May 21, 2002
8 min. read
This post is part of the Trans-Am series.
I had a good night’s sleep, despite the temperature. I thought about not bringing my 20 degree bag and purchasing a warmer weather bag to take up less space and weight. I’m thrilled that I didn’t talk myself into it. I needed every bit of that bag to stay warm last night. I woke just before 7, refreshed and with my headache gone. I’m sure that drinking water throughout the night helped counter the dehydration and altitude effects. I immediately went to get my $22 worth of hot shower.
The light at my campsite for the first time assured me that I didn’t do too bad of a job picking it out in the dark. The layer of pine needles and leaves added a nice soft companion to my Thermorest air mattress. I setup my laptop and AA batteries to charge in the outlets along the wall of the restroom.
The sky was hard overcast in the early morning, so I wondered about today’s weather. I tuned in the local NOAA weather station and listened to the monotonous voice repeating the current and forecasted weather. The report kept using the phrase “unseasonably cool”. Yes, I’d agree with that. The forecast was partly cloudy with a chance of light showers.
The small radio I brought along with me can receive all NOAA weather radio stations, FM, AM, and TV station audio. I knew that I would be in some places far from civilization and thought it my best chance if getting useful information on the trip. Like my GPS, Camera, and CD/MP3 player it runs on AA’s. My 4 bay charger for the NiMH AA’s runs off of 12V, either directly from my large NiCd pack on the bike frame, or via an AC wall adapter. My Libretto laptop also charges off of 12V. I designed everything to be a common 12V, like a car.
I switched to Morning Edition on NPR and started oatmeal on the stove. It was a cold morning and I didn’t move very fast, because I didn’t relish the thought of adding a 12 MPH wind chill to the current temperature when I started riding. I mixed a sports drink from some powder and wished I had thought to pack a tea bag or hot chocolate. But then I thought this was the start of summer and I would only want cool drinks. The oatmeal with raisins was tasty. Their addition of heat inside me was even better.
I pre-packed some oatmeal in the snack sized Ziploc bags, before I left. This is the right size for a morning meal. As I left to clean up the pot, one of these bags full of oatmeal sat on the picnic table. I spent at most 3 minutes in the restroom, which was enough time for a crow to peck into a bag and start eating my oatmeal. Glad I still had the first bag, I dumped the remaining oatmeal in there and chuckled. A very fast opportunistic scavenger. He was able to get quite a bit down, and even more scattered around the table where he will surely be able to claim once I’m gone.
I gradually finished breaking down camp and getting ready for the day. I left the campground just before 10, starting my first real touring day. I stopped at the camp store to pick up some snacks on the way out. The trick is to carry enough so you don’t go hungry, but every bit you carry is going up every hill you meet. However, you are unsure of services, so you error only slightly on the side of too many.
My route followed highway 5 towards Richmond for a majority of the day. I was still in a somewhat high population area and there was a considerable amount of dump truck and semi-truck traffic along the road in both directions.
This morning was the first time I noticed the 76 bike route signs, marking the Bikecentennial route I was riding (started in 1976). I started taking some pictures of the sign when I spotted them. I still have the chance to head back to Williamsburg, but I didn’t even consider it. I wanted to get further away from the traffic and on my way.
Most drivers were courteous, I’m sure having seen quite a few Trans-Am bicycle tourists over the years. A couple people passed when it wasn’t really safe, but a few always do. I waved at all the truckers I passed, trying to build up my trucker karma for those nasty coal trucks I keep hearing about in eastern Kentucky. I’m surprised that I haven’t seen a dog yet. In 80 miles of cycling that is pretty strange. I guess I will have to wait for those infamous eastern Kentucky dogs.
I need to learn something positive about eastern Kentucky, as those are the only two things I know about it: terrible trucks with bad drivers and terrible dogs. That is the only thing bicycle tourists riding through there talk about. I’m determined to find something nice about the area. I have a whole state to cross while I think about it.
I had considered stopping to have a few of the snacks I picked up at the camp store and was happy to see the sub shop at 11:30. I devoured a pretty good hot turkey and cheese sub, fries and a Pepsi. I told myself I would eat better on this trip, but it was really good! With each stop, the basics are always handled. Fill up your water bottles and get rid of the water you drank during the last couple hours.
I had seen the ABC ON, ABC OFF, ABC ON-OFF at restaurants and stores during my two days in Virginia. I wound up researching this after the trip was over and learned that it stands for Alcoholic Beverage Control. Apparently, after prohibition ended, states came up with various systems to tax and control alcoholic beverage sales. In an alcoholic beverage control state, the state is essentially a monopoly and operates stores where retailers can purchase their liquor to sell. ABC ON means the location has a license to sell alcohol for consumption on the premises. ABC OFF means the location can sell alcohol for you to take away. While interesting to figure out, this really didn’t concern me much, not being a drinker of much stronger than soda.
Next stop was Sherwood Forest Plantation in Charles City County. This is the first of 4 major and many minor Plantations within 14 miles along highway 5. See the upcoming side trip post for more information and pictures. I spent about an hour touring the grounds before heading out again.
I was passed by a father and daughter team, also doing the Trans-Am. They were running light for the first day, with no bags. They mentioned that a vehicle was bringing them. I didn’t gather if they were heading all the way unloaded, or just for the start. Either way, I will probably never catch back up with them. Loaded touring is much more effort than doing joined day rides.
Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race.
- H. G. Wells
I then stopped at Berkley Plantation, directly on the James River. This land is home to many of America’s firsts, including the first Thanksgiving on Dec. 4th, 1619. See the side trip post for more details of this visit.
I left the Berkley Plantation after 5:30 and headed to Glendale. I stopped on the way to pick up some food for dinner. This has been an interesting transition already. The grocery stores available are a far cry from the huge supermarkets we get used to in modern life. Tonight’s dinner was plucked from a small gas station and grocery. The selection was poor, but the cyclist was hungry. Hunger makes anything taste great.
En route to Willis United Methodist Church, I stopped at the location for the last of the Seven Days Battles, Malvern Hill. It is amazing how dense history is packed along this stretch of road. That was a large factor of why this route was chosen for the Trans-Am trail during the planning in 1974-5. What I am seeing is only a small fraction of what is around. While riding a bike, it is a simple thing to pull off and read a sign noting some historical significance. Nearly all of these would have been missed in a car and the small paragraph on each sign doesn’t come close to covering the historical significance of the location.
Pastor Manning Harrell was a wonderful host, when I pulled into the Church around 8:30. We had a chance to chat, while I was setting up camp. He is retiring at the end of this month, and he has really enjoyed meeting all the cyclists in the five years he has been at the church. Apparently the new pastor is also excited about hosting cyclists, so this fine overnight stop on the trail will be going strong for some time.
Some historical signs along the route today.
Part 3 of 48 in the Trans-Am series.
Series Start | Day 1 - Yorktown to Jamestown, VA | Day 2 - Sherwood Forest Plantation