Day 1: Yorktown, VA to Mechanicsville, VA

June 2, 2006

98.14 miles, 7:21:45 Ride Time, 13.61 Average Speed, 32.3 Maximum Speed

I got up at 5:00, packed everything, did the obligatory wheel dip in the York River, then rode up to the Victory Monument, to take pictures there. I actually rode off on the bike at about 6:30.

The ride to Williamsburg on the Colonial Parkway was a little busier than when we did it yesterday - mostly people commuting to work, I assume. When I got to Williamsburg I was able to make the detour downtown and get back on the Colonial Parkway without too much trouble.

The ride on the Parkway from Williamsburg to Jamestown was much more peaceful - there was much less traffic. I talked to a local cyclist for a few minutes. About 15 minutes later I met Hans Rehrmann, who has several journals on this site. Apparently he was finishing up the current segment of his latest tour today, and was doing some sightseeing. He's a nice guy.

After the Colonial Parkway ended at Jamestown I was briefly on a county road (which felt as smooth as glass after 20+ miles on the concrete Colonial Parkway), and then got on State Route 5 for a long ride. I stopped at a campground just before the Chickahominy River bridge to get a gatorade and m&m's, and didn't realize until I crossed the bridge that I left my sunglasses there, so I had to go back and get them...

Most of this section was flat, but there was a hot headwind (it was in the 90's most of the day) that slowed me down. There were no services at all except for Haupt's Country Store, where I had a sandwich. The sandwich was ok; the public restroom: not so much.

By the time I had gotten off SR 5 and was approaching Glendale, I had run out of water in my three bottles. When I finally got to the store in Glendale, I bought a large Propel, which I drank immediately, and two large gatorades, which I put in my water bottles. I may need to start wearing the Camel Bak again, or find some other way to carry more water when it's this hot.

The ride into Mechanicsville was not so bad until I approached the area near I-295 - then I had to deal with quite a bit of traffic. I rode right past a Hamptons Inn, which I later very much regretted not staying in. Instead, I had reserved a room at the Days Inn the night before - using expedia.com to find the low rate. Unfortunately, it was off-route; however, it didn't look *too* far off the TransAm route. Of course, it was actually 4 miles off route, and on an extremely busy 4 lane divided highway, (one step below an Interstate, basically). Also, it was beginning to thunder. Also, I had to make a left-hand turn in the rush hour traffic to get to the hotel - once I could find *where* to turn. The hotel was ok once I actually got there, but the extra miles and time definitely made the day more stressful. I had a pizza and a 2 liter diet Pepsi delivered to my room, uploaded some photos to this journal, and watched "Dazed and Confused" (the edited-for-television version) for about the 50th time.

The first day was probably more miles than I should have done (especially in 90+ degree heat), but at least I have a head start on getting to Mineral tomorrow.

Here's what I was thinking when this picture was taken: *What have I gotten myself into?*

On the Colonial Parkway, a few miles into the ride

View from the Colonial Parkway, outside of Williamsburg

It's too bad these signs end after Virginia, apparently - they are helpful. This one helped me find my way onto SR 5 after leaving Jamestown.

I saw a couple of snakes after crossing the Chickahominy River bridge. (Hope you enjoy this picture, Jackie)

Haupt's Country Store, in the Charles City area

I decided not to try to beat this train across the tracks...

Today's ride: 98 miles (158 km)
Total: 98 miles (158 km)

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