The plan for Friday was to take a detour through Richmond and stay at the Wills Church in Glendale, VA, just on the other side of town. Anyway, when I called them, they informed me that their well pump was broken, so no water. This meant making last minute alternative arrangements. With rain forecast for Saturday, and having plenty of time, I decided to stay two days in Richmond. Between Google Maps and the internet, it was a matter of minutes to find and book a reasonably priced motel. It of course helps not to be too choosy, because, like the church hall last night, the motel has seen better days, but it will do.
So, all being well, I should arrive in Yorktown on Sunday, making the last ride a reasonable 75 mile. The weather forecast looks fine and I also might have some tail wind.
The further East you get, it is noticeable that as population density gets higher, traffic is heavier and people seem more stressed and in a hurry, than for example, in Kentucky or Montana. Well, that's the price of civilization for you.
Riding in Richmond, I was glad to have a navigation app on my phone. I find cycling in towns more challenging and more risky than out in the country. Apart from the directions, there are so many things to watch out for: other cyclists cutting across, electric scooters whizzing past, car, trucks, people, stop signs, traffic lights. Traffic lights in particularly aren't as obvious here as with us, so I was always afraid of missing a red light.
However, I got through the town without any problems. It's a nicely layed out town, and particularly around the Capitol Square it's lovely.
On the way through town, I checked out the street where Hilary and I will stay next week and also went to the bike shop just round the corner, asking about boxes for packing up my bike. They just had one of the right size and they will keep it for me so I can ship my bike back to Scotland.
Thursday, it was a 105 miles to the Methodist Church in Beaverdam, VA. As I have said before, Virginia is easy cycling, so even this distance was no problem. The whole place is becoming more civilized, with hardly any untouched places in the landscape.
One of the towns I passed through was Charlottesville, VA, a University town. Because of that, it was the most bike friendly place I cycled in, with bike lanes everywhere. Also, just as I arrived, everyone was going off to lectures and the place was absolutly heaving with students. Rather overwhelming, after traveling through rather sparsely populated areas for the last couple of months.
The church in Beaverdam again was a bit run down, but it had a kitchen, restrooms and a shower. However, just as a precaution, I put up my tent in the room, to keep any beasties (cockroaches, etc.) at bay and had a good night's sleep.
On Tuesday it was over the Blue Ridge Mountains to Afton, VA. The climb from Vesuvius, VA up to Blue Ridge Parkway was a bit of a challenge, and I had to get off and push the bike a couple of times, particularly up the inside of some of the serpentines. An 11T-40T rear cassette, rather than the 11T-32T I had installed, would have come in handy here. The climb must be well-known, as it is even on Tommy's turbo trainer app.
Well, that's all the real climbing done for the trip. There are still a few hills, but nothing to worry about. Cycling along the Blue Ridge Parkway, you got great views both north and south. And of course, it was a beautiful day.
For the next couple of days I am staying in Cookie Lady's House in Afton. Amongst TA tourers and cyclists in general June Curry is a legend. It's probably fair to say that the house is a TransAmerican and cycle museum. It was owned by June Curry who died in 2012, aged 91. She must have been right in there with the TA from the start in 1976, and the walls are covered with postcards, newspaper articles and cycling memorabilia. She must have offered accommodation, meals and of course, cookies, to thousands of people in her time and left an impression on all of them. I would have loved to meet her. Anyway, I am just walking through the rooms, reading the postcards from all over the world.
It's great to see something real, rather than only electronic, such as a blog, Facebook or Instagram. I don't think anything that is written now people will have access to in 50 years time.
It's really great to be here, almost at the end of my trip. All the postcards and notes gives the history of the TA a person touch. I am sure, like June, many of the people are probably no longer alive, but there is something of them preserved here.
It is a pity it looks a bit run down, and I wonder what its long-term future is. Maybe I have a chance to speak with the caretaker.
Thinking about hikers again, the biggest challenge for them is getting enough water. On many stretches of the Appalachian Trail apparently it's very dry and you have to think carefully about how much you need and how much you can carry. For cyclists, this is not a problem because we usually stay on roads, with houses and services stations along the way. Of course, Kath, when we walked the WHW we didn't have this problem, did we? Rather the opposite, too much of it. In Scotland, as long as you have a water filter, you are OK. And also, due to the climate, dehydration isn't the same problem with us.
