# Ashland, Hopewell, Williamsburg, Yorktown and back.



## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

It had been a while since we had done much riding; not in distance so much but we just hadn't ridden day after day since we went to Texas. Miss M was getting antsy and decided to to something about our lack.

*The Plan; * Right after the market closed on Saturday we would drive about 100 miles south to Ashland VA and spend the night. COD Sunday (Crack of Dawn) we would start riding south to eventually meet up with some of the family who were riding Bike Virginia. Of course the reason we would start at COD was to beat the famous Virginia 3 H's (Hot, Humid and I have no idea what the third H was but the talking heads on TV kept bringing it up).

Did we actually know where we were going? Sort of.

Did we have a good map? Not really.

Did we have a route slip? For the first 10 miles yes.

Were we worried? Heck no.

Let's ride!

Anyway we headed south following the marked "76" bike route figuring that sooner or later we would start seeing other cyclists and we could follow them the last few miles into Colonial Williamsburg where we were staying in the same hotel as most of the family.

And that is exactly how it went.

I love it when a plan comes together.

Only one detail. Those "Other Cyclists" turned out to be 2,000 other cyclists and the line at the Jamestown Ferry to take us across the James River was huge. Our wait was more than 40 minutes and there were 3 ferrys running.

BTW on hot humid (and whatever the third H is) days like this we tend to not eat much-just getting by on lots and lots of Gatorade but we set a new PR for lack of food eating nothing for 106 miles!  

The DQ right next to our hotel sure hit the spot.


----------



## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Yorktown.

Carnage.

Afterall a battlefield is (or was) all about death and suffering. No reason today should be any different.

Talking with the family over a few beers Sunday night we found out that Bike Virginia was going to ride to Yorktown and tour the battlefields. One thing we really wanted to do on this trip was to avoid getting mixed in with the organized trip so Monday was going to be COD again for us.

I have seen a lot of battlefields and am never failed to be moved when visiting them. Matter of fact on the way south from Ashland we passed through the endless series of Richmond Battlefields.

But I had never been to Yorktown. As far as it goes once we were about 15 miles into the first days ride we were on roads new to both of us. It was quite a treat to be on unknown roads.

Anyway after seeing the way the folks in Bike Virginia were riding as soon as we got on the Colonial Parkway we both had the same thought, "Carnage". The road was rough, real rough with no shoulder; just a curb. Put 2,000 riders of varied skills and fitness on that thing with all sorts of vehicle traffic and there was no question what the result was going to be. And they were going to have to ride out and back on that Parkway.

Ouch!

Didn't bother us though, we were so far ahead of the tour that we had the Parkway and Battlefield to ourselves. We didn't see another cyclist until we left the battlefield and started heading back to Williamsburg. 

What an amazing battlefield it is. Almost no memorials, statues or structures the place was great for a couple of cyclists. Narrow roads, a little rainfall, some stream crossings, lush vegitation and that same nasty road surface.

We loved it.

Alas when we hit the Parkway on our way back to Williamsburg our expectations were realized. In addition to the nonstop stream of cyclists on the other side of the road there was heavy tour bus and auto traffic. Not to mention the ambulances, fire engines, police and EMS vehicles going to scrape the fallen off the road. OTOH we were so amazed by the sight of all those cyclists going the other way that we didn't even notice how bad the road surface was.

Every cloud has a silver lining.

We got back in plenty of time for a relaxed tour of the old town and a nice meal (or two).


----------



## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Smoking Hot Return

For a summer trip in Virginia the weather hadn't been all that bad. Sunday and Monday wern't all THAT humid and the temps were only in the mid 80's. For around here that ain't bad at all.

Tuesday alas, the weather returned to normal and those 3 H's were back with a vengence (does anyone know what that darn third H stands for?).

There was a big ol' thunderstorm very early Tuesday morning. It was gone by sunrise but the effects were still around, the air was so thick we were soaking wet right from the get go. COD of course.

We were returning to Ashland on a much shorter route than we took on the way out. All we had to do was follow the "76" bike route. Piece of cake.

We got an early enough start to miss most of the morning traffic plus there were some sections of empty MUTs to ride on. Still it was warming up and the sun was out. Since we weren't worried about trying to catch anyone we stopped at a few of the battlefields and memorials we passed on the way out. Sad to say, not all the memorials are all that old.

The closer we got to Ashland the heavier the traffic got and we ran into a lot of road construction that we missed on Sunday. We did remember to eat this time though-Miss M bought us a small bag of potato chips at 50 miles or so.

They sure tasted good!

We reached Ashland in fine style right around noon but after 6 hours of riding in the summer heat we were ready to clean up before the ride home. You gotta love the Y.

Clean, cooled and refreshed all we needed was a quick bite before the drive home. Talking it over at a well deserved lunch we both came to the same conclusion, "What a great trip!"

MB1
2 thumbs way up.


----------



## llama31 (Jan 13, 2006)

*White's ferry?*

Is that White's Ferry? Or somewhere else. I've been wondering about White's Ferry and whether cyclists use it much. Whatever that is pictured, looks like it's well used by cyclists.


----------



## Brick Tamland (Mar 31, 2006)

Do you really not know what the third "H" is, or are you just putting us on?


----------



## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Brick Tamland said:


> Do you really not know what the third "H" is, or are you just putting us on?


Perhaps I am just having a "Senior Moment" but no matter how hard I try I just can't recall what the heck it is. :blush2:  :mad2:


----------



## treebound (Oct 16, 2003)

MB1 said:


> Perhaps I am just having a "Senior Moment" but no matter how hard I try I just can't recall what the heck it is. :blush2:  :mad2:


Found it:
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1997/vp970816/08160281.htm


> Hazy. Hot. Humid.


Hazy is how my memory gets sometimes.


----------



## bikeboy389 (May 4, 2004)

Brick Tamland said:


> Do you really not know what the third "H" is, or are you just putting us on?


I'm pretty sure the third H is "Howdy." Just being nice to make up for the other two H's. Out in Indiana, the extra H in anything was Hoosier.

//are we supposed to actually know what it is? I am also stumped.


----------



## the_dude (Jun 25, 2004)

you really captured the humidity and haze in these images. 

that pizza is making my mouth water. same goes for the shrimp. 

btw - does miss m have a (younger) sister?


----------



## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*We have a winner!*



treebound said:


> Found it:
> http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1997/vp970816/08160281.htm
> 
> 
> Hazy is how my memory gets sometimes.


Which is good since I was worried that the third H might turn out to be "Hemorrhoids."


----------



## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*There are 6 sisters and one son.*



the_dude said:


> you really captured the humidity and haze in these images.
> 
> that pizza is making my mouth water. same goes for the shrimp.
> 
> btw - does miss m have a (younger) sister?


Miss M is the second youngest of a large family. Her younger sister couldn't make the trip (signed up too late for Bike Virginia and can't keep up with us being a married working mother and all).


----------



## the_dude (Jun 25, 2004)

MB1 said:


> Her younger sister being a married working mother.



shucks. :cryin:


----------



## zeytin (May 15, 2004)

llama31 said:


> Is that White's Ferry? Or somewhere else. I've been wondering about White's Ferry and whether cyclists use it much. Whatever that is pictured, looks like it's well used by cyclists.


No that's the Jamestown Ferry; Whites Ferry is very small and I've seen cyclists using it.

MB1 great stuff, I couldn't remember the 3rd H until someone posted it either. Glad you and Miss M had such a good time. Wonderful pics of the battlefields looks like something to add to the list.
cheers,


----------



## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

llama31 said:


> Is that White's Ferry? Or somewhere else. I've been wondering about White's Ferry and whether cyclists use it much. Whatever that is pictured, looks like it's well used by cyclists.


No, that is the Jamestown Ferry (I was a little late in adding text to the photos) Whites Ferry is much smaller. 

BTW I guess quite a few riders cross the Potomac on Whites Ferry, we do it a few times a year but don't normally see any other cyclists on it.

You could do a forum search on "Whites Ferry" and get several hits from my ride reports.


----------



## bigrider (Jun 27, 2002)

Nice pictures. It has been so humid the last two days I just didn't ride. Didn't even ride a lunchtime because there is no air conditioning in our building right now (broke). 

I blow up like a hand grenade when tossed into a HHH ride.


----------



## YuriB (Mar 24, 2005)

hot indeed- that's some good stuff


----------



## dingster1 (Jul 2, 2006)

Nice Pics


----------



## Brick Tamland (Mar 31, 2006)

How do you guys live hear and forget the third H....that's my least favorite one.


----------



## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

I love how in most of your pictures it looks like the Mrs. is dropping you like a load of bricks.


----------



## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*That is because she is.*



Pablo said:


> I love how in most of your pictures it looks like the Mrs. is dropping you like a load of bricks.


She set everything up for this one. 

First she says to me, "I'm going to ride the fixte. Can you put the aero bars on it?"

Then she says, "Can you put a rack on your bike? There are some things we need to bring." This after we mailed a package to the hotel with clothes and such.

So there she is on all those flat roads riding what is in essence a TT rig and I am on a somewhat loaded tourer.  OTOH I sure enjoyed the day in the middle when I didn't carry anything........


----------



## Dave Riley (Sep 22, 2005)

*Biking Virginia*

I'm a resident of beautiful upstate NY (In Rochester, near the Finger Lakes). 30 years ago I lived in Williamsburg while attending grad school at William and Mary. I LOVED the area (and the school), and would have re-located there if I could have found a decent job. My son was born during the first semester of school. As he got old enough I would walk him down to the fields near the entrance to Colonial Williamsburg, he in his Gerry Carrier, and we would treat the oxen and draft horses with carrots or other goodies. My infant son, now 30 with a son of his own, SWEARS he remembers these Saturday excursions. Suddenly my priorities changed and a career in academics didn't seem all that meaningful. We wound up moving back to NY state where our families lived. I often wonder what would have happened if we had stayed. I now work in Law Enforcement as a Probation Officer...how's that for an about face. My son is a cop as well. Maybe the stresses of our respective jobs have influenced our love for beauty and simplicity (such as the way a well-made bike operates and feels). I'm trying to entice my wife into the "cult" by buying her a very basic Trek 7100. She likes it...even agreed to wear a helmet. My next ploy will be to suggest we visit actor Robert Duvall's restaurant located West of Fredericksburg in the horse country (I don't think it's that far from Front Royal on, or near, Rt. 64 (I can't remember the name of the fair sized town near there that I have traveled through 20-30 times from the Northwest...to avoid Washington congestion). Does it begin with the letter "W"? Warrenton???? There have to be a million nice cycling roads in that general area.

Anyway, I really loved the photos...brought back some memories. Many of my favorite places around "the peninsula" have disappeared or changed with commercial development. Makes me sad. Those days were prior to my embarking into running swimming, and cycling. It's still a great area. From Williamsburg you can get to the ocean in a little over an hour, can ride the Blue Ridge in twice that, and experience untouched areas of our history almost everywhere. I used to live near Fort Magruder on the outskirts of Colonial Williamsburg, and I could walk out my apartment door a few hundred yards and see the earthworks from civil war embattlements. I found some musket balls, schrapnel, nails, and God-knows-what while poking around...didn't save any of it...go figure the short-sightedness of youth. I'd love to plan a bike trip to Virginia some day...not just the peninsula. The H/H/H would probably kill me but I'd die with a smile on my face. Almost forgot...when I lived there both my wife and I smoked, (Winstons for me). Just how much does a pack of smokes cost now? $5.00?? I've been an alcohol-free, drug-free, and smoke-free creature since late 1982...NOT A PUFF,HIT,SIP, OR BUZZ. Along the way I discovered riding, running, lifting, and swimming and all the great competitions of all intensities and distances available. My greatest joy is taking a nice easy ride after a hard training day, and covering ground that is new to you. How lucky can we get.


----------

