av bike adventure 2017

Today was a tremendous riding day. Most of the day was spent on paved bike trails like the picture on the bottom. The surrounding area was beautiful, and there were almost no hills. I got a kick out of the other two pictures. Since the trails were for bikes, when they wanted to let you know it was possibly slippery, they pictured a bike slipping around. When there was a steep drop, instead of the usual sign with a truck facing downward, they had a bike doing the same thing. What I thought was really funny is that they put that same sign at the bottom of the hill before a climb. So when I saw the sign I didn't know if I had to be careful about going down a hill too fast, or if there was a hill to climb coming up. I wasn't complaining. The riding was great. I ran into an impressive cross country cyclist today. He was from California and his goal was to cycle a square/rectangle. He started in California and rode to Florida. When I met him today he was going up the coast to New Eng...

Yesterday, I called a member of the church where I am staying today. I wanted to get here early enough to be able to attend the service. 37 miles today, so it wasn't too bad. Willis United Methodist Church. I got here at 10:10, was able to shower, and attend service at 11:00. I was raised Methodist, so I fit right in - I remembered all of the memorized stuff and was made to feel a part of the congregation. What I really liked was the feeling of being a part of a multigenerational spiritual family. I have had a lot of interactions with others on this trip, but it was just great to see how these people fit into a spiritual whole. We had a baby, young kids, teenagers helping with the service, an impromptu choir, and lots of parents and grandparents. I miss that part of my life. I am looking forward to getting back to my UU church and being part of my own spiritual group. I even miss our impromptu choir. Tomorrow, I should be In Williamsburg. I think I will stay a few days and soak up ...

This picture captures the kind of ride I have had for the last few days. Great road. Lots of trees - in fact I think I am starting to lose my tan. I have been riding in the middle of trees for 4 days. The road is always curvy, and it doesn't have much "climb" to it. Next to perfect. Now the thing that is NOT typical is that there is a "shoulder" on this road. I know it is only six inches wide, but even that is unusual. Most of these roads don't have "any" shoulder. Road kill report - about 7 frogs. It has been raining at night for several days. I think it brought the frogs out.  Live wildlife report - 1 bright yellow rolly poly, and my friend the turtle.    Today, we got back to riding 50 miles. It is so much easier on the knees when there is little climbing involved. Today, I am in Ashland, Va. I can feel the end coming. It is a good feeling, but strange all the same. Tomorrow, I will be staying in a church just outside of Glendale, Va. I can'...

Was dodging rain today. For the most part, I was successful. It is supposed to be like that for the next few days. I ended up going a bit north today. I think the plan is to go around Richmond. The goal for tomorrow is Ashland, which is just north of Richmond. The roads were good again today. The only issue with the roads in Virginia is that there are no shoulders. So, I am really happy that the route takes me through less travelled areas.   The highlight of the day happened early. I was on the road at 5:50 this morning trying to get a head start on the rain. A Sherrif's car passed me and I waved. When I rounded the corner ahead, the Deputy had stopped his car at a stop sign and gotten out of his car. It was a little unnerving, since he had not pulled over to the side, but was in the middle of the road. He proceeded to the back of the car and it was obvious he was waiting for me. There were lots of things running through my head - did he misinterpret my wave? was I breaking the law...

So today I find myself in the tiny hamlet of Palmyra, Va. Staying in a church tonight. The people who welcomed me and showed me around the church included one celiac disease person. So we talked gluten- free for a while. When I get back I will be sending her recipes for gluten- free bread and English muffins.      The wildlife sighting of the day was an absolutely beautiful red-headed woodpecker. Today's ride included some new terrain. There are still hills, but they are different. There is not as steep of an incline on descent or ascent. Which means that I can't get a head of steam going down the hill so that I can get half way up the other side. With a little practice, I will hopefully get better.    The church has a nice piano, so I was able to play a little and sing through the songs from my vocal recital in May. I am rusty, but it sure felt good to be singing again. I wasn't singing so much the past few weeks when I had steep climbs to make. They tell me tw...

I spent a large part of the day at Monticello. It makes me want to learn more about Thomas Jefferson.  One of the more interesting parts of the day was the Uber ride out to Monticello.  It was my first time using the app to get a ride, so that was fascinating. Then the driver had lived a large part of his life in Madison, Wisconsin. And was a cyclist. He and I have bikes with a lot of the same parts, hubs, etc. it was so fascinating to find such commonality . And he also assured me that the animal I saw yesterday was certainly not a black cougar. Sigh of relief. So, tomorrow I head east. After going to Monticello today, I know that I still have some hills to climb, but I am determined to keep the daily distances a lot shorter than before. I finalized the arrangements for packing up and shipping of the bike back to Casper. I still have a good week on the bike, but it is time to start thinking about the end. Til next time.