Saturday, May 30, 2009

Roanoke to Christiansburg

Day 13 - Thursday 5/28
Roanoke (Troutville) to Catawba
23 Miles

Given my relatively long ride yesterday (and knowing that the old energy reserves would be depleted today) I planned for a short day. Got up and worked until noon, then checked out of the hotel and hit the road. Stopped a few miles up the road in Daleville for a quick lunch at Subway and a trip to the grocery store for sun block and grapes, and then pressed on up into the Catawba Valley.

About an hour after lunch dark rain clouds blew in from over the mountains and I took cover under a group of trees just as the skies opened up. I normally just ride in the rain, but today it just didn't feel right - the road was twisty and narrow, the rain very heavy and visibility was poor. After about 30 minutes it let up to a light sprinkle and I headed down the road. After an hour the sun was peeking through the clouds again.

I spent the afternoon slowly peddling up short steep hills and then quickly descending the other side. Up down up down up down. I felt like I was fighting hard for every mile (I can hear the in-shape veteran riders chuckling -- stop that!).

The payoff though was the beautiful landscapes and sounds and smells of the Catawba Valley.

I should have taken pictures, but I kind of get in this "mode" where I just want to keep my head down and pedal. So I did.

Finally I came up on the Catawba Valley General Store where for three bucks I was allowed to pitch a tent out back along with a few hikers who stopped for the night. I pulled up, parked the bike, got a cold drink and a package of Fig Newtons and sat in the on-and-off rain under the porch and read a book until it got too dark to read. There was a great restaurant across the street (famous among the hiker community, I'm told), but I had nothing left...didn't want to do anything but sit and read my book. A hopeless case! Finally crawled off to bed and was awoken a couple of times by thunder, lightning and heavy rain beating on my (thankfully very rain-proof and sturdy) tent.


Day 14 - Friday 5/29
Catawba to Christiansburg
33 Miles

Woke up about 7 am, crawled out of the tent about 7:30 and took an hour to pack up, drink a cup of coffee and eat breakfast on the porch of the store, this time in the sun!

The ride this morning was much like yesterday...up down up down. Had more energy today and of course the very, extremely, breathtakingly beautiful Catawba Valley for inspiration.

Today I had Christiansburg in my cross-hairs, specifically the Christiansburg post office where there awaited my first care package from Pattye. When I hit the town limits I pulled out the GPS, typed in the address of the post office and obediently folowed the route it gave me. Big mistake! The GPS took me on a big loop around the north side of town, about 6 additional miles of up down up down, and about half of that on a dusty gravel back road. I had a few extra miles in me, but that's not how I wanted to spend them.

Note to self: check Google maps the night before and write down your own directions!

Retrieved my care package without incident then raced for the nearest (second nearest actually) as the sky was clouding up and the wind blowing fiercely. Made it to the motel minutes before the rain started and was soon feasting on brownies and enjoying the other treats. What a morale booster!

Spent the remainder of the afternoon/early evening working and then called it a day.

I'm planning to spend the weekend slowly (picture me tapping my foot with look of extreme impatience on my face as I type "slowly") making my way up to Marion where I plan to spend Monday and Tuesday with George and Marie at their new home, working and relaxing.

Sorry, no pictures this leg.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Day 12 - Lexington to Roanoke

48 Miles

After two days of working in Lexington it felt good to get back on the road again. I'd been watching weather reports about heavy rain and thunderstorms all week, but the rain held off and the sun even made a couple of brief appearances in the afternoon.

As I was pedaling away from the motel I discovered a broken pedal. A piece of the pedal had broken and was flopping loose. No doubt the result of enduring the powerful strokes of my Lance Armstrong-like leg muscles!

Fortunately I was only minutes from downtown Lexington. I rode past Virginia Military Institute, a rather intimidating looking campus with buildings rising canyon-like on both sides of a narrow road (made narrower by on-street parking).

I found the bike shop easily and the owner replaced my pedals right on the sidewalk in front of the shop. This is a very friendly shop and the repair was very reasonable. The owner said that he had a couple come through recently with a tandem, recumbent, three-wheeler equipped with a trailer, solar panel and battery, a setup that allowed the couple to use the computer while rolling down the road. I like the ingenuity, but not sure that I'd enjoy working on the computer while rollowing through the beautiful Virginia countryside.

And beautiful it was. After replacing my pedals I was quickly out of Lexington and onto the quiet, tree-covered back-roads that ran along streams for most of the day. Almost no traffic, quiet except for the sounds of the streams rushing over rocky beds, and all the wonderful smells of spring. After a while the route paralleled I-81 and the sounds and smells of nature were replaced by the sounds and smells of 18 wheelers!

The last part of the ride got very up and down. Lots of rolling hills that I'd been anticipating (I hear it's this way from here on through a good part of Kentucky) and was well tired of by the end of the day.

And speaking of the end of the day, I'd no more than pulled my bike up under the awning of a motel and stepped into the lobby than the skies opened up and the deluge hit. Nice timing!














Monday, May 25, 2009

Day 10 - Lingering (again?!) in Lexington

Day 7, Charlottesville - White Hall
24 Miles

Got a late start this morning. Worked until 11 then rode the rest of the way into downtown Charlottesville to pick up a few items and then put some miles behind me. The traffic leaving town, on a Friday afternoon, on Memorial Day weekend was heavy, but a few miles from town the route took a turn on to the back roads and I left the traffic behind. From then on out the ride to White Hall was entirely pleasant and uneventful. The horizon was full of mountains all afternoon. I hope I'm up to climbing those mountains (we'll know soon enough). I arrived mid-afternoon, and trying to keep with my plan to take it easy, resisted the urge to go a few more miles.

My destination was the White Hall Community Building which is listed on the route map as a place where camping was allowed. When I rolled up the first thing I noticed was the beautiful view of pastures and the mountains behind. I parked the bike behind the community building then crossed the street to Wyant's market for provisions. I noticed they have a bike log sitting out on the counter. The man behind the counter said this was the work of the local historical society. I added an entry right below someone else who was headed for Oregon and had signed the day before.

Spent the rest of the afternoon reading and rehydrating in a shady spot beside the community building. As evening approached I broke out the camp stove for the first time on the trip and cooked broccoli and pasta while managing not to burn down the building or start a grass fire or otherwise injure myself or others. After cleaning up I set up the tent (I'll get my "outdoorsman" badge yet), read until it got dark, then called it a night.

Day 8, White Hall - Waynesboro
29 Miles
Woke up this morning with more dew clinging to the inside of my tent than to the outside (let's see, warm, xxl body inside the tent, cool air outside the tent). I packed up fairly quickly, stretched and headed off. In the wrong direction. I was headed for Crozet for breakfast. I ended up on a very nice road that paralleled a creek and was lined with very expensive looking homes and farms. Crozet was supposed to be maybe 3-4 miles down the road. The road I was on steadily rose and then got very steep just as the creek ended in a reservoir. I huffed and puffed my way up the road a ways before taking a breather and thinking to myself "Hey, I don't remember seeing a reservoir on the map".

I had 10 miles on the odometer when I crossed back in front of the White Hall Community Building.

Along the road to Crozet I crossed paths with a man cycling the other direction. He was cycling from San Diego, California to Maine! I was also overtaken all day long by cyclists who whizzed past me effortlessly. Well I may not be quick or in shape but I am persistent...well...so far anyway.

Finally made it to Crozet where I stopped for "brunch" at Subway and then pressed on to Afton, where I got my first "taste" of the mountains.

I only had to stop and push the bike three times.

Day 9, Waynesboro - Lexington
52 Miles

I crossed the Blue Ridge!

What a beautiful ride down the Skyline Drive. Traffic was light and the views were amazing. It was overcast and cool all day (thank goodness) with a few light showers which I didn't mind.

I gotta tell you, I was very nervous about this leg, having not really ridden in the mountains before and having run into so many...er...personal limitations so soon. My contingency plans to stop and camp half way across if necessary. But when I hit the half way point I was still feeling good. There were a lot of cyclists on this section of the Skyline Drive. I met a guy coming west to east whose wife was driving the truck with all his gear. When he got done with each day's ride they would load the bike in the back of the truck and drive to a hotel. Now THAT's the way to go!

It felt really good to know that I could make it over those mountains! I'm getting stronger every day (well, maybe every third day). On the other side was a very steep descent into Vesuvius during which I stopped a few times to cool off the brakes. The plan was to stop in Vesuvius and camp for the night, but I had a pressing "work thing" and decided to ride on to Lexington. The route from Vesuvius to Lexington runs along the South river and was just very pleasant.

Day 10
0 Miles
I've been working on the "work thing" all day and will probably be at it all day tomorrow as well. I hate being stationary again so soon, but the "up side" is that I'm getting a lot of work hours in early in the week and will spend the end of the week doing more riding.

I'm planning on making it to Marion on Saturday where I've been invited to spend the night at George and Marie's house (their brand new retirement home, on the farm!).


Now this is dedication. An Obama yard mosaic



The mountains were on the horizon all the way from Charlottesville



This was the view outside my tent in White Hall



The Cookie Lady's house at the top (almost) of a (very steep) hill in Afton




Entering the Skyline Drive




Resting at a scenic overlook




The same scenic overlook without me in the way





One of the last climbs on the Skyline Drive. I felt very small against this ridge

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Day 6 - Lingering in Charlottesville

Rode out of Ashland on Tuesday. On the way I stopped by the post office and mailed a remarkably-large box of gear home. It was all deemed essential when I packed it last week, but has become less essential the more I have to pedal it down the road.

I really like Ashland. One of my first big events after returning to cycling several years ago was the Heart of Virginia event where I enjoyed the beautiful countryside surrounding the town. And last year I passed through Ashland on my way to Richmond and back. The weather was beautiful, blue skies and a light breeze, and enjoyed pedaling up Center Street, which is split down the center by the railroad tracks, and then slipping out the north end of town.

US Bike Route 1
runs north and south from Florida to Maine. US Bike Route 76 runs east and west from Illinois to Virginia. They meet in Ashland, and become the same road as they exit Ashland to the north. Last August, riding home from Richmond I remember stopping at the point where they split again, looking west down 76 and wondering if I'd ever ride that way. Tuesday I did! It was beautiful with lots of farms and very little traffic. Traffic coming up from the south towards Ashland was very heavy and made the ride a lot less pleasant than it would have otherwise been. Traffing going north from Ashland was virtually non-existant and for most of the day I saw maybe 6-10 cars an hour. Very nice!

The ride was very pleasant until I hit 20 miles or so and then got hit with the same rapid onset of general fatigue that made me want to stop at every shady spot and study the map for a few minutes. Riding by Lake Anna was nice, but the traffic picked up considerably.

Have you ever noticed how traffic in rural areas is much more pleasant to drive in, not just because it's lighter, but people are much more considerate and don't drive as fast and (if you're on a bike) tend to give you plenty of room (or if they can't pass safely, wait patiently for you to pull over and let them by). But the closer you get to a city, the more "mean" it all gets. The cars pass me more closely at higher speed and there's an occasional honk or angry gesture. It was very much like that riding into Lake Anna...traffic just got thicker and meaner.

The last few miles to Mineral were exhausting and I was very glad to pull up in front of the Mineral Volunteer Fire Department. The Mineral VFD offers cyclists a patch of grass behind their building and a hot shower at no charge. I set up my tent, took a shower and relaxed for a couple hours before dozing off. I couldn't even muster the energy to walk down the hill and eat dinner (and those of you who know me will be hard pressed to ever think of a time I missed a meal). I couldn't even muster enough energy to pull the camera out and take a picture of my tent. Do you get where I'm going here?

It was my first night camping (something I need to do a LOT more of very soon) and it all went very well. Setting up and breaking down went smoothly and quickly. I did manage to wake up several times to pull the sleeping bag back over a freezing shoulder, and three or four times to listen to the extremely loud train whistle (flashbacks to "My Cousin Vinny"). I rolled out of bed late, 7:30 or so, packed, thanked my hosts and rolled down the hill in search of breakfast (I'm still not really cooking or anything yet...not much of a camper yet). I found a little restaurant that was a bit scruffy around the ears but full of the friendliest people, most of whom seemed to know most of the others. Very nice! I don't know what it would be like to live in a small town like this (I'm sure it's got its downsides), but it was a very homey feeling. Three pancakes and eggs and bacon later I was off down the road towards Charlottesville.

That was yesterday, and I can't think of a more difficult day I've had cycling. I was tired on the way out of Mineral and it just got worse all day long. I was trying to make Charlottesville by 1 pm so I could check into a motel and start working. A couple hours into the ride and I was beginning to have a lot of doubts about my ability to do this ride at all. A couple hours later (when I should have arrived but was still a dozen miles away) I had an exit strategy all worked out, and by the time I was pushing the bike up the short but steep driveway of the hotel I had all but made up my mind to "suspend" the BTAA until I could get myself into far better shape.

Fortunately I have a GREAT support group (Pattye) who pointed out the extremely obvious (you sit behind a computer 12 hours a day and have been on the bike maybe a dozen times over the past month...just slow down!) and generally talked me back off the ledge. I'm not saying that after a good night's sleep I would have "suspended" my trip, but I am saying that it's very good to have a great support group.

So today I woke up and decided it would be a good idea to give the body a day off and spend the day catching up on things at work. Tonight I'm feeling pretty good.

So the plan is to scale back my daily milage and take it easy and try to make it over the Skyline Drive and down into Lexington by Memorial Day where I've got to hunker down and work for a couple of days (another rest stop...this is going to turn into a vacation if I'm not careful).

Anyway, that's about it. Here are some pictures I took between Ashland and Mineral.




Monday, May 18, 2009

Ashburn, VA - Day 3

Sunday was long, wet and cold. It rained most of the day, which I don't mind TOO much except my glasses spot up and fog up and that gets annoying. I do have a tendency to overheat though, so the cold was refreshing and kept me going all day. The route went west towards Richmond and then more or less paralleled the Richmond beltway north. I had planned to try and camp at the Willis Road Church, but was feeling good when I got in the area, and was reluctant to spend my first night camping in the rain (I'm SUCH a creature of comfort...going to have to toughen up!). I decided to push on a few more miles to the Richmond airport where I found a cheap motel and took a long hot shower. This also set me up for teleworking first thing Monday morning.

18 Miles on Saturday - Yorktown to Williamsburg
66 Miles Sunday - Williamsburg to Richmond
34 Miles Monday - Richmond to Ashland

So this morning I got up and went to work! Broke out the laptop and connected easily and worked until noon. There was something...er...stabilizing about doing something familiar out here where I'm out here completely out of my context. I think I'm going to like staying connected to this part of my life throughout this trip.

At noon I packed up the laptop, checked out of the motel and hit the road. Chilly and very windy today! I was hoping to put in a solid 50 miles today, but a couple hours into the ride I knew it was not to be. No energy at all! I was expecting this. Given that I haven't trained much and did such a long leg on Sunday, I'm not surprised. I also remember this happening on my Tidewater-Potomac ride last year. So I'm not freaking out over it (yet).

So I rode into Ashland and found another cheap hotel (I'm camping tomorrow...for sure!) and have been busy recuperating again this evening. I'll get up and telework again tomorrow morning then try to ride 48 miles to Mineral, VA.

Oh, here's a map of the TransAmerica route:

Saturday, May 16, 2009

TransAmerica

It's on!

After years of dreaming about it, and trying to get in shape for it, and saving up my vacation time, and trying to figure out how to fit it around friends, family and job, and arguing with that nagging adult voice in my head reminding me how impractical it is, day one of the Bike Trip Across America (the BTAA - bee' taw) is in the bag and on the blog!

The plan is to ride Adventure Cycling's TransAmerica route, 4,200 miles from Yorktown, Virginia to Florence, Oregon in 14 weeks, and then meet up with Pattye and drive down to visit my mom and siblings in California. 15 weeks in all. And since I don't have 15 weeks of vacation time saved up (and can't really be away from work that long anyway), my employer has (very generously) agreed to let me convert my three-day-a-week telework schedule into an irregular, part-time telework schedule that will let me keep up on all of my critical work, respond to emergencies, and stay in touch with my colleagues and customers. I'm calling it "extreme teleworking," and my goal is for most of my customers to never notice that I'm gone from the office at all.

So today is the first day. Pattye drove me down to Yorktown this morning (less than three hour drive from the Northern Virginia, DC suburbs where we live). We had sort-of planned to have lunch when we got there, but I was getting very antsy (and not necessarily in a great way - more on this below) She took my picture in front of the Yorktown Victory Memorial and then again at the beach where I dipped my bike wheels in the Atlantic Ocean and set off towards the Pacific.

I had a very nice ride up the Colonial Parkway. The weather was overcast and I felt a few light sprinkles, but he sun broke through several times and it never did really rain. The route leaves the Parkway briefly (to detour around a no-bicycles-allowed tunnel) to wind through a section of Colonial Williamsburg, where I found British soldiers marching in the town green! I spent a half hour or so watching enthusiasts in authentic costumes display their drum and fife skills and engage in rifle practice. I rode on into a more modern section of Williamsburg and checked into a hotel and called it a day. I think I've got all of 15 miles on the odomoter, which is not much of a first day in terms of mileage (which I'm feeling quite the slacker about), but is huge in terms of just getting this started.

And "just getting it started" has been no small thing for me. I don't want to get TOO into this (because quite frankly it feels a bit silly and self-serving and...er...wimpy?) but one of the most difficult things to deal with is just the level of anxiety that I've built up over this trip the past few weeks. Huge heaping loads of anxiety! Don't know exactly where it's coming from (there are several prime suspects!) and I'm sure it's a cumulative thing and (pretty) sure it's going to be largely gone soon. But I'm sure gaining a lot more respect for those who have done this before!

And getting it started wouldn't be possible without a lot of help and support from the people in my life. Thanks to Al, Joe and Rich for taking a chance with "extreme teleworking"; to D for dealing with all the kid-issues this summer; and especially to Pattye for her exceptional support, encouragement and enthusiasm - and for feeding the cats while I'm gone.


Do I look anxious?