Ride C2C #4 -Day 22: Richmond to Williamsburg, Virginia

Day 22 Date: 7/14/23
Day: 22
Route: Richmond -Jamestown - Williamsburg
Miles: 60.7
Total Miles: 895.20
MyZone MEPs: 400 (my MYZone is not uploading, so this is based on Doug’s MEPs)

Up at 6:20 AM, pack and go down to eat a boring Continental breakfast, which was "saved" by instant oatmeal and packaged hard boiled eggs.

Loaded our bikes, and on the road by 8 AM – it is cloudy and spitting rain with a forecast for rain and thunderstorms. Four blocks in downtown then we take a left onto the Capital Trail - a 52 mile bike trail all the way to Jamestown = deluxe!

We ride south east of town with zero hassles, no car worries, riding next to SR5.

We bend away from James River with easy up hills…<note, legs are tired!> it is cool, overcast was a bit of a headwind. This is just lovely riding as the trail winds around.

this is the FIRST time we've ever seen a "bike triangle" (steep hill) sign!  It wasn't really steep, but would be helpful for bike newbies.

We stop at 9 AM and a nice park, but had a set of great historical signs.

I had to call the reservation service to sort out our tickets for Jamestown Williamsburg, and Yorktown - So that we can go right to Jamestown instead of having to check in at our hotel or the tourist office in Williamsburg. It’s all takes a little bit of time, but Doug is patient.

We ride on in great cloud cover, meet up with the main 76 route and we get to ride side-by-side as I asked Doug  “what about the American Revolution?”  I know what I’m getting myself into when I asked this question because Doug is a history and political science buff.  

The next 15 miles fly by as I learn about the American revolution and preparation for some of the history We are about to see.

We are in Charles city. Virginia has LOVE signs all about!

I had about 30 miles, and there’s no convenient store where we thought that there was one.. But we did see the Courthouse Grill and decided to have an early lunch there. 

We split a chicken salad sandwich with some salty potato chips, With multiple glasses of unsweet tea and it was all delicious.

We are back on the road at 11:45 AM and the trail is now alongside of SR5 but usually has a buffer of trees. There are very few route bumps and it is easy riding. We pass an older woman with music playing from her bag on her bike. - We agreed she had her zen going.  

We make a quick stop at about 40 miles for Gatorade and a little rest. Both her butts are sore!

We rode over a beautiful bridge over the Chickahominy river with great news out to the James River. We are close!

We’ll see a little shop called “ spoke and Art” and we still have to get dad a new water bottle (He left one of those water bottles on a steep hill about a week ago, and we decided not to go back to get it) and a cookie treat.

2 miles to go!  Along swampy areas to Jamestown.

And we make it! 

We park our bikes after we pass the "0" mile marker and get out some clothes to change into so that we’re not working around in our sweaty, stinky, wet and binding bike clothes.  

We start out by hitting the café and having a lunch of Brunswick stew, and a loaf of cornbread, Doug had tomato-basil soup with buttermilk biscuits. 

Fueled up, we go outside first because of the threat of thunderstorms. Hot, sunny, oppressive! Walk-through re-creation of a Native American village with interpreter guides and.  We first see a circle of seven posts with carvings of what looks like to us is very sour faces –

and the interpreter says” did you feel like dancing?”  We both said no, and she told us that that was a dance circle. The carvings just didn’t seem to go with dancing.

We walked through the recreated native village and down to the recreation of three ships that brought over the Jamestown colonists. They were small for so many people.

Then we walk around the Jamestown fort and I can’t help but think about. The Outlander books and the story that includes this whole area.

They go back into the cool of the museum to meander through their excellent exhibit about the whole colonizing effort of Virginia Turner company, the challenges, here, Bacons, rebellion, and the slow decline of Jamestown.

It’s almost 5 PM, so we change back into our bike clothes (Which of dried in the sun) To continue on to Williamsburg. We are now on the colonial Parkway – a federal park service Road, started in 1930 built mostly by CCC workers. this road runs from Jamestown to Williamsburg to Yorktown. It has a bumpy aggregate surface with limited access, wide lanes, and easy hills. We have a nice ride with almost no cars for 8 1/2 miles into Williamsburg. No terms to make, no cross roads, just a beautiful road surrounded by trees.

We pull off in Williamsburg to find the Williamsburg Lodge close to the exit from the parkway. This is a big fancy place Operated by the Hilton.

We shower first and decide we will find a laundry to wash all our clothes tomorrow.  After a bit of relaxing and realize it’s way too late to make a reservation anywhere for dinner. But Here at the hotel was the restaurant called “Sweet tea and Barley” – and so we have appetizers of cat fish dip, cocktails (Mint Julep!  delicious - like a mojito but with bourbon), and chicken for dinner.

Early night - we just head back to the room for a good night’s sleep.

~Friends~

If you enjoy reading this journal and are happy that you don’t have to wear sweaty, stinky, soaking wet bike clothes for 5 hours, please donate!  

•  Whatcom Community Foundation (local): CLICK HERE
•  Arthritis Foundation (national): CLICK HERE
•  World Bicycle Relief (international): CLICK HERE