All Rested Up and Ready to Go

Well, at least the bike muscles are rested.  I left the hotel yesterday around 9:30 am and returned about 8 pm.  I spent most of the day touring Colonial Williamsburg.  Everything is set about 1760-ish.  The buildings are mostly rebuilds, but often on the original foundations.  Lots of people in period dress playing the parts of various locals and giving tours of the buildings and grounds.  Tours included the Governor's Palace, the Capitol, the printing press, the magazine, the shoemaker, the wigmaker, etc. etc.  Very interesting and very well done.  If you're ever in the neighbourhood I would highly recommend it!

Back on the bikes this morning.  We retraced about 10 miles on the Colonial Parkway back to Jamestown.  

We then had close to 30 miles of bliss. The Capital Trail bike path largely paralleling US5.  And - there's about another 10 miles under construction that will be ready soon.  While we've been on mostly great roads in NC and VA, a bike path is just total serenity; don't have to worry about traffic at all.  

Crossing the Chickahominy River.

For much of the ride today it was impossible to go even a mile without encountering one or more historical plaques - many from the Civil War.  

Ann and I stopped in at Sherwood Forest Plantation (one of many plantations along the route).  This one was were the 10th President of the US, John Tyler, retired to in 1845.  The plantation was about 1600 acres and his descendants still live here today.  True to everything in America being the "biggest", "oldest", "best", etc., this is the "longest frame house in America", at about 300 feet.  

Left to right, in three frames below.....

Approaching Richmond, we passed an extensive series of fields which were collectively the Richmond National Battlefield Park.  Lots of signs, plaques and cannons still in the fields.  

Our destination tonight is Richmond, Virginia's capital city.  Saw a familiar-sounding park on the way in.

 

Saw the capitol building as we passed through the downtown area.  

Some nice monuments on the Capitol grounds.  Petitioning for equal education for African-Americans as recently as 1961. 

More lovely statues on Monument Avenue on which we spent 1.5 miles near the end of our ride. 

Robert E Lee

Stonewall Jackson

Stats for the day:

108 km from Williamsburg VA to Richmond VA. It was a warm and humid day. 18C to 34C. Lots of liquid intake!  We climbed about 1600 feet and lost about 1400. 

Great dinner once again. No map meeting tonight as it seems the directions to get out of town are wrong. Guide and SAG driver are out right now finding a new plan :)

Let the History Lessons Begin

Today we rode from Suffolk VA to Williamsburg VA.  Quite a bit of water coming out of Suffolk.

And some cyclists taking pictures of themselves in front of water.......

Still riding through lots of agricultural lands - corn, grains, tobacco, cotton, and apparently peanuts (although I don't know what they look like).  Suffolk is the home of Planters Peanuts and Mr. Peanut himself!  Along with lots of sheds housing all manner of farming equipment, these silos are a common sight.  

We've seen quite a few horses in the fields, with white fencing reminiscent of Kentucky.  Also some cows and goats.  Very peaceful riding on remarkably well-surfaced country roads for the most part.  We saw a few more hills today than we are used to.  Perhaps a hint of more to come?  

After chatting with some local riders while cruising crisply along with a nice tailwind, I stopped in to Chippokes State Park - a working plantation right on the James River, and very pretty.  

Shortly after the park came yet another ferry ride.  The biggest one yet - it holds about 75 cars, and it was very busy.  Cars lined up having to wait for several ferries which run about every half hour.  Thankfully bikes go to the front of the line and don't have to wait at all.  Talked to a few motorcyclists on the ferry who were a tad in awe of what we were up to.  

Immediately upon exiting the ferry we came to the Jamestown Living History Museum.  They've really done a terrific job with their museum - both inside and outside exhibits.  Jamestown was the first permanent English colony in the US - originally settled in 1607.  One of the three ships that sailed in 1607 to Virginia was the Susan Constant.  Nice name.  

Some other exhibits.......

Indian village above.  Fort below.

And then a nice (but bumpy) ride the last few miles into Williamsburg.

We have a day off tomorrow to fully explore Williamsburg.  We did a quick walk into town tonight for a fife & drum "tattoo" - about 10 different marching bands of all ages dressed in period costumes.  A great way to start our visit here.......

Stats for the day:

96 km from Suffolk VA to Williamsburg VA.  That makes 2259 km for the trip so far.  Apparently we passed the official halfway point sometime yesterday.  A few more little hills today - we climbed just over 1500 feet.  Day off the bikes tomorrow!  We're staying in a very nice hotel and lots to explore.  Not sure it will be a "rest" day!

Another State Down......

Another glorious day for riding.  Temps 16C to about 24C (although it warmed up later in the day).  Little to no wind.  Mostly sunny with a few passing clouds.  Very, very quiet roads.  Beautiful agricultural land.  There doesn't appear to be any irrigation equipment in evidence.  We passed near quite a bit of swampland today (mostly out of sight), so maybe the ground is just naturally saturated and doesn't need irrigation.  Not sure who names these things, but one area was named the "Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge".  We're on the outskirts of Suffolk, VA tonight, having passed from North Carolina into Virginia at about mile 44.  I don't complain too much usually, but we're staying in an out-of-the-way Motel 6 and a group of us rode an extra 7 miles round trip to get some lunch after riding a route that had no services all day.  When we got to the restaurant there was a Holiday Inn Express in the parking lot of a group of restaurants.  Perhaps a better choice of lodging?  Anyway - no chance of me fading away.....  Interesting fact about Suffolk.  It is an "independent city" which means it is not in a county and its area is huge.  We were in the "City of Suffolk" as soon as we crossed the state line, yet were 20 miles away from our lodging and even further away from the commercial part of town. All in all, though, a really great day.

Another huge field (field was 2 to 3 times the size captured by this photo) of solar panels.  It would be interesting to see the economics.

Our second SAG stop had character.....

 A pretty church along the way.

Riders approaching the state line.

Straddling the state line.

Leaving NC

Into Virginia

Interesting little flying machines.

A bit of Virginia scenery..

Stats for the day:

116 km from Elizabeth City NC to Suffolk VA. About 1000 feet up and 1000 feet down.  Nice temps, nice sun, nice wind.  Pretty sweet day.......  Margaritas tonight :)