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

Now that we have entered May, I am completing my final preparations. Yesterday, I used the lists I have been formulating, gathered the items on the list and packed my Panniers. Just for fun I weighed everything and almost wish I hadn’t. So here is the result: Bike- Surley Long Haul Trucker with pump, pedals and racks- 35lbs Front Panniers 7.2L and 7.4R or 14.6lbs Rear Panners 13.6Land 15.2R or 28.8lbs Handlebar bag - 3.2 lbs Total- 81.6 lbs UGH! Obviously...that is too much! But what do I throw overboard? The most obvious would be camping gear. That would save about 15 lbs, but I highly doubt I can complete this trip without some camping. I have to keep that option. I’ve also got full rain gear; (jacket, rain pants, gloves, shoe covers and helmet cover), ... read more

I’m now well into the planning stage of my trip. In order to do this right, I have purchased the Adventure Cycling Trans America Map package. From those maps I have almost completed converting them to .GPX files via Ridewithgps.com. This is a fabulous website which uses a satellite Map template as a basis to plot your own bike route. It shows bike paths as well where they exist! It enables one to actually get a vicarious view of the route. I will transfer those .GPS files into my Garmin edge computer, an easy process. I considered buying a new bike for the trip but realized the Surly Long Haul Trucker I used down the West Coast was very comfortable and adequate. It is heavy, (33 lbs), but I’m probably going to put another 30-40 pounds ... read more