. How could I pass that up? I thanked them profusely ... read more

Today started out poorly and really was a challenge most of the day. My fancy new Garmin 1030 would not work at all. Long story but the Garmin Guy basically told me the software was corrupted and the best option is to dump everything and start over!!! Well...... I had 78 days of carefully planned routes in there and no way to put them back in! The good news is that I loaded and threw in my old Garmin 1000 just in case! Yahoo! So I was back up and running! Tom, my new acquaintance and I rode all day together to Ashland in “on and off” rain! It was so hot and steamy that neither of us wore any rain gear with the exception of my shoe covers. The glasses got so fogged up we ... read more

What a great day! The weather was perfect and I had the leisure of cruising around Yorktown all day. Bicycle is the easiest way to do it. I think I had a chance to read every Historical Marker in the National Park. It actually put shivers up my spine to realize this is where the United States began. For twelve days in October 1781, the American Army under George Washington aided by 5500 French soldiers and 34 French ships laid siege to General Cornwallis smaller Army. In October 19,1781 Cornwallis signed the Articles of surrender. I realized today that without the help of the French we probably would not be a country! Although the Revolutionary War lasted another two years, Yorktown was considered the defining victory. Today I got to take it all In and I ... read more

If today is an indication of how my luck will go, I feel very fortunate! My goal today was a simple one. Catch an 0800 United flight out of San Diego to Washington Dulles, connect to the Norfolk flight and take an Uber to my lodging near Williamsburg. It couldn’t have gone smoother. Once arriving in Norfolk my Uber driver was a fine fellow named Tommie. He drives a Limo by day and moonlights as an Uber driver when he wants a little pocket change. His vehicle was immaculate and the 40 mile ride to the Yorktown/Cheatham Navy Annex felt like a limo ride. I called the Annex earlier today and they gave me the bad news that Uber’s were not allowed on Base. So I assumed I would have to walk the 3/4 mile to ... read more