On this day I wake up in Ashland have a choice to make. Do I take the main route and through Mechanicsburg, VA or take the alternative route to Richmond, VA. Both routes will connect to the Capital Bike Trail. One will be at the beginning, the Richmond route, and the other 33 miles along the route. At the last minute I decide to take the Richmond alternative route. The main reason that I choose this route is because I didn’t want to deal with traffic any longer. Since the area has more density there are more people and more driveways and more cars. The Richmond route seems like a better way.
The route from Ashland goes south to Richmond and then to downtown Richmond where I pick up the off-road trail. The route starts in rural areas, then suburban and then urban right to downtown Richmond and along the historic buildings and the capital building for Virginia. Maybe I made a mistake in following the route but there were some cobblestone streets to ride on in the historic area of Richmond which greatly slowed my pace.
The Capital trail parallels the James River for the initial part then it goes a little inland. The trail is paved with some hills. Not hills that I had previously seen anywhere west of here, but they were unexpected. Now I should have expected these hills because last fall Ann and I rode this trail to Williamsburg, VA. So it was up and down for a while. The closer I got to Jamestown the flatter the hills become and the faster I can go. I did encounter many cyclists on this day, but they were all day trippers, with the only purpose it appeared, was to go fast. Let the racers pass me. I don’t care. I am on my second to last day of riding across the country.
I made it to Jamestown in great time. Faster than expected. Ann had arranged for me to stay overnight with her volleyball coach when she played for William & Mary as an undergraduate. Instead of going to straight to Debbie and Camilla’s house I continued to the historic Jamestown settlement. One of the earliest settlements in the United States. It was a nice day so I took the loop road around the island which added a few extra miles to the day. Not a big deal. When you travel over 4300 miles across country on a bicycle, what is another 5 miles.
Staying with Debbie and Camilla was an absolute wonderful experience. They are such great hosts and avid cyclists as well. The view from their beautiful house over the James River is priceless. We were able to trade stories about my trip and their numerous bicycle trips across the country. I hope to keep on riding as long as they have and even longer. The fact that they did the southern tier of states this spring is very impressive and that is not their first bicycle trip across the country. Thanks Debbie and Camilla for the great hospitality.
Today’s stats: total mileage 81.30 miles; average speed 13.6 mph; max speed 33.3 mph; total elevation gain 1109 feet; elevation loss 1155 feet.