The Unexpected Happens Quickly

Ashland, VA to Williamsburg, VA

October 6, 2014

By: Mark

Comments Off on The Unexpected Happens Quickly
Ashland, VA to Williamsburg, VA

Another chilly morning.
But sunny.

There were many similarities between the way today started and the way yesterday started. Same motel chain. Same continental breakfast – well, not the exact same. Yesterday’s had more options. Today’s had Frosted Flakes. I’ll call it a draw. Same brisk morning – okay, again – it wasn’t the exact same, it was colder today. In fact, it was “see your breath” cold this morning. I know, I know. It’s October. That’s what happens. I just hope it doesn’t happen when I get further south.

Despite the similar starts to the past two days, today ended completely differently – and unexpectedly.

Much like yesterday, I was on the road around 9:30. The ride to Williamsburg was going to be about 100 km and I had looked at a few routes to get me there. Once again, Google wanted to send me deep into the side roads rather than follow the highway. Interestingly enough, when I switched the routing option from “Cycling” to “Walking” the path was much more direct – including following the highway. So, I decided I’d cycle the walking route. And for what it’s worth, the route was much more cycle-friendly than walk-friendly.

The direct route pretty much had me on two roads for the majority of the ride. Route 1 to start. Route 60 to finish. And, surprisingly, most of it was downhill which made up for the headwind I faced for much of the day. According to the The Weather Channel, today’s winds ranged from 8-15 mph (12-25 km/h). I thought it would’ve had a bigger impact on my ride but it didn’t. And I was okay with that. I actually found myself making really good time today.

Not open for breakfast.

Side note: Thanks to Julie-Ann for donating not one but TWO large pizzas from Little Caesars. I haven’t purchased them yet but I’m mentioning it now because I passed a Little Caesars as I was leaving Ashland. Sadly, it was only 10:00 and it was closed. Rest assured a photo of the pizzas will be posted when the time comes. Thanks again.

Another sight that I passed along the way was the Richmond International Speedway. I’m not much of a racing fan so I don’t know where it ranks of the list of International Speedways but, since I’ve been to both the Daytona Speedway and the Indianapolis Speedway, I figured I’d move on.

By noon I had gone a rather effortless 50 km. I’ve found that being at the halfway point by noon is always a good feeling. I stopped for a quick lunch and resumed the ride. If all went well I’d be checking into a motel by 4:00 – probably sooner. Or so I thought.

Truth be told, things did go well. Very well. There were a few hills but nothing even remotely intimidating. The lack of shoulders on the highway was never an issue as, once again, the passing traffic generally gave me a wide berth. The wind was noticeable but didn’t have much impact – maybe because of my somewhat thin physique. By 2:15 I was at Anderson’s Corner, 15 km from Williamsburg. At that point, highway 60 turns to the right and begins the final stretch into Williamsburg.

As I usually do at such points, I stopped to do a quick map check and confirmed that I was indeed in the right place, going in the right direction. I was just about to resume my ride when I met Charlie. He had pulled in front of me in his car (with a license plate of “JOG BIKE”) and rolled down his window to chat. He wondered where I was heading and I told him I was headed to Williamsburg today, and Florida – eventually. He responded by saying he lived about three miles down the road with a spare room I could use – he was sure his wife wouldn’t mind. And that’s how quickly a day can change.

After a brief set of directions, I followed Charlie down the road. Well … I followed in the sense that I went the same way – he stopped and waited for me at each turn. Shortly thereafter I was parking my bike in his garage, unloading my gear, and meeting Charlie’s wife.

All the comforts of home.

As you can imagine, I’m still a little surprised by the whole encounter. And the spare room is great. Spacious. With a private bathroom, TV, and even WiFi. The room usually gets used by their daughters when they come home to visit.

I’ve since moved from my room and am currently sitting on the back porch as I type this update. Oh, and I’ve just been informed that we’ll be having tuna casserole for dinner. And that’s Virginia hospitality.