"Historic" storm surges??? I almost got blown to Oz today...I thought it was almost done???

11/12/09

I’m in my hotel room in Yorktown and my computer is the only light in the room now as the power has blown out.  I’m about100 feet from the ocean as it has come up the beach.  My entire wall is a window.  This is pretty sweet room for 50 bucks.  They docked the price pretty good for me.  I probably just looked so pathetic when I came in absolutely drenched asking about their rates.  I figured it may be well over a hundred dollars so fifty was a pleasant surprise.  I set out from Williamsburg today and I had everything well prepped and ready to ride in some crazy weather.   I didn’t think it would get as crazy as it did though.  The rain cam at you so fast it would sting my face as it came crossways as I road.  The wind blowing so strong that I would lean sideways up against it as I road at times and at times when it really gusted I thought “what the hell am I doing out here”  there were a few times when I got a bit scared thinking that this wind would blow me right off my bicycle off the road.  I tried to take a few pictures today but I was really trying to get to Yorktown as fast as I could because then I knew I could start going inland a bit as I had been just cycling along the bay ocean front.  Most XC cyclists stop here but I want to go to the very ocean coast, on Virginia beach, which is now having “Historic” 8 foot surges off the ocean according to the lady on the news.  I was looking at the storm cell and it just seems to be sitting over south east Virginia right now….right where I am.  As I was  getting closer to Yorktown I saw the trees leaning towards the road bent over a bit from all the wind they have endured over the years, but then I thought of that analogy that those trees that have endured winds and storms have deep roots and don’t get blown over easily and thought it was a good metaphor for me on this journey.  Some folks I talk to say they would have packed up and went home with the first big obstacle, the bike getting stolen.   If only that had been the biggest thing that went wrong.  I was talking to someone yesterday in the hotel who was coming back from Yorktown and finishing his ride.  I told him a bit about my story and they said that they had heard about me on the road from someone, so I thought that was kind of funny.

So now I’m here wishing that the electricity would come back on, but I suppose I wouldn’t have written this down had I kept my power.  I was happily eating my Pizza that I had delivered and watching Becker paying no attention to the craziness outside my window.  People are still driving on the road witch is covered with water.  It’s been raining up to a half inch every hour  and is pretty flooded.  Salt water can’t possibly be good for your car.