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Day 1 – The Adventure begins - July 1, 2006

Our starting point was the Bay State Apartments on Massachusettes and 17th NW in DC. Rodney and I set out at 6:30 am. We make our way to Georgetown and entered Virginia along the very familiar bike path route to Mount Vernon. Other than this start, out route followed closely the Adventure Cycling route
Our first detour off the course route occurs near Occoquan. We check maps, GPS and discover that the road construction obscured the bike trail that would have lead us into town. Instead, we were breaved the highway across the river and were rewarded by being terrorized by a pair of 18 wheelers that just about blew us off the road just feet from our turn off. Because of cement construction barricades we could not see (or get to) the bike path entrance that would allow us to take the trail before the river and ride across a pedestrian bridge. Oh well.

We made a couple of other wrong turns that cost us about 5 miles total additional travel. With the distance of over 85 miles, this was costly. Added to that, Rodney noticed about halfway through that his rear wheel was not seated properly and that the break pad was dragging on the rim. To compound that, a recent replacement of his rear derailuer and cable likely had the effect of stretching the new cable so that he could not get into the lowest gear. So he was really handicapping himself. We noticed this on the routine maintenance on the second night. On e other close encounter with a car full of kids put a bit of a scare into Rodney when the sped up to pass us across a double yellow line on ly to be forced to slam on their brakes an leave a long skid mark as they screeched just behind Rodney. Fortunately he sped up to increase the margin of safety to several car lengths.

We also got our first taste of “Southern Hospitality” when he saw a couple of picnic tables at the Heart’s Delight Baptist Church. We got out of the sun for about 10 minutes when a couple of vans pulled up and one of the women ordered us off the property. “Peace be with you” was my bid adieu.

We planned the extension to the Hampton Inn 2925 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Stafford, 22554 that added about 7 miles. It was an exhausting first day. Dinner was at a strip mall family Italian restaurant where we ordered sicilian pizza and appetizers. The pizza served as a snack for the next couple days days. However Power Bars were our main substinence on the road.

Miles: 85.27
Time Start: 6:30 am
Time End: 3:24 pm
Temp : ~73-82
Total Miles: 85.27

Day 2 – Civil War History - July 2, 2006

After the long haul the first day, an easy 25 mile jaunt into Fredericksburg was a welcome relief on two counts. First, the reduced miles eased the soreness and second we avoided the oppresive heat that day. We were off at the crack of dawn and had plenty of daytime to relax. This was the hottest day on the trip with temperatures reaching 100 degrees or at least very close to it.
We spend time at the Fredericksburg battlefield and taking the Sunken Road battlefield walking tour and then walking through the cemetery. We then spend the rest of the afternoon in the shops in the historic downtown and dined at a local restaurant there. Karen bought a cat’s meow confederate cemetery for her collection to commemorate the day.

Miles: 24.43
Time Start: 5:45 am
Time End: 10:03 am
Temp: ~78-85
Total Miles: 109.70

Day 3 – The Road from Hell - July 3, 2006

Up before dawn, Rodney and I worked our way through Fredericksburg and down Route 3. This is NOT a road that is friendly towards cyclists. The shoulder is very narrow most of the way and littered with debris. Near the point where we turned off to lesser roads, there was not even a shoulder. The cars and trucks are zipping by at around 70 miles per hour, much above the posted speed. Getting onto the side roads was a delight and very relaxing. We the course put us back on Route 3, we made a backtrack once we returned to it to take the alternate course route. This was an essential choice. We arrived at the Inn in Montross around 11, well before Karen who was visiting George Washington’s birthplace. The room wasn’t ready and there was some confusion as to where to pace the bikes, but we worked it out. The family that owned this “Southern Hospitality Inn” were anything but hospitable. We were their only "guests" that night since and since they were closing for the Fourth of July, weren't in much of a disposition to give us the "customary" service. We were given the “favor” of staying there only because we agreed to vacate before 9 am. Rodney and I went without breakfast since they would not provide it. Hence the pizza from the first day came in handy.

The day wasn’t lost, we visited the Stratford Hall Plantation, birthplace of Robert E. Lee. The temperatures was as intense as the prior day, well into the upper 90’s. Getting off the road early again saved out strength. Then afterwards, we went to the local food lion and had a party in our room including several rounds of cutthroat solitare.

Miles: 59.10
Time Start: 6:01 am
Time End: 11:06 am
Temp: ~74-84
Total Miles: 168.80

Day 4 – Southern Unhospitality - July 4, 2006

Another day up at the crack of dawn to beat the heat. We have a very pleasant ride to the designated termination point on the route for Virginia at Stevens Point. What came as a surprise to us was how mean, nasty, and downright ugly the campground owner was. This woman spewed a diatribe against cyclists to Karen as she waited for us. Karen was trying to make "nice" with her while waiting in an attempt to get permission to use the restroom once we got there. The greedy owner refused unless we paid a full campground fee. According to the Adventure Cycling route map addenda. It appeared that the campground owner also operates the cruise ferry that provides transport to Point Lookout State Park in Maryland. I suspect that they halted daily service because they discovered that they could gouge cyclists with extended campground stays and costs. Since we planned to make the 150 mile drive instead, we really didn’t have any concern that the ferry no longer operates daily or on any regular basis for that matter. Well, once we arrived and loaded our bikes, I put on a clean shirt and was about to leave when the owner came charging out of her office screaming that we could not use ‘her’ parking lot as a changing room (at least without her making money off of it). I thanked her for her “southern hosipitality” at which point she proceeded to spit at us. I probably shouldn't have responded by calling her "southern trash" since it evoked more rage. As we pulled out she screamed explitives and threatened to sick the sheriff on us. Well, we don’t know what kind of bubbas that have down there so we did not stop until we got out of the county and all the way to the Maryland Visitor Center. Good riddance, Northumberland County, Virginia.

The troubles for the day did not end there. At the Hampton Inn, the internet connection did not work in the room. We had work to do because we did not know where we would be staying the next two nights so all of the routes and SAG maps for Karen had to be worked out for three days. After spending over an hour of wasted time, I discover that the problems I was having are quite typical. I ended up spending three hours in the business center to work up some routes that would have taken a fraction of the time otherwise. We did get intermittent connectivity after we moved the table against the door, but without an extension cord, which the Inn refused to supply, I was convinced to exercise their 100% satisfaction guarantee. We’ll see how far that goes. Anyway, looking at the radar and forecasts, it appeared that the next day was going to be a washout. Rain, sever thunderstorms were at 80%.

Miles: 50.42
Time Start: 5:46 am
Time End: 9:37 am
Temp: 73-75
Total Miles: 219.22

Day 5 – Stormy Beginning, Sunny Ending - July 5, 2006

The day started a little later than our crack of dawn beginnings. This marked the first time that we are driven to the starting point. Something that was to be repeated for the rest of the trip. This is also the first business day of the trip and we decided to remain in the same Hampton Inn for at least two nights and possibly three depending on the progress of the cycling. The trip stated out by heading south to where the starting point from the ferry would have been in Point Lookout State Park, at least according to the queue sheets. I decided to use the portable toilets just south of there and ended up getting a flat tire. Rodney and I fixed the read flat in a light sprinkle as the clouds got darker and the wind stronger. Once we hit the road, weather gradually started improving. The roads were partially wet, but not enough to kick up the spray on out backs. We rode at an accelerated pace to get in as many miles as possible, but the further we got the better the weather became. It was sunny after a few hours and the lack of sun screen by Rodney, gave him a little sunburn. We made nearly 70 miles with temperatures no higher than the low 80s. We finished at Chaptico. We decided to drive north 28 miles and stay in the DC metro area as recommendations were not to stay south where we ended up, most likely staying in Leonardtown. As it turned out that was good advice since by 4pm the area was experiencing 60mph winds, penny sized hail, and tornado warnings. Since leaving Fredersicksburg, accommodations have been spotty, many places not answering the phone. Not sure if this was due to the holiday, but it does not bode well for others that are self sufficient touring. The plan is to base camp here rather than pack up each day. This should speed things up, but now we will have to contend with rush hour traffic.

The internet is working fine here and I will get some work done after creating and updating my tracks, photos and this log. The plan is now to see how far we get tomorrow, if we can get 70 or more miles, it is likely we will make the push to get into DC on Friday instead of the originally planned Saturday. The weather is looking stormy until mid morning, but then again that was the prediction for today. The rain has been coming down hard since just after 3 pm, so maybe it will clear out.

Miles: 69.45
Time Start: 6:50 am
Time End: 12:19 am
Temp: 73-81
Total Miles: 288.67

Day 6 –The Hill stage - July 5, 2006

Under gloomy skies and another delay to get the from wheel aligned properly, we set out for a 55 mile ride. We quit a bit earlier than anticipated because the climbs were wearing us out. The wet roads caused us to take the descents much slower that normal, so we lost the momentum of working up the next hill. The pickup was at an intersection with nothing there, although a town is named (Nanjemoy). We will start back a mile tomorrow to find a suitable place to unload the car rather than half on the road. We later discovered once back on our bikes that the post office was just 100 feet beyond the intersection where we stopped the prior day, just beyond view. Afterwards, I got a few hours of work in and had a great burger at a local eatery (Five Guys) which I found out also has a location in Georgetown. The route was excellent, when on short stretches of major highway, the should we wide and we usually could ride side by side, since it was a full lane wide. Very green, very rural.

Miles: 54.93
Time Start: 8:51 am
Time End: 1:20 pm
Temp: 66-73
Total Miles: 343.60

Day 7 – Back to the Suburbs - July 7, 2006

Another hill stage. First time had to seriously cut back to avoid knee pain. Great route with very few cars most of the way. Some killer hills, especially up Gallahan. Also the series of hills on 224 approaching Clifton beach and past Wades Bay. We had one forced detour due to road construction, but that only set us back less a mile. This day started out with virtually no traffic. For the first 40 miles, we may have encounted a dozen vehicles. Once back on less rural streets approaching the DC suurbs, the traffic returned and with it the nastiness of occaisional ill-mannered drivers. We had become accustomed to the thoughtful "share the road" spirit in rural Maryland and now lamented its end.

Miles: 62.73
Time Start: 8:27 am
Time End: 1:25 pm
Temp: 70-77
Total Miles: 406.33

Day 8 – Finally Back in DC - July 8, 2006

Had more problems getting the front wheel mounted correctly. It seems to wobble and have a mind of its own. After getting the stand out we took care of it rather quickly. Short jaunt back home traveling through so rugged bike paths, city streets and bridges. Lots of turns, using the gps extensively to get things right. Had problems finding the path to get to the Capital Street bridge. Overall, a bit unnerving at times, but manageable. It’s good to be back.

Miles: 16.72
Time Start: 7:33 am
Time End: 9:21 am
Temp: 67-73
Total Miles: 423.05