As I type this, I’m in my tent while a summer storm passes over head. I’ve got a half eaten sandwich and a bag of chips. I’m not quite sure exactly where I am but I’m far enough off 156 in the woods that I’m hoping no passing cars can see me.
I’ve ridden just under 80 miles today and I find myself maybe 5 miles north of Mechnicsville, 13 miles North of Richmond. I started at the Victory Monument in Yorktown, put my hand in the Chesapeake Bay, and rode off.
The Colonial Parkway which connects Yorktown to Williamsburg and Jamestown was a gem. It’s two way traffic but maybe three lanes of width and allowed for a smooth, uninhibited, ride across the concrete. I never really seen a road like it.
While stopping to take a photo of a creek I met Jim and Sharon, who have been cycling all over the US for the past year. They have a website jimandsharonsbigadventure.com. Its worth a look. And to top it all off, Jim was originally from Parma, maybe less than 10 miles from where I live. Just one of those small world stories.
Most of the riding was smooth. At one point I stopped to seek some shade at a Civil War battlefield and talked to the guide there for maybe 15 minutes about the area.
On my way to Mechanicsville the rain came. I waited out the worst stuff at a 7Eleven and after a break in the storm I find myself here. This is definitely my first stealth camping experience and probably wont be the last. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds, hopefully a shower.
