June 27, 2016
Day 27 Fredericksburg to Woodbridge
Today was a travel day - no tourist sites to visit. We did have a few big hills to climb and ended with our highest total elevation gain - 2103 feet. We're not in Florida anymore!
One of the divided highways we rode leaving Fredericksburg had very good bike lanes and one feature none of us had ever seen. There was a left turn lane for bikes. Safe left turns are an issue on busy roads even with good bike lanes. This seemed like a very good idea.
Northern Virginia back roads are not nearly as quiet as the back roads we've been on farther south. We shared narrow two land roads with lots of cars and trucks today, but, as always, almost every driver was "bike friendly". We had a woman at one red light lower her window to ask where we were going, then someone in the next car also spoke to us, so we had a little conversation in the middle of a busy street.
We encountered an annoyance common to all travelers (or least those not driving a motorhome) today. We stopped at two curb markets who wouldn't let us use their bathrooms. One claimed not to have one, but at least had a porta potty. The other just refused, saying it was "not allowed". In a car, it's a nuisance to drive to the next place. On a bike, it's a real issue - especially for women who don't love going in the woods like, you, LDR :)
Our arrival at the hotel today was especially sweet as we entered the portico for registration going the WRONG WAY on a one way drive. Alain did follow us in rather than driving all the way around the parking lot to enter the "right way". Cycle tourists have to be flexible.
Today's ride: 54 miles (87 km)
Total: 1,490 miles (2,398 km)
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