Back Home

It was a long ride back to California, but not bad. 14 hours to Chicago, and after a layover, 51 hours to Martinez, CA. It stopped raining as the train arrived a little early on Sunday, the 17th, in Martinez. The station didn't have the right tools to properly tighten the pedals back onto the bike, but they found a pair of pliers that held it together. Dad rode about 20 miles home in the afternoon and took a shower to prepare for the neighbors to come over to celebrate his return with champagne.



Chicago River



Grand Hall Union Station



Union Station in Denver



Bike rental in front of Union Station in Denver.



Dad's train climbing the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains.



Another train view.



View from train in Colorado.



Utah



Home again!



Done!

Dad has been getting back into the swing of things this week by catching up on the mail and visiting friends at his Toastmaster meeting on Wednesday evening. He is processing all that he has done in the last several months and is getting acclimated to being home. He has had several observations:
1) He appreciates his home (his comfortable bed, hot showers, and big TV.);

2) He is glad that he missed all the political dribble that has been going on; and

3) He forgot how poor the road condition are around his area and how much trash is on the roads.


I asked Bill about the lessons he learned and he listed them out for me:

1) Don't "should" on yourself. "It is what it is."

2) Stay hydrated (he drank a lot more water than he did before leaving for the trip).

3) If things are easy, be patient. They will change.

4) Have contingency plans (Plans B, C, D, etc.) Expect things to go wrong along the way (like restaurants being closed).

5) Ice cream is a super-fuel on a hot day.

6) If it is easy and comfortable, then it's not an accomplishment.

7) Be willing to accept advice from strangers.

8) It's okay to take a break during a difficult task.

When I asked Dad about his most memorable moment, he said there were many. Memories can be positive or negative. On the negative side, he remembers the dog attacks, the thunderstorms, SUVs driving too close, and strong winds. On the positive side, he remembers the people he met and saw along the way like his brother, Jack, and his sister-in-law, Joy, ice cream on a hot day, and the glorious way of ending the trip by riding into D.C. in the rain.

Dad is retired now, so the way he spends his time will be different than how he spent his time before he left. He has lots of house chores to do like gardening and fixing the computer. If my parents move back to Orange County next year, there are all sorts of things to do to make the move efficient. He has books and magazines to read and wants to get more involved in the community; he is just not sure how yet. Lastly, he wants to get in touch with some of the cyclist he met along the way.

If you want to catch up with my dad, I am sure he would be happy to hear from you. My mom is with me in Southern California until Tuesday, so I bet he has the time to chat.

You might hear from me again once my dad has more time to process everything, but that is all for now. Thanks for following my dad along his bike adventure with me. Live BIG!

To Yorktown, the Final Leg on the Trail

After an informative, private tour (private because it was the first tour on a Monday morning and Dad was the only one there) at Ash Lawn-Highland, where he only had to pay a $4 entrance fee instead of $9 because he arrived by non-motorized means, my dad rode 58 miles to Louisa, Virginia. It was cool and cloudy all day.

James Monroe's home, Ash Lawn-Highland.



Ash Lawn-Highland

Statue of James Monroe.

On Tuesday, October 5th, it was 38 degrees when my dad left the motel. He used his rain jacket because his windbreaker wasn't enough to keep him warm. Dad went off-route 2 miles to Chuck and Jean's home in Bumpass, and had lunch with Jean. He also got to meet their grandson, Zachary, who was younger than two years old. It was a pleasant lunch. In the afternoon, my dad luckily avoided getting hit by a school bus when he stopped before an intersection to verify directions on his map. The driver of the bus assumed my dad was going to turn right and didn't stop at the intersection as he turned right. At that point, another cross-country cyclist named Paul from Canada, met up with my dad and they rode together until Paul turned off for a shortcut. As he continued to ride, my dad got to thinking and realized that most of Bicycle Route 76 goes by college towns. He figured that when this route was made in the 70s, most of the cyclists were probably college students. Dad ended his day after 57 miles in Ashland, Virginia.



The Chuck and Jean Gritizus Estate


On Wednesday, he rode 63 miles to Haupt's Country Store, just east of Charles City. Dad had a detour at a road closure that added 7 miles to his trip. He also got stopped by a cop for running a red light. Dad swore he had a green light, but the cop told him that it would be impossible because there was no traffic and bikes can't trip the signal. Luckily, he didn't get a ticket and he can't exactly figure out why. Dad thinks the cop thought he was a local and when he found out that he was just passing through on a cross-country trip, he decided to let him go. Later, the motel that he was going to stay at was out of business and the B&B at the next stop was closed. He went in to Haupt's Country Store to ask if there was a motel close by and that conversation led them to letting Dad camp behind their store. Dad visited Cold Harbor, the site of two battles. In one of the battles, 16,000 people were killed or wounded in just 6 hours. When Dad returned to his camp after dinner, there was another cyclist planning to camp there too. She was a young lady that Dad met briefly in Missoula, with her boyfriend. The boyfriend was heading to Boulder, Colorado, and she was heading east. As they were talking, a cat kept trying to get into Dad's tent. It would climb on top of Dad's tent and kept hanging around. In the middle of the night, when the dew set in, Bill could smell cat urine, and he realized that he was probably sleeping on top of its litter box.



When the Virginia Department of Transportation says road closed, they are serious.  Notice the pile of rocks blocking the road.



Getting close to the end of the trip.



Glass-blowing in Jamestown.



Old church at Jamestown.



Swamp near Jamestown.

On Thursday, October 7, Dad completed the last 55 miles of the trail to Yorktown, Virginia. That morning, he was going to eat at the restaurant in town, but it never opened, so he ate what was left in his bag, which included a stale bagel, peanut butter and jelly, and some cookies. Once he got into Yorktown, he went to a bicyclist-only hostel run by Grace Episcopal Church, which had magnificent views. It was a house set in grass behind a church used for Sunday school and meetings that overlooked the river. There were 5 cyclists and 4 beds. My Dad was one of the last to arrive. He came in at the same time as another cyclist, so they flipped a coin to see who would get the last bed, and my dad spent the night on a couch in the basement. It was sort of an unceremonious ending to his cross-country trip, but Dad went out to have a beer on his own. He did enjoy finding out that the others who were on the rollercoaster hills last week, used the same Highway 11 shortcut that he did and that he wasn't the only one who thought they were unnecessary.



Yorktown at last.



The cyclist-only hostel in Yorktown.



A view from the hostel of a schooner being put to sea.

  Kurt, one of the other cyclists staying at the hostel, and my Dad palled around the next afternoon. They took pictures of Yorktown, as well as ceremonial pictures of the bike tire in James River, showing that Dad had made it from one end of the country to the other. They went to dinner and relaxed with a low-key day. Dad rode a total of 1 mile.



Ceremonial dipping of the front bike wheel in east coast water.



Bill in front of a Yorktown restaurant.



Riverwalk in Yorktown.



Yorktown Battlefield

Now, it was time to head to D.C. to catch the train home. He didn't want to leave since the hostel was so nice overlooking the river; this was his destination for 3 months (and even longer with all the planning he did for this trip) and now that he was leaving, he had to acknowledge that his adventure was over. It was a little melancholy. A church member gave Bill a ride over the James River since bikes aren't allowed on the bridge, and then he continued for 57 miles to Tappahannock, Virginia, where Dad splurged and stayed at a Holiday Inn Express and watched the UNC, his alma mater, versus Clemson football game live. UNC won!

On Sunday, the 10th, Dad rode 54 miles to Fredericksburg, where he rested. He also got to meet up with some people and hang out a bit.

He rode 11 miles into Historic Fredericksburg and walked around town on Monday. He took a trolley tour of the town and mentioned it was sobering to know that in the four battles near Fredericksburg, there were 100,000 casualties.


Historic Downtown Fredericksburg

On the 12th, Dad rode 64 miles to Arlington, Virginia. He took the scenic route via Mount Vernon, which is longer than going up U.S. 1. Two nice things happened this day. He stopped at the National Museum of the Marine Corp, where his friend, Andy, is a docent. Andy saw my dad on the road on the way to the marine base and met up with Dad and gave him a tour. They also got to have lunch together. Earlier in the day, a guy moving with a U-Haul van stopped my dad and asked him why he stopped so far back from the intersection. He was a cyclist too. Dad told him he was following someone in Saint Louis who did that, and Dad thought it was a good idea. The guy invited my Dad to his house, which was just 3/4 mile off-route, for some water and conversation. The guy's friend, Lance, was there at the house and offered my dad a place to stay in Arlington. This was so helpful since Dad didn't know where he was going to stay and didn't want to spend a lot of money on lodging. He stayed with Lance for two nights.


Entrance to the National Museum of the Marine Corps.



Dad's friend, Andy, commanded these weapons in Vietnam.



Another view of the museum.



Blurry picture of Dad and Andy.



The Potomac River

On Wednesday, Lance drove my dad into Washington D.C., on his way to work. Bill wondered up and down the city all day, including the National Mall. Even though, my dad has been to D.C. many times, this was the first time he was able to just wander around and take it all in. He had a good time. He took mass transit back to Lance's home and took Lance out to dinner.


A memorial to the women who served in Vietnam.



A scene from Washington D.C.



Korean War Memorial



The Korean War Memorial



The Vietnam War Memorial Wall.



The Vietnam War Memorial



World War II Memorial



World War II Memorial

It was raining on Thursday, the 14th, and Lance showed Dad a way to get to D.C. via Fort Meyers to avoid the traffic. Riding into the city in the rain was the perfect way to end the tour because it was a beautiful ride with nice city views. Plus, he was riding into the capital of our country and that was majestic somehow. Since it was raining, he didn't go sightseeing again. He spent two hours boxing his bike and boarded his train, which left on time. He got to use the first class lounge since he had a roomette ticket from Chicago to Martinez, California. It was very busy in Chicago, which reminded him how popular the roomettes are. Dad is on his way home and will be there by the end of the day on the 17th.

Christiansburg, VA to Charlottesville, VA

After resting on Sunday, September 26th, Dad started the new week by riding 20 miles to Blacksburg, Virginia, home of Virginia Tech. It rained all morning. He rode off-route part of the way on the Huckleberry Trail to Blacksburg just to check out that town. It wasn't a long ride, but it was nice. He also spent some time at the library and discovered that it is difficult to get a roomette on Amtrak.


 The Huckleberry Trail between Christiansburg and Blacksburg, VA.  Another rail to trail conversion.  It's less than 6 miles long, but very pretty.


Tuesday was the first day that Dad wore his tights and windbreaker all day. It is gettng chilly in Virginia. The roads were wet most of the day and my dad wasn't feeling well. His stomach was upset and his ribs were still hurting from his fall. The place where he was going to stop for lunch had gone out of business the day before, so he had to ride 16 more miles to eat. He completed 52 miles to Troutville, Virginia.

Dad has been experiencing some burnout over the last couple of weeks. He has been fighting himself to get over hills. Like on his way to Lexington, Virginia, on Wednesday, the 29th. 3 miles into the ride, going up and down steep hills, he decided to skip the hills and stick to U.S. Highway 11, where the hills were not as steep or frequent. The map kept taking him on and off the highway anyway. When he was off the highway, he had to deal with hills that reminded him of a rollercoaster ride. By staying on the highway, he was able to avoid them. When he got to Buchanan, he went to the library to purchase his train ticket home. Bill will leave D.C. to Chicago on the 14th. There were no roomettes available, but it’s a 17 hour trip, so my dad will be fine. On the 15th, he will leave Chicago for Martinez in the last available roomette. He will arrive in Martinez on the 17th, where he will get back on his bike and ride about 20 miles home. When Dad left the library, it was raining and he rode more than 30 miles in heavy rain. He stopped at the Natural Bridge and toured it in the rain, then rode a couple miles and had a late lunch. Bill's attitude was pleasant in the rain, which surprised him after being grumpy about the hills. He stayed in a motel where he was able to dry out. The bike was filthy and it took an hour to clean.



Natural Bridge




Natural Bridge




Waterfall




Beautiful view.




Dad in rain gear.

 Dad spent the entire next day avoiding the rain by staying in the motel. He watched old movies and only walked out for lunch and dinner.

Friday, Dad rode 55 miles to Waynesboro, Virginia. The roads were wet most of the day and he climbed about 3,000 feet. 1,600 feet were in just 4 miles on the way to the road called Blue Ridge Parkway. He didn't mind the climbs so much this day. The ride was pleasant and the views beautiful. Plus, he used his routine to get through the hills which involved pedaling a certain amount standing and sitting. He missed lunch because the first place where he was going to stop was closed, and the second place was supposed to be 1/10 a mile off-route down a hill, but after going 1/4 of a mile and not finding it, he decided to return to the route instead of finding himself at the bottom of a hill that he had to go back up and no restaurant. He ended up having a pb&j bagel at a picnic table on the side of the road, where he met an Appalachian Trail hiker. Dad almost ran out of water after lunch because he couldn't find any place to refill his water bottles. Luckily, he finally found a visitor center and refilled his bottles there.

The day's climb on The Blue Ridge Parkway ahead.

Man defies gravity by making it to the top of the mountain.

 Bill left late on Saturday, October 2nd, because when he woke up it was 43 degrees. On his way to Charlottesville, Virginia, he met June Curry, The Cookie Lady. She is an 89-year old lady who keeps two homes next to each other on the Transamerica route in Afton. One home has been dedicated to cyclists called the Bike Museum. Since 1976, when June first saw cyclist struggling to climb what many consider the hardest climb on the Transamerica Trail, she provided first water, then cookies and lodging to cyclists. Dad would have stayed there the night before, but heard she wasn't accepting visitors anymore because of her health. That was not correct. Her health hasn't been perfect. She suffered a heart attack a while back and when the doctors said she could go home, she didn't have the money to take care of all the medical expenses. The cycling community got word and posted that information online. Afterwards, she received enough money to pay for all her medical bills from cyclists around the world who received her hospitality. There is even an award given annually to someone who helps the cycling community by Adventure Cycling Association called the June Curry Trail Angel. June received the first award. Dad also went wine-tasting on Saturday, and then stopped at a fruit stand for an apple and homemade cookies.



June Curry, The Cookie Lady



The Bike Museum



The Bike Museum




Postcards from around the world in the Bike Museum.




The Bike Museum




The Bike Museum




The Bike Museum



A little wine-tasting on a brisk Fall Saturday morning.



The 3rd was a rest day and Dad's friends, Chuck and Jean, drove an hour from Bumpass, Virginia to visit. They had a good time at Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, and had lunch at Michie Tavern.



Chuck & Jean




Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home.

Bill has about one more week of riding, and then he will be in Yorktown, where he finishes the Transamerica Trail. I still can't believe he is almost done!!