And He's Off

As of October 9, 2013, Dad had completed 249 miles of riding and it was hard work. 

The train ride was uneventful.  He went to The Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner with my mom before he set off, and then after he boarded the train, he found out that he was scheduled for an 8:30 steak dinner.  Not one to pass up a good meal, my dad had two dinners that night.

He didn't sleep well the first night as he was adjusting to his new surroundings and the constant movement, but by the second night he slept soundly.  Bill was impressed with the sleeping car lounges.  If you have an Amtrak reservation for a sleeping car, you can enjoy the amenities in the lounges at larger train stations like Chicago and D.C. They are similar to first class lounges you would find at airports with snacks, drinks, and places to rest.  He was fortunate enough to use the lounge in D.C., even though he only had a coach ticket from D.C. to Richmond.  That made him happy. 

Union Station Chicago

Ocela Station D.C. - Sleeper Car Lounge

Dad met several people during meals on board the train who were on their first Amtrak trip.  All of them were impressed with the experience and one traveler who was a doctor said it was a reminder that life is about the journey, not the destination. 

The train into Richmond, Dad's final train stop, was about 50 minutes late.  Amtrak held the train for about 1/2 hour for the passengers who were late from another train, and then the train got stuck behind another slow train and couldn't make up the time.  Dad wanted to be at the motel before sundown and was frustrated that he couldn't make it there on time.  It didn't help that he couldn't find his bike tool once he arrived and then he had to take extra time finding helpful people to assist him with getting his bike ready for riding. 

Also, the train station guy gave Dad wrong directions to the motel, which added several miles to his trip, but at least it went by a bike shop, so that dad was able to add air to his tires and buy a bike tool, saving him from doing it the following morning.

By the time all that was done, Bill had to wear his headlamp the rest of the way to the motel because it was dark. This was the second time ever that he had to wear the headlamp since he usually plans his rides for daylight (the first time he used the headlamp was on his 1st cross-country trip in 2000).

So, Bill's first official day of riding was on October 5th, from Richmond to a campground 73 miles away.  The first 10 miles of the trip was just to get to the starting point, and since he wasn't paying attention, he missed a couple turns.  He is paying closer attention to his maps now.  A good part of this ride was a duplicate of his 2010 ride, but in 2010 he was at the end of the ride, when he was strong, fit, and happy to be at the end of his journey.  This time, he hasn't had enough time in the saddle to get fit and is just starting out, so it is a different experience.

Lunch Spot - Had dinner here in 2010.

Bill rode by these cannons in 2010.

Bill rode by this sign in 2010.

On his way to the James River ferry on October 6th, Bill met a group of cyclists waiting for the ferry as part of their Sunday morning ride.  One couple he met was from Florida.  They had started their cycling trip in Maine and were riding to Key West, like Dad, but they were taking different short cuts and staying in motels, so Dad doesn't think he will see them again.  During the 57 mile ride that day, there were strong headwinds almost the whole time after crossing the river and his average speed for the day was 9.6 miles/hour.  His thighs were sore that night.

Dad with couple riding from Maine to Key West.

Dad on ferry.

Cotton Field

Swamp

Monday, October 7th, was more of the same.  Dad had 20 miles of strong headwinds, followed by 30 miles of crosswinds, 10 miles of tailwind (finally), and the last 10 miles were variable winds.  It was a long and grueling day.  Later in the day, some people he met said that it was going to rain any minute.  Dad got to his tent pitched and was out of the shower right before the heavy rains came.  That left him with no opportunity to cook his dinner, so he ate cold bean and franks, crackers, and drank a warm bottle of V8.  The storm blew wild winds and rained all night.

Atlanta Intercoastal Waterway - Dad will cross this many times on this trip.

Entering North Carolina

Fortunately, the rains stopped the next morning.  After finishing a can of ravioli for breakfast, which was supposed to be dinner the  previous night, Dad finally enjoyed some tailwind, but went slowly because he was tired.  He planned to stay in a hostel in Kitty Hawk, but since that was only 39 miles into his ride that day, he kept going to Kill Devil Hill, just several more miles farther away.  The big event of the day was crossing the bridge to the outer banks since he had to stay focused.  There was only a two-foot shoulder, heavy traffic, and headwinds gusting from the left at about 25 - 35 miles/hour.  Every time a large truck passed, he would get pushed to the side and splashed and then pulled back into the road after the truck passed.  Dad was jittery during this 3-mile stretch.  There was a kind man in a pick-up who pulled up next to him and offered him a ride.  Dad declined because his touring bike is heavy and it would weigh down the pick-up; plus, it was a two-lane road, which means he would have had to stop traffic to load the bike.   Thankfully, many drivers pulled over or slowed down while passing Dad, which he really appreciated.

25 - 35 mph Winds and Rain

Carolina Outer Banks - Storm planned all week. Flood advisory in effect.

 

We talked on Wednesday, October 9th, which was one day earlier than his planned rest day because there were sheets of rain and poor visibility.  He was surprised to find that he didn't have to clean his bike too much since he left it out in the rain and it got a good rinse.  He changed his slowly leaking tire, read the paper, repacked his panniers to make them more evenly weighted, and enjoyed an invigorating walk to lunch.  Hopefully, the storm passes quickly and he can enjoy some nice weather and tailwinds in the days to come.

High Surf Advisory

Storm Surf