Virginia---"Red light, green light. Come up against a lock you can't pick, you mash them together..."boom". Hasta lasagna, don't get any on ya'..."

I am liking the "early to bed, early to rise" routine. After saying our good-byes to Gary and wishing him well, Karen and I were rolling out of the park at 6 a.m. We had to ride through some urban areas of Suffolk and at one point I missed a turn and had to call Laura to find out just where exactly Lake Cohoon road was...








We wound our way on some very nice roads to highway 460 where the traffic was heavier. Thankfully, most of it was heading into Suffolk. This is a four lane highway, so when I would see a semi truck in my mirror, I would edge over in the lane until he moved to the inside lane, then I would cozy back to the fog line. We rode through Wakefield, hailed as a major peanut producer. I am now wondering if some of those fields that I think are soybeans are actually peanuts.
We finally turned east onto highway 31 and it was, in my opinion, some of the best riding of the trip. I thought of Thomas Jefferson...how he loved Virginia and wanted America to be primarily an agrarian society. I think he was on to something...and we did pass some wonderful looking gardens.
















We arrived at the Scotland/Jamestown ferry and waited for our free 20 minute passage across the James river. I thought the area was beautiful, and once we got to the other side, there was a short bike path that paralleled highway 614. This area is full of history...Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. I loved Williamsburg when I was there years ago...people were dressed in period costumes. They would ask you where you were from, and if you said "Oregon", they would answer something along the lines of, "Oh, is that part of the Ohio territory"?
We had over 70 miles for the day and then I got off route again at West Point. Luckily, Karen caught up with us and helped us get back on track. I tend to pick up speed a bit at the end of the day...Laura said, "I can tell you are almost done...you're like a horse headed to the barn". We had two large bridges to negotiate in West Point...across the Pamunkey and Mattaponi rivers. There was a lot of wood debris on the shoulder from the log trucks that use this route to deliver logs to the mill in West Point.
I ended the day with an average of 15.24, 100.3 miles, and 1284' of elevation gain.
Oh...and that 70% chance of rain? It never really materialized. We did get drizzled on several times...and then that hot Virginia sunshine would come out and dry us off. However...once we loaded up the bikes and headed north towards Maryland, we DID get rain...and plenty of it. Snicker, snicker...




Karen had googled a bike shop in Waldorf called the Bike Doctor. We called them to ask about my wheel, but it seems the spoke is very specific and it was likely they would have to order it. But they said to bring it in and they would try. First Dale tried. And then he gave the job over to Chris, who machined a nipple to fit. He warned me that the wheel is not 100% and that I should not expect to be able to ride hundreds of miles on it...it is compromised because of the makeshift repair. His suggestion was to call ahead to a bike shop that would order the correct spoke and nipple from Shimano...which I will do. But I was happy for his effort and that for the time being, I have a rideable bike. Thanks so much to both Dale and Chris.






We drove to Tuckahoe State Park which is east of Annapolis. Karen worked her magic by calling the park to see if there was some sort of pavilion under which we could pitch the tents. There wasn't...but there were some cabins...and we could have one...with her senior discount it was the same price as the campsite. Well...it probably wasn't REALLY the same price, but Paul said he'd call it even. We didn't get to see enough of Tuckahoe Park because we arrived after dark, but we may be back.
maybe you can't...because you won't...