I'm staying the night with Dan and Jan, two wonderful hosts and my sister-in-law's parents. Tomorrow is the last day of the self-supported ride. I'm heading to State College. It should be about 60 miles with one mountain on the way.
For those who are interested, I rode 90.09 miles from Catonsville to E-town on Friday with a top speed of 42.4 mph. There were a few hills, mostly up, but at least one down as the top speed will attest. Today was 76 miles, mostly flat, but a few good hills right at the end.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Made it to ETown
I pulled in just after 5:00 last night, a few minutes after my brother got home. I got a good night's sleep and this morning we ran some errands. His wife is coming home from a conference today, so we'll be off to pick her up at the airport shortly. At some point in the next few days, I'll actually write up the last few days of traveling. For now, I'm enjoying visiting. Monday I ride up towards Selingsgrove, then on to State College on Tuesday.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Safe and Sound in Catonsville, MD
Since leaving Ashland, VA, I've been to the USMC Museum, Prince William Forest National Park, and Arlington, VA. I rode by the Kennedy Center this morning on my way to Maryland. Tomorrow I will make it to Pennsylvania. I'll update my adventures at some point while I'm at my brother's house over the weekend.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Short post from Ashland, VA
I rode the 65-70 miles from Williamsburg to Ashland today. It rained a bunch early on, and threatened to continue all day. My wet computer did not give me speed or distance updates, hence the approximation above. When I arrived in Ashland, the town was without power due to a very large tree falling. It took out some power lines and landed across some railroad tracks. Power came on around 5:30 or so, which allowed me to get a warm shower in.
Tonight's hosts, Bruce and Eve, are both math professors, so we had some fun talking shop about both bikes and math. Tomorrow I am heading to Prince William Forest National Park. I'm hoping to camp in a historic Civilian Conservation Corp cabin tomorrow night, as more rain is in the forecast. Hopefully all my clothes will dry by morning. We'll see. I won't have internet tomorrow, and I doubt I'll have any cell coverage. Wednesday I'm heading to Arlington, so I'll post from there.
Tonight's hosts, Bruce and Eve, are both math professors, so we had some fun talking shop about both bikes and math. Tomorrow I am heading to Prince William Forest National Park. I'm hoping to camp in a historic Civilian Conservation Corp cabin tomorrow night, as more rain is in the forecast. Hopefully all my clothes will dry by morning. We'll see. I won't have internet tomorrow, and I doubt I'll have any cell coverage. Wednesday I'm heading to Arlington, so I'll post from there.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
I'm in Williamsburg, VA
Friday, I got a late start out of Washington, leaving around 10:30am. It wasn't a problem, though since I was only riding about 45 miles up to Mackeys, outside Roper. Mackeys is a small community on the Albemarle Sound. There is a marina there, and a number of waterside homes. I had a Warmshowers host who offered me use of the apartment above his garage.
David, my host, wasn't able to get to the house until late in the evening due to his work schedule, but he left me the code to get into the apartment. It was a great space, bigger than my place in Atlanta, with a full bath, and a great upstairs patio. I arrived by about 2, and after cleaning myself up, I did a little reading and took a nap. I woke up when the neighbor came over to water the garden and check up on me.
At the suggestion of David, and his neighbor, I headed to the marina where there was a local restaurant. I met a couple of locals in the restaurant, who ended up buying me a beer to go with my very local crab cakes. The crabs for my dinner were actually caught by boats leaving from the Mackeys Marina. The meal was great. The crab cakes were just crab meat and seasoning, no filler. The sides were tasty, and by the time I was done eating, I was stuffed and had to pass on the brownie sundae.
When I returned to the house, David's wife had made it in, so I joined her, and her neighbor to socialize for a while. Around 10:30, David made it home from work. We spent some time chatting before heading to bed. Early on Saturday, David made me a great breakfast of pancakes, grits, coffee, and OJ. I got an early start, heading out at 7:30 since I needed to cover 80 miles on Saturday.
I saw a flat road with a bit of a tailwind, pushing me towards Chesapeake, VA. I rode 81.45 miles by 1:30, including all my stops. I pulled into the driveway of Larry, my host for the evening to find a note taped to the door. He and his family were out and about, but they left the back porch open for me, with a giant pitcher of water waiting on the table. I got in, got comfortable, and took a much needed nap. Shortly after I woke up, Larry and his family arrived home. Larry made me a great spaghetti and meatball dinner, then helped me map out my route for today.
Since Larry is an early riser, we both turned in early, and got up about 6. Larry made me a great omelette to start the day, then rode out with me to get me on my way. We rode about 10 miles together to get me to the first major road of the day, then he turned off for a fast ride while I settled into a comfortable pace for the day. Since the weather report was questionable, I decided to go past Chippokes State Park and head into Williamsburg, where I could find a motel if needed.
Well, it was needed. After crossing the James River by ferry with lots of cars and a bunch of very friendly Harley riders, I turned towards Jamestown to explore. I ran into some other riders, and joined them in a leisurely ride around Jamestown Island. Then I took the Colonial Parkway towards Williamsburg. It was a longer ride than I expected, and I got caught up in some rain. After 78 miles, I made it into town and found a room. Now its time for some R&R before I look for dinner. Tomorrow should be about 65-70 miles up to Ashland. I'm getting close now. See many of you soon!
Friday's Mileage: 45 miles
Saturday's Mileage: 81.45 miles
Sunday's Mileage: 78.1 miles
David, my host, wasn't able to get to the house until late in the evening due to his work schedule, but he left me the code to get into the apartment. It was a great space, bigger than my place in Atlanta, with a full bath, and a great upstairs patio. I arrived by about 2, and after cleaning myself up, I did a little reading and took a nap. I woke up when the neighbor came over to water the garden and check up on me.
At the suggestion of David, and his neighbor, I headed to the marina where there was a local restaurant. I met a couple of locals in the restaurant, who ended up buying me a beer to go with my very local crab cakes. The crabs for my dinner were actually caught by boats leaving from the Mackeys Marina. The meal was great. The crab cakes were just crab meat and seasoning, no filler. The sides were tasty, and by the time I was done eating, I was stuffed and had to pass on the brownie sundae.
When I returned to the house, David's wife had made it in, so I joined her, and her neighbor to socialize for a while. Around 10:30, David made it home from work. We spent some time chatting before heading to bed. Early on Saturday, David made me a great breakfast of pancakes, grits, coffee, and OJ. I got an early start, heading out at 7:30 since I needed to cover 80 miles on Saturday.
I saw a flat road with a bit of a tailwind, pushing me towards Chesapeake, VA. I rode 81.45 miles by 1:30, including all my stops. I pulled into the driveway of Larry, my host for the evening to find a note taped to the door. He and his family were out and about, but they left the back porch open for me, with a giant pitcher of water waiting on the table. I got in, got comfortable, and took a much needed nap. Shortly after I woke up, Larry and his family arrived home. Larry made me a great spaghetti and meatball dinner, then helped me map out my route for today.
Since Larry is an early riser, we both turned in early, and got up about 6. Larry made me a great omelette to start the day, then rode out with me to get me on my way. We rode about 10 miles together to get me to the first major road of the day, then he turned off for a fast ride while I settled into a comfortable pace for the day. Since the weather report was questionable, I decided to go past Chippokes State Park and head into Williamsburg, where I could find a motel if needed.
Well, it was needed. After crossing the James River by ferry with lots of cars and a bunch of very friendly Harley riders, I turned towards Jamestown to explore. I ran into some other riders, and joined them in a leisurely ride around Jamestown Island. Then I took the Colonial Parkway towards Williamsburg. It was a longer ride than I expected, and I got caught up in some rain. After 78 miles, I made it into town and found a room. Now its time for some R&R before I look for dinner. Tomorrow should be about 65-70 miles up to Ashland. I'm getting close now. See many of you soon!
Friday's Mileage: 45 miles
Saturday's Mileage: 81.45 miles
Sunday's Mileage: 78.1 miles
Friday, June 17, 2011
Day 9 to Washington, NC
Yesterday, I got off to an 8:30 start out of Jacksonville, heading north to Washington. Early in the ride, a Marine on a triathlon bike pulled up next to me to chat for a couple of miles. He was waiting for his car to be worked on, so decided to get a ride in. He was great company, and I found myself pedaling at 20 mph while we talked. While I enjoyed his company, my legs were glad when he dropped off to take a phone call and I could slow down without looking weak.
The weather report was pretty questionable. Severe thunderstorms were predicted, so I opted to grab a motel rather than camp out last night. There were very strong winds last night around dinner time, and this morning the parking lot is very wet, so I think I made a good choice.
Today I have a short day, riding up to Roper, NC. I have a Warmshowers host again tonight and tomorrow, so I'm not sure what my internet access will be. It looks like I'm only riding about 45-50 miles today, so I should be off the road fairly early. Tomorrow is a longer day, with about 80 miles planned. After that, I'm going to be reassessing my route. More later.
Thursday's mileage: 73.24 miles
Thursday's top speed: 24.9 mph
The weather report was pretty questionable. Severe thunderstorms were predicted, so I opted to grab a motel rather than camp out last night. There were very strong winds last night around dinner time, and this morning the parking lot is very wet, so I think I made a good choice.
Today I have a short day, riding up to Roper, NC. I have a Warmshowers host again tonight and tomorrow, so I'm not sure what my internet access will be. It looks like I'm only riding about 45-50 miles today, so I should be off the road fairly early. Tomorrow is a longer day, with about 80 miles planned. After that, I'm going to be reassessing my route. More later.
Thursday's mileage: 73.24 miles
Thursday's top speed: 24.9 mph
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Day 8 Unplanned Changes
Of more than one variety. The day did not get off to the best start, as my wake-up call never came. I got up naturally about half an hour late, and grabbed some breakfast before packing up and heading for the ferry across Cape Fear River. It was a pleasant enough 5 mile ride to the ferry dock, where I had all four of my panniers inspected by TSA. It's not just for airports anymore.
After a leisurely ride across the river, with sea birds hovering above the aft deck, I landed and rode through Kure Beach and Carolina Beach, two tourist towns. I stopped for lunch in Wilmington and stopped by a bike shop to make a small bar tape repair. About 10 miles outside of Wilmington, the first unplanned change occurred, the tube in my rear tire. While riding on US-17, I picked up a long thread from the steel-belting of a car tire. It went through both my tire and the tube. Luckily, it's a very small puncture on the tire, so I think it should be ok. I replaced the tube on the side of the road, and resumed the ride. This happened about 40 miles into today's ride, and somehow, while changing the tire, I reset the day's odometer.
I continued on past Surf City, today's planned stop, after stopping by the campground and being less than impressed. I looked for places to stay on Topsail Island, but couldn't find anything affordable, so I continued on past Snead's Ferry, and rode along the perimeter of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejuene. I made it all the way to Jacksonville, with an estimated mileage of about 83 miles. I grabbed a motel room to get internet access, and had a pleasant dinner at a little Italian restaurant down the street. The staff was so impressed with the story of my trip, they made me an extra large portion and brought me an extra salad on the house. Everything was very tasty, and with a full belly, I returned to the motel to watch Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Right now, it looks like Boston should win it.
Tomorrow, I've decided to ride about 70 miles to Washington, NC where I have found a campground to stay at. That will make Friday a short ride to Roper, NC. That day should be right around 50 miles, and I have a Warmshowers host at the end of that day.
That will put me one day ahead of my original schedule, so I should reach Elizabethtown, PA on June 24th, barring any additional changes.
Time for the third period and then to bed. More later.
After a leisurely ride across the river, with sea birds hovering above the aft deck, I landed and rode through Kure Beach and Carolina Beach, two tourist towns. I stopped for lunch in Wilmington and stopped by a bike shop to make a small bar tape repair. About 10 miles outside of Wilmington, the first unplanned change occurred, the tube in my rear tire. While riding on US-17, I picked up a long thread from the steel-belting of a car tire. It went through both my tire and the tube. Luckily, it's a very small puncture on the tire, so I think it should be ok. I replaced the tube on the side of the road, and resumed the ride. This happened about 40 miles into today's ride, and somehow, while changing the tire, I reset the day's odometer.
I continued on past Surf City, today's planned stop, after stopping by the campground and being less than impressed. I looked for places to stay on Topsail Island, but couldn't find anything affordable, so I continued on past Snead's Ferry, and rode along the perimeter of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejuene. I made it all the way to Jacksonville, with an estimated mileage of about 83 miles. I grabbed a motel room to get internet access, and had a pleasant dinner at a little Italian restaurant down the street. The staff was so impressed with the story of my trip, they made me an extra large portion and brought me an extra salad on the house. Everything was very tasty, and with a full belly, I returned to the motel to watch Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Right now, it looks like Boston should win it.
Tomorrow, I've decided to ride about 70 miles to Washington, NC where I have found a campground to stay at. That will make Friday a short ride to Roper, NC. That day should be right around 50 miles, and I have a Warmshowers host at the end of that day.
That will put me one day ahead of my original schedule, so I should reach Elizabethtown, PA on June 24th, barring any additional changes.
Time for the third period and then to bed. More later.
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