October 14

Arriving in and leaving Richmond was a big deal for me.  Looking at all the maps of my route from Bar Harbor to Key West it was apparent that the hills really flattened out after Richmond.  In fact, after Richmond there is no 30 mile segment of the route that has more than 1000 feet of elevation.  So, ever since that first day in Maine, climbing the first hill, my mantra has been - "I just have to get past Richmond"!!

So on this October 14, 2016 I left Richmond and headed south along Civil War battlefield routes.  Sign posts and plaques were posted along the roads to tell you about the various battles.

After about 20 miles I jumped on the Capital Trail.  The entire trail is 52 miles long and parallels Route 5 from Richmond to Jamestown.  Kudos to the state of Virginia for creating this fantastic paved walking/biking trail.  Without a doubt, the best bicycle trail I have seen yet on my tour.

 The number "33" on the sign below indicates how many more miles to Jamestown.

Along the trail I came upon this great bicycle repair station.  Just amazing!

Finally I crossed the Chickahominy River into Williamsburg.

And then made my way to my hosts for the night, Debra and Camilla.

Two really wonderful ladies with all kinds of great stories about their bicycle trips.  They rode the Transamerica Route, the Atlantic Coast Route (same one I'm on), and the Northern Tier Route across the country.  They live in a beautiful home right on the James River.  I really didn't want to leave!!

As I've mentioned before, meeting such wonderful people, like Debra and Camilla, has really made this trip worthwhile and memorable.