May 22, 2024
Church to Church - Beaverdam to Palmyra
I slept on the floor at the Beaverdam United Methodist Church building. Sort of. Tina, my hostess, suggested I use pew cushions as a mattress. They worked wonderfully. I slept over eight hours.
I learned that there was a gas station convenience store a quarter mile beyond the church. (Meaning that yesterday’s wayward, ten-mile food search was a complete waste of effort.)
Before leaving the church I put a fourth water bottle in my right front pannier increasing my bike’s weight but reducing my anxiety for the hot day ahead.
I went to the Beaverdam Kwik Stop and had a bacon and egg sandwich (nasty but necessary) and chocolate milk for first breakfast. I also stocked up on more road munchies.
I lit out and rode right past the inconvenience store from yesterday. I was feeling pretty good for about ten miles. I searched in vain for the town sign for Bumpass (I am not making this up), Virginia. I imagine it gets stolen all the time so I took a selfie at the post office.
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After Bumpass I skipped my first decent convenience store opportunity and missed a turn. After a couple of miles I realized I was off route and turned around. I could feel the heat of the day and the waning of my breakfast energy stores.
So I stopped at the convenience store for a sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich (also nasty but necessary) and a drink. Revived, I headed north toward Lake Anna. The rolling hills of yesterday were more frequent but I wasn’t bothered by them. I passed Green Bottle Hill at 279 feet and didn’t even notice. I could tell I was getting my legs back.
I stopped at a market in Elk Creek and treated myself to more drinks and an ice cream sandwich. Nutrition is my middle name.
It was another ten miles of ups and downs to Mineral. I was tempted to call it a day and set up my tent behind the firehouse, but decided to eat lunch (oink) and think it over. A cheeseburger, fries, Diet Pepsi, a gallon of ice water, and some air conditioning revived me.
I called a church hostel in Palmyra 30 miles farther west and booked a spot on their floor. Off I rode with an unexpected increase in speed. The road dropped down to river and creek crossings after which I had to climb back up. These were the toughest climbs since Fredericksburg , but I had no trouble dealing with them. I could tell that my climbing efficiency was much improved from the first two days.
I pulled into Palmyra and checked in at the church. Cindy showed me the ropes and drove me to a grocery to( get some fried chicken, green beans , and collard greens. It’s the south, baby.
The reason I am planning on leaving the TransAm in western Missouri is that I rode the rest of it with Corey and Mark in 2019and 2022.
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Tomorrow’s destination is unclear. Option A is to take a very short day and get a decent hotel room in Charlottesville. Option B is to ride 40-ish miles to a Warmshowers host in Crozet and camp. Option C is to ride 50 miles to the Cookie Lady’s house as originally planned. An important consideration is the fact that the climb up the Blue Ridge and along The Blue Ridge Parkway is 50-ish miles away. Lexington is the next place with hotels. I’ll see how I feel in the morning.
Today I was chased by another fierce dog. It came out from behind a pile of junk in front of a derelict house. It was snarling and bearing its teeth. The poor dachshund ran out of steam after 50 yards.
Today's ride: 60 miles (97 km)
Total: 211 miles (340 km)
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