Day 9, Hatteras to Otway

September 30, 2014

Big ferry day and a big day for strange meetings. Firstly, I had to take the ferry from Hatteras to Ocracoke. It was a nice ferry, an hour long crossing and free to ride (take note BC ferries). On that ferry I met Tim who had just completed a walk from Los Angeles to New York. Apparently he self sorted himself in his car so his 3100 mile walk actually took 4700 miles of walking. The man was passionate about walking I have to say that. Spoke about it very fondly. He was driving to Florida before heading home to San Francisco but you could tell he wished he was walking.

Next ferry was from Ocracoke to cedar island, two and a half hour crossing and only three dollars (take double note BC ferries). On that ferry I met Scott and Ivan who are doing the exact same trip as me at almost the exact same time. They started from Wilmington last Saturday and ate going to Florida then San Diego. They are only trying to do sixty miles a day though so we had to part ways after the ferry. I'm a man craving miles, I need them, I want them.

I also had a guy hold the door open for me at a convenience store who insisted I not call him a gentleman. I laughed and said thank you and then he launched right into a tirade about the government. Holding the door open for someone I guess gives you discourse for expressing your opinions on the government. "Don't call me a gentleman because that's what they have in the white house and I don't want to be like them. Better to be a gentleman than someone who can run the country. Don't call me a gentleman." Thanks for holding the door regardless crazy man, sorry the government is out to get you.

After that I blasted out to Otway and am in a nice campground. I ate too much but that should just mean a good sleep. Still got my eye on the Vikings game on Thursday, need to make sure I watch that. Everything else is secondary at this point.

Excited about morning camp coffee also, so fresh.

(Camera picture of riding with Scott and Ivan)

Trip stats
Time riding: 3:38.47
Day miles: 49.74
Total miles: 526.37
Average speed: 13.6 mph
Max speed: 27.3 mph

Day 8, Kitty Hawk to Hatteras

Well after an entire day in the bar watching football I didn't want to get out of bed. The bed wasn't incredibly comfortable but there was a little bit of dread to get back on the saddle after a day of rest. Love day of rest.

I did eventually get going and even had clean clothes to show for it. Laundry, so glad to do it early before I really needed it. Quickly stopped for breakfast at "stack em high", nice stack of pancakes.

I also stopped in at a bike shop and replaced my handlebar tape. The guy who owned the store seemed like an old surfer dude. He had just fixed up his bike and showed it off to everyone because it was so "sick". It was a nice bike and he was taken aback by my Brodie. Apparently he doesn't see many Brodies and they were once a really funky company. Overall it was a weird experience at the bike shop but my handlebars are looking good as a result.

I had a great tailwind today too so I was able to makeup some of my dilly dallying. I checked out the cape Hatteras lighthouse and they had a deck with seating that was called the "contemplation area". I contemplated how they could justify charging an admission price to go up a lighthouse. It was pretty neat though, nice looking lighthouse as far as lighthouses go.

Ate at the Hatterasman drive in and it was a mighty fine burger. Fries were thin and delicious.

Tomorrow is a big day of ferries which will be glorious. I have at least three hours on the boats and probably some time waiting on either end. I'm not expecting big miles but I should make great progress on the map even if I'm not the one doing the work. Thanks engines.

Trip stats
Hours riding: 4:53.13
Day distance: 79.23
Total distance: 476.62
Day average speed: 16.2mph
Day max speed: 31.9mph

Day 7, rest day in kitty hawk

September 28, 2014

Just took a rest day to let my legs adjust to riding. Slept in and grabbed a turkey sandwich and a Reese mocha from the southern bean coffee shop before watching football all day at Hurricane Mo's. Great time watching football though. Sat at the bar and chatted with fans of all nations: ravens, Vikings, steelers or panthers; all were welcome.

A full day at the bar should be plenty of carbo loading for tomorrow. Early start and a big breakfast is the plan. Excited!

Trip stats
Day miles: probably about 10
Total: not adding today to total, rest miles. Easy riding.
-preached to my sister about infusing scent into a pinecone

Day 4, Richmond to Chickahominy Riverfront Park

For some reason my original post didn't work so I'm going to try and redo it from memory. Fingers crossed!

I remember it being cloudy and cool all day and having some great riding. Everything just looked really Virginia. I did the bulk of my riding along the capital trail which was really nice except for one weird thing, there were large sections just covered in hay. Straw, hay, coop flooring whatever you call it, it was everywhere. I couldn't see the trail there was so much hay, and for miles! Then it would just stop, like it was never even there. I have no idea why it was there but I came up with: ancient southern paving technique, school prank, hay fight, messy eating horse. Who knows the real answer though.

I also had a nice chat with a guy outside of the country store. It seemed like the country store was a meeting ground for everyone because people were just hanging around chatting. Everyone hadn't seen everyone is a long time apparently. One guy, when I told him how far I came said, "boy done good don't he". Perfect.

First night camping also and everything set up easily and well. Good gear, glad to have it.

(Camera picture of hay trail)

Trip stats
Day miles: 57.97
Total miles: 220.93

Day 6, Suffolk to Kitty Hawk

September 27, 2014

Well today kind of caught me off guard. Yesterday I was looking at my maps and realized it was going to be a long day of riding if I wanted to get to kitty hawk.  I thought that if I got up early, hustled hard and dug deep, there was a chance I could do it. Needed that early start first and foremost.

I didn't leave as early as I wanted but I did get going just after 9am, earliest yet. All day I was focused on keeping a high speed, just spinning the legs and going fast. The faster I go, the faster I'm done. The sun was beating down on me, legs had to keep spinning though. Grabbed some lunch in South Mills and then went back to work.

At about 4pm I hit a wall, just started dragging my legs. I went from trying to keep the pace high to just trying to keep moving. I had about twenty miles left to go, had to keep moving.

The worst part was right at the end, had a 3 mile bridge crossing that was just brutal. This long and straight bridge with lots of traffic and a small shoulder. I was tired enough that it took effort to stay in the lines on the shoulder. Focus.

It all came to an end eventually but everything hurts, my hands especially. Tomorrow will be a day off for football and to let my body recover. Need to recover. Turns out there is a great breakfast place here in town so I'm excited about eating. All the eating.

First hundred mile day though, wahoo!

Trip stats
Hours riding: ~8
Day miles: 108.87
Total miles: 397.39
Average speed: 13.6 mph (light headwind)
Max speed: NA
-information deleted midway, hours and average are estimates

Day 5, chickahominy park to Suffolk

September 26, 2014

What a day, the heat hit me hard. If today was a baseball pitcher, it would be bringing some heavy heat. A lot of good things happened today though so I'm just going to hit them in a bullet style format:

-Crossed the James river on the ferry, the ferry was free (pay attention BC ferries)
-saved a turtle that was sitting in the middle of the road
-got really excited as I approached bacon castle
-bacon castle has neither bacon nor a castle, it was a church
-kept a speedy pace along some great roads
-saw my first cotton fields today
-at one point there were soy beans on one side and cotton on the other as far as the eye could see. Heaven.
-my campground is amazing and only cost ten bucks!
-I bought groceries at a place called Freddie's fresh groceries but it really should have been called "Freddie's food hole". This place had more wigs and loud belts than food. Still got four Tallboys for six bucks though, beauty.
-mine is the only tent in the campground for the second day, when did everyone up and buy RVs?
-barbeque place near to the campground was closed down. Even barbeque isn't immune to the down economy!

Trip stats
Day hours riding: 4:56.44
Day miles: 67.45
Total miles: 288.38
Day average speed: 13.6 mph
Day max speed: 31.4 mph

(Camera picture of ferry)
(Camera picture of turtle)
(Camera picture of campsite beach)

Day 3, Fredericksburg to Richmond

Sept 24 2014

Well today had a great start but had a tough finish. Yesterday I checked the forecast and it called for rain around 2 pm in the afternoon. I thought that if I got to an early start I would be able to outrun the rain to Richmond. It was a good plan, but sleep got the best of me. I was still able to avoid most of the rain but had about 20 miles in heavy rain. Heavy rain. Big soak. Everything.

Some great riding today though, really nice back roads going through farmland, soy bean farms included! I'm not sure why I get so excited about soy beans but I do. America's history is tied to the soy bean, great respect for that crop.

Terrifying moment of the day was when I startled a group of vultures. They were eating something and definitely very into it. I rounded the corner and they scattered, their big wings flapping everywhere. Scary birds.

BBQ review: Mission BBQ in Richmond Virginia.
Pulled pork was good but just a little dry, coated in some delicious barbeque sauce it was perfect though. Jalapeño and cheddar sausages were unreal, delicious. And the brisket, oh man the brisket. Moist with a thick smoke crust, delicious. Baked beans and green beans as a side (couldn't resist double beans) made for a great meal. Great.

Trip stats
Day miles: 72.31 miles
Total miles: 162.96
Time riding: 5:53.01
Day Average speed: 12.2 mph
Day Max speed: 32.8

Day 2, Mount Vernon to Fredericksburg

Today I had big aspirations about getting a good start and really getting going. Turns out my body just wanted to sleep and it won out. I got up early for breakfast and was thinking about an 8:30-9:00am start. I eat my big breakfast and am all ready to go, ahead of schedule even.... So ahead of schedule that I decided I had time to get back in bed and feel comfy again. Before I knew it I had fallen asleep and it was eleven in the morning. Do I have regrets? Not really, it was a great nap.

Still got some decent miles in though I had to go around a big military base which was annoying. Come on military, why you gotta add miles to my journey?

Nothing spectacular happened though, just some nice scenery and very pleasant riding. Cars keep honking at me and I think it is to warn me of their presence (or maybe for support?), but I hate it. I get the good intentions but please just moved to the side. Not running me over is all the thanks I need.

Trip stats
Hours riding: 4:29.27
Day distance: 57.97 miles
Total distance: 90.65 miles
Day average speed: 12.9 mph
Day max speed: 35.3 mph

I'm hoping that the first hundred miles are the hardest.

Day one, DC to mount Vernon

How about that, survived the first day.

My plan today was to arrive at the airport, set up my bike, ride into D.C.quickly and check out the white house then (assuming I don't get offered a job in cabinet) blast down
the road to a campsite outside of town. I got into DC, saw the whitehouse and then i had a craving for some miles (I also ate a hotdog because the whitehouse have me a craving for food too).

Everything was going well into I hear a little ping and turns out I broke a spoke. Luck of all lucks though, it happened literally two blocks outside of a bike shop. A quick fifty dollar fix and about an hour and a half of my time and I'm back on the road.

I was cycling along this bike route called the mount Vernon trail. When the trail ended I assumed that I was in mount Vernon, made sense right? Where I was was at this weird mansion that also had crystal and diamond shops. I accidentally biked into what might have been the richest part of the country. So classy. In the end that was the rich part of mount Vernon and near the highway it is less classy.

I biked a little further and found a quality inn where I am spending the night. Stats for the day are low and unimpressive but I didn't get started until after 1 pm and had the broken spoke.... Also some data was deleted somehow. Tomorrow should be better.

Daily distance: 32.68 miles
Total distance: 32.68 miles

Weird thing, the quality inn that I'm staying at is really into tooting their own horn. Walk through the door and BAM, "have some of our lemonade". Get in the door and BAM, " our mattresses are comfy and sheets are 200 thread count ". Walk in the bathroom and BAM, " our shower head has five settings and we use a curved shower curtain ". I get it quality inn, you are named quality inn so you don't need to try this hard to convince me.

Bike trip begins....slowly

Starting by flying to Washington D.C. and having to deal with customs. Everyone freaked out that I was waiting for my name to appear before going to step three. Turns out it is fine and I just need to wait ten more minutes. Thanks border security, you keep me safe from deadlines and punctuality.