Meeting Fun People Already

June 28th

Richmond to James City County (45 miles)

The first few days of a bicycle tour are, to me, the toughest. The enthusiasm and excitement of begining a new journey quickly diminishes when the reality of the physical discomfort of being in the saddle for four hours sets in. Yes, one can train before embarking on a trip (I never do), but there is no way to train one's butt not to hurt. The flesh that covers the seat bones becomes bruised, and only time heals them. Your shoulders and back must adjust to your posture, and that, too, takes time. A tenacious attitude and optimism that you will feel better, that the pain is temporary, goes a long way towards improving morale. Heck, I'm starting to feel better already (kind of). 

I got a late start and didn't leave Richmond until 11:00, June 28th. That evening I camped in James City at the Chickahominy Riverfront Campground. It was uneventful. I was dog-tired, so I set-up camp, read for about 30 minutes, and went to sleep. 

Crossing the James River on the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry

Seagull on the Ferry Dock

June 29th (66 miles)

James City County to Chesapeake, VA

Today was another rough day. I ought to have quit riding sooner. I have plenty of time (weeks), and there is no reason to be in a hurry, especially so early in the trip.

I want to talk about the high point of my day. In Windsor, VA, I began running very low on water. Since I was riding on very rural roads, there were few facilities. I was fortunate enough to run into two cyclists out for a Sunday ride. They directed me to the Garner Gliderport a few miles away (basically, an airport for gliders) and told me that the folks there were very friendly toward touring cyclists, and that they have nice cold water. The cyclists were nice enough to escort me right to the Gliderport since it was a bit off of my route.

I felt very welcome at the gliderport. While I was told that I was welcome to get as much tap water as I could carry, they offered to sell me cold bottled water for only fifty cents (I also bought a Pepsi--that hit the spot). 

I had the opportunity to meet two very interesting people, Frauke, a charming lady who is originally from Germany and, Marita, a social work case manager. While Frauke no longer flies (she recieved her pilot's license in 1962), she loves to talk about flying gliders. They invited me to sit down for a bit. I could  not resist the shade, the seat, and the company. Frauke has an interest in language as well as flying, we ended up discussing the Germanic origins of English and how so much of the English language is derrived from German. Before I knew it, Frauke, having studied French and Latin, as well as English, was educating me on some of the Anglo-French words that have worked there way into English (a result of the Norman invasion, as any of my more conscientious English 12 students would know.) She was an impressive woman. 

I certainly don't want to leave out Marita. While Frauke and I were talking, Marita was busy getting dressed and ready to go for a bike ride. Marita joined me for about 10 miles or so of riding. It was refreshing to have company. Since we were on roads with little traffic, we had a chance to talk while we road. Marita and her husband ride a tandem bicycle (a bike for two). I had some questions about how that feels in comparison to a standard bike. On flat land it is quite fast, but it is very sluggish on hills. All in all, she seemed to like riding her tandem. 

Check out their link: http://www.tidewatersoaring.org/

Frauke and Marita at Garner Gliderport

My cycling trips have always restored and strengthened my belief in the friendly nature of most people. People are generally kind and accomodating to strangers. When my sons were growing up, we travelled on bicycles as a family. Often times they would bring friends. I always felt that their experience of the good in random strangers we met along the way was good for their development; it gave them an optimism about people. (We still share stories of the friendly characters we have met on our tours.) 

Bicycle touring is not for everyone, but chance meeting with interesting people like Frauke and Marita are much more likely to happen at 12 mph than at 65 mph.