Trans Am Part 4

Onward to the Atlantic!  We had about 100km to cover today, and we wanted everyone to be at the terminus by about 2:30, so an early-ish start with knives down at 8am.  The first 11 miles were a reversal of yesterday's last 11 miles.  Oh, the things we do to put a roof over our heads. Some women didn't feel the need to ride that, and "took a bump" in the van.  Their decision may also have been influenced by the fact that it was drizzling rain as we left the hotel.  I was a little bit more cautious on the metal grated surface of the bridge today and walked that part.  At the end of the 11 miles, we turned right onto the Virginia Capital Trail once again.  It was really a lovely bike trail.  Hardly any bumps caused by tree roots growing underneath.  No pot holes or obstacles.  We rode this for the next 30 miles.  What a nice mental break from shoulder-less roads.   As is the tradition on these rides, Chef Sue manned the SAG v...

Our second last day, and we seemed to skirt the 'burbs of Richmond the whole day.  Not terribly challenging nor particularly scenic.  Starting to think it will be a bit sad for it to be over and many of these women I will likely not see again.   The weather was certainly comfortable for cycling for this Canadian.  Temps from 9C to 12C, but overcast all day.  It drizzled a bit when I was out for a walk after we arrived, but nothing of significance.  Our destination city, or at least the neighbourhood we're staying in, looks a bit "tired".   We crossed various interstates, or major highways a few times in the first half of the ride.  I was almost longing for the hills and hollows of Kentucky......  This route has certainly kept us on the quieter, safer backroads, but we really haven't passed through any sizeable towns.  We were discussing at dinner tonight, and people could only remember seeing one open coffeeshop in almost three...

With the rain in our rearview mirror, we set out on a long ride today.  It was cool and overcast all day, but a pretty easy ride and no big climbs.  Quite a bit of wind, but our route was once again quite winding so sometimes we had a tailwind but more often a headwind.  Not too bad, though.  And some of the fall colours are starting to show.   The route took us on a long series of country roads - pretty but unremarkable.  Lots of rural houses, some farms, some forest (hardwood trees, well spaced, with little underbrush), and some newer subdivisions (some newly developing).  I didn't stop to take any pictures (didn't want to get shot at), but lots of signs supporting Trump.  One big sign boldly declared "Trump Won".  Some yards still had Trump/Pence signs up from 2020 and still others were supporting Trump in 2024.  Lordy, lordy..........   A few interesting animals here and there........ MP upped the ante on SAG stop flor...

Saturday was a day off in Charlottesville.  It was a good day to not be on the bikes.  Cold and rainy - yuk!  Nice hotel and a great breakfast to start the day.  Five of us hailed an Uber and went off to Monticello - the home of Thomas Jefferson.  We did a guided tour of the house, followed by a 20-minute outdoor session with someone playing the part of TJ.  We looked around a bit of the property, but the weather really was miserable and "dampened" our enthusiasm to explore extensively.  The house itself was, I thought, fairly modest but apparently quite avant-garde for the time.  He had spent some years in France and brought back much in the way of French influences.  Also - you can see the similarities in the architecture of his home and the University of Virginia which he founded after his presidency.  The grounds are extensive - he inherited several thousand acres from his father and then added to it over his lifetime.  On a bea...