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The TransAmerica Trail – Virginia
Granville, VA – Mechanicsville, VA
37 miles
May 31, 2006
No ghosts bothered me at the church last night, so unfortunately I had to wake up and install another new tube today. Started riding and it was a beautiful summer morning in Virginia – the only sound was birds in the trees – and the occasional car or lawnmower. My mind was daydreaming in “hiker mode” I suppose, because I strayed off route and got lost for about an hour asking for directions, finding my way back to the roads I was supposed be on.
In one gas station I asked two attendants who were pretty clueless, when this sharp dressed man walked in, wearing black pants and a white dress shirt with buttons open and a gold necklace showing – apparently the owner. He looked so out of place compared to the other locals I met so far and had a New York accent, reminding me of the Ray Liotta character from Goodfellas. Anyway, he gave a third set of directions, confusing me even more.
Leaving the gas station, a friendly guy in a utility van asked me if I needed directions, and gave a simple, easy route to put me back on track, after all that trouble.
Now the afternoon heat was climbing, and I noticed some really rough shifting – some of the gears wouldn’t even stay in place. Then, all of them.
And then the chain broke.
There was no shade nearby so I stopped in the blazing sun and got out my handy chain tool. The link was bent way out of shape and the rivet simply would not push through. I managed to bend my chain tool in the process as well.
So I started walking.
Doesn’t this seem familiar?
There was supposed to be a bike shop some miles ahead in Mechanicsville – I don’t know exactly how far I walked, nor did I really care, because I was walking there no matter what. At least this time my tire wasn’t flat, so I had the luxury of rolling down hills wherever it was possible. It was a long afternoon amid Richmond area traffic, the most I’d seen since starting the transam route. At one point in the direct sunlight my thermometer read 104 degrees. I blew some money on Cokes and snacks to help keep me happy.
A van with two guys stopped and said “Hey, are you riding cross country?” Turns out one of them was Jeff Lee – he’s starting the same trip tomorrow from Yorktown. He and his friend were scouting out the route, planning where to stay on his first night. He recognized me from this journal – that’s pretty cool – to randomly meet a stranger that “knows” me. We talked for a few minutes and it was nice to meet somebody with a lot in common to talk about, as relating to this trip. I told them all my recent mechanical troubles and it really lightened my mood. All I can do is laugh it off and keep going. They offered me a ride to the bike shop but I declined, because it would have felt like cheating. I’m supposed to be bicycling across America, after all.
So I walked into Mechanicsville, and it took me another long, frustrating hour of walking around town and asking for directions to find the bike shop. Finally I found the place at 7:30, half an hour before they closed at 8. There was just one guy in there, and I was lucky he wasn’t busy. He hooked me up with a new chain right away. I had him tune up and adjust a few other things, and tweak the spokes on the front wheel.
Tonight I went ahead and got a room in town to pamper myself a bit, after all my recent mechanical trouble. These last few days have been pretty stressful, but you can’t let it get to you – every day there’s always going to be something – whether it’s a flat tire, broken chain, a hot day, too many hills, rain, whatever. Whether you’re working 9-5, or on a bicycle tour, life has its daily troubles until the day you die. And life is good.
last night’s “camp” inside the Sunday school
with Jeff Lee – note that my bike doesn’t have a chain!
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