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