Monthly Archives: March 2016

16-03-31  Day 4   Charlottesville      

31 Thursday Mar 2016

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16-03-31   Day 4    Charlottesville

2 Wheels, 6 Months, 1 Adventure!!!
TransAmerica 2016 Blog

I need to reset my alarm on my watch.. No need to wake up at 5:30… How about 6?  Coffee and a sink with hot water.. Thank you Palmyra Methodist Church for a wonderful nights sleep.

Crossed the Rivanna River where there was once a canal to transport farm goods from the plantations nearby.

President James Monroe, the fifth president. Lived in a modest home, that looked much more like a home than a mansion. I was again early and the painters were scraping away trying to get ready for the upcoming tourist season.

Montecito had a long drive way uphill so I passed by having visited James Madison’s home previously.

Most of the drivers were very patient as I climbed the hills into town… MOST…. a few close encounters…..

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I reached White Hall early and Met Larry Wayant  At Wayants Store. We had a great conversation about his Great Grandfather and Grandfather running the country store. A family tradition rare in our US of A..

Soon Clai picked my up for a much needed soak in the bath…. My legs were hurting….

After a great dinner out with Clai and Iva it was back to Iva’s for a Great Nights Sleep…

White Hall (Charlottesville) 38 miles.

16-03-30 Day 3  All Gears. All Day…

30 Wednesday Mar 2016

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16-03-30     Day 3       All Gears. All Day…

2 Wheels, 6 Months, 1 Adventure!!!
TransAmerica 2016 Blog

img_0651Ashland, VA is beautifully decorated with bikes of all sizes colors and shapes.. No question, someone likes bikes…   Amtrak also runs straight through the middle of town..  Small town USA… Gotta to love it……

Visited one of “Give me liberty or give me death” Patrick Henry’s homes today.. 17 kids.. that would be liberating..  The wife had some mental issues….You Think???

That’s the history lesson for today.

Stopped at the Elk Creek Country Store for lunch and met Tarzan and Kimmy.. He is the minnow tank expert and Kimmy is the Bass fishing record holder. Smiles all around.

As I was working on keeping my lungs still in my body, Gasping, I tried to shift to the 30th gear… No luck only 27….  Lots of ups and downs preparing for the Blue Ridge Parkway

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I rode into Palmyra, VA. at 7:00 pm. Pastor George greeted me at the door of the Methodist Church with a fried chicken dinner. So welcoming and a blessing to me.

My body is not happy but it will come a long in due time.. Looking for some rest in Charlottesville tomorrow.

Palmyra, VA.  71.5 Miles

16-03-29  Day 2 Battlefields and Plantations

29 Tuesday Mar 2016

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16-03-29  Day 2 Battlefields and Plantations

2 Wheels, 6 Months, 1 Adventure!!!
TransAmerica 2016 Blog

The stars were winking at me as the cool breeze brushed against my whiskers. AHHH. Cowboy Camping!!!… The birds started singing at 5:30 am…. Back on the east coast where the birds are louder…. And plentiful… It was cold so I started fully clothed. Might need to adjust for colder mornings..

7:00 am I pulled out back on the Capital Bike Trail. It rolls all the way to Richmond but I will leave it for less busy Mechinicsville.

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The morning I visited Sherwood Forrest Plantation. John Tyler, The 10th PrePresident the US. I can only remember the first…  After doing the President thing he decided to get married…… Have 7 children,  and remodel the home, making it a 300 ft home, the longest frame house in the US…. It would make a nice Bowling Alley… Or hideaway…   It was early and no one was at the plantation so I biked on..

 

Plantation after Plantation morphed into Battlefield after Battlefield… The Melvern Hill story was that the Confederate forces took it wave after wave at a price of 5000 lives. Union….3,000… Another time for reflection.

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Stopped for lunch at the Willis Methodist Church. Pastor Mark greeted me as the 2nd Biker on the year.. The first March 7th… Maybe I can catch up…..  or not.

On to Mechinicsville 5:00 o’clock traffic. Everyone was patient taking their turn passing  old Silver. It was late but felt good so I pushed on to Ashland, VA. Old Town Bicycles.

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A nice stop to Martin’s Grocery Store to charge up and a half gallon of Moose Tracks.. Blogging Done!

Ashland Va. 69.5 Miles

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16-03-28   Day 1   On The Road Again!!!

28 Monday Mar 2016

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16-03-28   Day 1   On The Road Again!!!   Yorktown, VA to Astoria, OR

2 Wheels, 6 Months, 1 Adventure!!!

TransAmerica 2016 Blog

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Words cannot express how happy I am to be back adventuring!!!!        Iva and Bill created and John and Suzanna hosted the first ever send off party for me starting a trip… I am overflowing with Gratitude and Thanks…  Jayne, Trish, Brian, David C., CJ, Jeanne, Barbara, Cat. Thank you!!!

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Bill, Bike Angel of the year, solved all the problems of the world as we made our way to Yorktown, Va. We stopped at Pierce’s Famous BBQ for a special lunch and we ran into David C. from Afton as he was headed to the Coast… OK the magic is starting early….

Bill waited patiently while I assembled all the bags on the #SurleyLongHaulTrucker. Everything fit just like 2014…. Yes!!

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Finally it was time to back my rear tire into the Eastern shore of the USA… Bill took a few pictures and then to the official start at the base of the Yorktown Monument.. Bill honked the horn as he passed me headed back to Charlottesville where we will meet up four days from now. Official Start 2:10 pm.

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It is spring break and Yorktown, Williamsburg and Jamestown are filled with visitors. I thought about stopping but settled to read all the signs along the Colonial Parkway Route. Lots of history of people killing people back 400 years ago. Makes me wonder…

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With 20 miles completed, I turned on to the Capital Bike Trail. It was around 5 and the trail was filled with bikers, runners, and walkers…. Cain, Wilson and Cole were riding their mountain bikes and had already completed 10 miles… Unfortunately they were headed south as were all the other bikers… So no one to ride with yet….

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After riding 28 miles, I decided to stop at the county campground along the Chickahominy River. When I turned along the water to find my campsite, there it was. My dream pickup truck with a slide in camper…. Steve and Michelle invited me to have a beer with them and gave me a tour of their camper.. Top notch all the way….. .They are from ALABAMA and are on the Road….. Kinda like me…

They shared their lives, home, and dinner with me. To soon it was off to bed and to Camper Dreaming….

28 miles ,    Chickahominy Riverfront Park.