James "River" Bridge- Yorktown to Churchtown

11/13/09 Friday the 13^th.  Yorktown to Chesapeake super 8

How strange it is to look at the final stretch of 26 miles.  I’ve came thousands of miles over great stretches of desert and over many mountain passes and tomorrow is it.

Today started out kinda fun and different.  I got to know cole a bit more.  He is a pretty cool guy who is the head sheff at the Duke hotel in Yorktown.  The power was out all morning and it was pretty blustery outside.  They call this a Nor-Easter and it did a heck of of a lot of damage, just as much as a hurricane might have.  Cole and I went to 7-11 and got some breakfast.  Everyone comes together a lot more when the electricity is down.  Life really revolves around electricity.  I only had 10% left on my computer so I looked up directions on google and quickly wrote them down as I modified them off of hwy 17 as much as I could. 

The wind wasn’t as bad today as it was yesterday but I enjoyed reading the newspapers about all the damage that was done yesterday.   I biked through it and it almost blew me over a few times.  I also learned today that when I set out on 17 from Yorktown yesterday, that I went the wrong way, so It was a good thing that I decided to go back to town and stay there.

The highlight of today was going over the james river bridge.  I don’t know why they call it a river because it is clearly a bay.  It was about 5 miles long.  Leading up to it I wondered how it was going to be, if there was going to be a path on the side for bikes.  Going up to it there was a sidewalk but then the sidewalk disappeared, I continued, annoyed but then I saw that the bridge was still closed.  I don’t know why the bridge was still closed as the water doesn’t come up.  I thought about turning around, but then I had no Idea how I would get across as there ar no ferries and I just didn’t want to deal with the mess that would come with trying to figure out a different way across, plus, the road is closed which means no traffic!  Sweet!  Not to mention I had a Nor-Easter to my back.  I decided to go over it.  I saw a car  go a ways a head of me with white flashing lights.  I figured I would get busted as I’m sure plenty of people saw me, but I cycled 25mph over it and figured if I just did it really fast that that single patrol car might not circle back in time.  Luckily I was right.  About 2 miles after the bridge I saw a patrol car going the other direction.  I’m betting he got a call about a cyclist on the bridge, but he didn’t catch me on it so I was home free.

The Rain Hit me pretty good for a while in the late afternoon and I did get caught in the dark but at least I had some pretty bright LEDs working for me, and an Orange reflective bike.  Eventually I did end up at a Super 8, so it’s nice to be dry.  Oh how I long for those days that I wasn’t constantly biking in rain and I would just find a shelter verses a hotel room.  I’m glad that people supported me on my ride more than I needed cause I’ve been using it lately.

"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.

Hurricane remnants delay finish

Ok, So here's the thing.  I looked out my window this morning from my Day's Inn room where I was happily warm and dry and it was raining pretty good.  It had been raining all night.  My power went out and it wasn't light outside yet so I grabbed my headlamp and got around and went to my continental breakfast.  It wasn't a very good one but I had three bagels and a banana.  I went back to my room and the power was back so I could charge up my computer and cameras.  I looked out my window and thought to myself, "I don't have any more gigs, my D.C. one isn't going to work out, so I'm just going to stay in my williamsburg room today."  It was very nice.  I was able to contemplate my route. print off some paper directions, and take several naps.  I ordered a pizza and it continued to rain and blow all day long.  I depressingly looked up the weather for the next couple of days and it only looks like it might get worse tomorrow, but I'm going to lay out my outfit tonight along with the heavy rain gear, shoe booties and plastic baggies to line the inside of them and I will just set out in the weather because I'm rested and I don't have that much money so even though this room isn't that expensive I'm not just going to sit around tomorrow.  I wish it would have been nice out today so I could have explored williamsburg a bit which is one of our nations first cities.  I won't make the 75 miles tomorrow through urban area in the the wind gusts and rain tomorrow, but I'll make it to another hotel or hostel so I can dry out what will inevitably be my soaking wet rain gear despite my best efforts to stay dry.

The good news is that though it will rain tomorrow and the next day, I'll camp on the coast and the next morning this storm will have passed and I will be able to see the sun rise on the Eastern Seaboard which is the thing I want to do on the coast, besides splash around in celebration of my long journey.

I remember the beautiful sunsets on the west coast over the Pacific Ocean, so I'll be looking forward to the equally beautiful sunrises of the East.  

Peace be the journey,

Joe

Tomorrow I finish it

So today was a good day.  The weather was supposed to get me wet but it held out until I got to Williamsburg, VA.  Tomorrow it is supposed to rain too, so I just might check this big adventure of lifes to do list in the rain.  Either way, I'm going to cycle up to the ocean, dip my wheel and jump in the water and splash around in celebration.  I'll get some random bystander to take a picture or two.  It would be better if I had someone to celebrate the accomplishment but it will feel good just to know that I didn't just talk about my dreams, that even though there were crazy things that went wrong in the process.  My trailer broke down, My bike was stolen, thieves stole my video equipment, I had to ditch my trailer when it proved to be insufficient, and of coarse worst of all was diagnosed with Cancer.  But every time something bad happened God would bless me with some blessing.  I got a new trailer and two days later a stranger would give me money that covered the cost, I was given a new bike and I came back after surviving brain cancer.  So there has been many stories that have come about since I started this journey which will make for a good book that I will start putting together outlines and plans as soon as I get home.  The greatest Irony is that I started this ride, riding for cancer and was diagnosed after having to quit the ride in the geographical center of the country when I fell ill.

So Tomorrow is Virginia Beach.  The ride started in Orange counties Laguna Beach going up to San Francisco, Then going across to Great Bend (went home to deal with illness) came back right after Chemo going from Great Bend to Virginia Beach and then I'll ride up to D.C. before I go home.

It's been my greatest adventure and the project of turning it into a book will be the good next challenge.  I hope to have made good progress before I go to Norway, which is my next thing that I've always wanted to do that I've never had time to do.  I'd like to ski the Birkie over there but I have a feeling that tickets will be hard to come by.

Anyways, have a good night.  Tomorrow, I finish it.  Coast to Coast.

Joe

Civil war areas around Mechanicsville, VA

So I left the Haars this morning  and went down a pretty steep hill.  They thought I'd crash if I attempted this hill so of coarse I had to give it a try.  I didn't crash but there was a brief moment where I thought I'd have too much speed and hit there fence across the driveway, but I handled it (without hitting the fence).

Food was good today.  I was spoiled with waffles and scrambled eggs with cheese and peppers this morning.  I found a little family run hoagie joint that had some great sandwiches.  But tonight I'm just going to have some Chocolate milk and candy bars.

There were a lot of battle fields that I cycled by today from the civil war which I learned people down south don't refer to it as the 'civil' war.  They might call it the 'war of northern oppression.'  I'm sure african americans would have said they were even more oppressed by the south.

I was going to camp behind a baptist church but then I saw there was a cyclist camping spot at a church up the road.  Since it's always better to camp legally, I pressed on for the 60 mile day.  In my conversation with God earlier today I said it would be nice to find somewhere warm, inside with electricity and internet...which is usually a stretch.  But once I get to the camping spot there was even better than a shelter.  There was a building with electricity, tv, fridge, and internet!  So that worked out pretty well.  Since I didn't call ahead I lucked out because there was a meeting tonight so someone let me in, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten to be inside.

Ok, That's all I feel like blogging about tonight.  

Joe

Short but good day

So I woke up this morning behind the Episcopal church where I camped out last night and got going.  It's sunday and I have no gig planned anywhere so I just look for a church to attend randomly when that is the case.  I found one church but they were not starting for an hour and a half so I pressed on.  Then I found a church where people where walking in which is always a good sign.  I met a guy whose name is George with is mom Heriot.  She was in her 90's.  They invited me in to sit with them.  This Church was established in the early colonial days and even more importantly to me right now is that it was starting in five minutes which is what I was looking for.  So I went in with george and heriot.  After Church there was a guy who invited me to his house.  His name is Jack Haar.  We had Lunch and it turns out that he cycled this route last year and him and I were on the same route for a while so that was a cool coincidence.  The next coincidence was that him and his wife are not really episcopalian but ELCA Lutherans, which was kind of funny.  And even more was that He had a Medical student (he's a professor) doing his doctorate work on Brain Cancer medicine.  I forget exactly how he explained it because...yeah, I don't do medicine, I take it.

We had a lot of different stuff to talk about and we did as he took me around in his Model A Ford which was a nice convertible and it was ride on a pleasantly warm day, a ride that didn't ware down my quads any more : ) .  I was going to go and stay in the town 9 miles up the road, but he talked about having cyclists stay at his home and I asked if I might be able just to stake out here for the night and get some blogging and picture down loading done, so here I am blogging and down loading pictures.  I hope you like them.

This house was built in 1790 which makes my 1890 house I grew up in look pretty new.

I should have maybe road a bit more today but this is nice.  I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow : /

Peace,

Joe

Pictures for week 7 in review

Share this album with anyone by sending them this public link:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2170447&id=73405078&l=3c54eda2da