Google Maps, Restricted Roads, and the Marine Corps

This morning validated my primary reason for wanting to get back on the road and head south instead of staying longer in Philadelphia, or even Washington – although it would’ve been fun to have been at the 18 inning ballgame last night. However, it wasn’t fun when I walked outside this morning at around 7:30. It was cold. Maybe not mind-numbingly cold. Or even “see your breath” cold. But certainly not a temperature for which I was particularly prepared. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so surprised because I actually felt the cold air moving in last night. As the sunset approached the temperature really plummeted. That trend clearly continued through the night and by morning, well … as I said, it was cold.

Based on yesterday’s late start and subsequent sluggish ride, I wanted to get going earlier this morning so waiting for things to warm up really wasn’t an option. Fortunately, I managed to avoid frostbite as I made my way to the lobby for the continental breakfast. There were no Frosted Flakes to be had but I still managed to fill up on carbs for the ride. And grabbed a couple of apples for the road.

My goal of leaving early was only moderately successful but I managed to be on my way by 9:30. My short term goal, in terms of destination, is to work my way back to the Atlantic coast. Yesterday got me a little closer to that goal but there’s still a lot of pedalling to do. Today’s goal was more vague than yesterday. Williamsburg, VA is on my way to the coast but much too far for one day (ie. 220 km). However, I figured I should be able to do that in two days. So, that became the plan for the day – pedal about 110 km towards Williamsburg and hope to find somewhere to spend the night.

So, I packed up my gear, put on a sweater and jacket and hit the road. There was a Subway across the street so I stopped there first to grab a sub for lunch. From there I was on the road for another day of zig-zagging my way through the backroads of Virginia. Well … that’s how I thought the day was going to go.

I have to say that sometimes I don’t understand Google Maps. The route I really wanted to take was to get on Route 1 and take the direct road towards Stafford (and beyond). Google didn’t agree. Not only that, but Google decided that a route with “Restricted Access” roads would be helpful. Let me just say that the Marine Corps guards disagreed with Google’s suggested route. At least the Marine Corps guards manning the inspection area were very friendly. They weren’t entirely sure if I was allowed on Route 1 but they quite sure that I wasn’t allowed on the Marine Corps Base roads. So, by process of elimination, I found myself heading back to Route 1.

The decision to return to Route 1 ended up being a good one (not that I really had much choice in the matter). The road was relatively flat (compared to Newfoundland anyway) and the shoulder was decent. As enjoyable as a nice scenic ride can be, a nice smooth highway can be good too. Everything in moderation.

Everything went very smoothly after returning to highway riding. I stayed on Route 1 until I reached Fredericksburg, and from there moved over to Route 2 for the bulk of the remaining ride. Route 2 could be deemed by some as “not bike-friendly” because of the general lack of significant shoulders on which to ride. However, I enjoyed it quite a bit. When there was a shoulder it was only about 8 inches wide but in good shape. When there wasn’t a shoulder, well …I checked my mirror regularly. Once again, I have to say the drivers were very courteous when it came to leaving me space while passing.

The downside to Route 2 is that there aren’t a lot of services along the way. Or even places to stop so that one could eat the sub they bought several hours earlier (hypothetically speaking). I ended up cycling about 75 km before stopping for lunch around 2:00. I also took that time to search for accommodation options. As I said, there really isn’t much along Route 2 so I was going to have to make a 9 km detour to Ashland. Not ideal, but hardly the end of the world.

I didn’t end up booking a motel until I reached Ashland because I was kind of hoping that I might find something along the way that Google didn’t know about. Sadly, that didn’t happen. And for the record, sites like Priceline.com, Trivago.com, Hotwire.com, and Hotels.com may offer convenience but they don’t always have the best deals. That goes for Expedia too.

I’m always wanting to get the best deal on accommodation – especially considering the tight budget of this trip. So, I frequently end up checking more than a couple of booking sites. It turns out, the best deal of the day was to book through the motel’s own website. Go figure. Unfortunately, when I tried to book online I kept getting an error. So, I did the next best thing. I was standing outside of the motel in question, so I just went inside. That was easy.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 119.13 km
Time on bike: 5:36:02
Maximum speed: 55.41 km/h
Average speed: 21.24 km/h

Side note: It seems CAA has a “Game of Life” (as in, the board game) promotion on right now. In a moment of weakness, I clicked the e-mail link to play the game. On my first spin I got a flat bike tire. Of course, they were just promoting their Bicycle Assist program but I found it kind of amusing. On the upside, I won a free movie ticket on my next spin.