Previous______________The TransAmerica Trail______________Next
The TransAmerica Trail – Virginia
Portsmouth, NC – Charles City, VA
81 miles
May 29, 2006
Woke to cloudy, moist conditions, and I thought that it could rain. This I don’t think I would minded, because it would have kept me cool and shady, but the sun soon came out and it turned into another hot day. I crossed a bridge from the Portsmouth area to a lazy little place called the Isle of Wight. The sign said founded in the 1600s.
Then I illegally crossed the wide James River (The bridge was closed to bicycles), took a pleasant break at a church with an outside water spigot (And a portajon across the street… who could ask for more?), and made my way to Virginia’s “historic triangle” – and The TransAmerica Trail.
The route begins on the coast of Yorktown, then goes through Williamsburg and Jamestown. There’s much history here. Yorktown is where British General Cornwallis officially surrendered to George Washington in 1781 to end the Revolutionary War – under siege at the coast with the French Navy blocking his escape. The transam route officially begins at the monument here.
I rode the Colonial Parkway to Williamsburg, the original colonial capital of Virginia. Numerous significant speeches and documents were made here – by significant people, of course. I rode about the notable historic district with people dressed in 1700s regalia, and one particularly finely dressed gentleman with an air of confidence and right of way was crossing the street. He said to me, “You don’t want to run down The Governor!”
Then it was along the Colonial Parkway on past Jamestown, the first successful British settlement in America, and westward. Any American History buff would have a field day here.
Happy Memorial Day, folks.
And so I was having quite a nice day, finally on the transam route, heading west into the green Virginia countryside on a shady road among numerous picturesque plantations.
Then I noticed that my rear wheel seemed a little too bouncy.
Sure enough, the tire was slowly losing air and going flat. I found a nice spot to work and had a look, thinking I could find the leak and throw a patch on it. Wrong. The leak was right at the base of the valve.
Now, I used my only spare tube back in Outer Banks. I told myself that I would pick one up at the first bike shop that I’d pass, but the few I saw were closed for the Memorial Day weekend. So basically I was miles from town with a flat, with no means of repair. It was after 6pm, and darkness would be closing in fast. The only food I had on me was a third of a jar of peanut butter, and one bagel.
So I started walking.
The map said there was a B&B 5 miles down the road. It was pretty much my only hope for a place to stay, save for stealth camping on signed private property… but that wouldn’t have been any good anyhow, because I knew I’d have to manage to get a ride someplace with a bike shop tomorrow – most likely ahead to Richmond. All this at the end of a 75 mile day.
It was a long walk.
Finally at about 8:30pm, just as the sun set, I came to the house with the B&B and rang the doorbell. A woman came to the door, and I her told my situation. Turns out that the B&B is actually an apartment in a separate building over the garage, and she let me stay.
My attitude was low after the long walk. Before taking a shower, I looked in the mirror and saw a sorry sight – dirt on my face, skin peeling on my forearms, a colored face and white forehead from my helmet, a burned back, and numerous itchy bug bites. I watched some mindless tv and went to sleep.
Life is good, but it’s a good idea to carry a spare tube.
at The Yorktown Victory Monument – official eastern end of The TransAmerica Trail
Managed by the National Park Service, the Colonial Parkway is a National Scenic Byway that was completed in 1957. It was a slightly bumpy ride for a bicycle.
Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia
Previous______________The TransAmerica Trail______________Next
