Stig is wondering how on earth we plan to pack all of this stuff!
In the end we got it all in the bags and we are ready to get to the airport. Tomorrow we get up at 3am and will be in Williamsburg at 7:46pm that evening. This will probably be our hardest day of the entire trip!
2023-03-14 Stig thought 3am was much too early to wake up and head to the airport. He was even more disgusted when Rhe remembered she had forgotten her carry-on pannier and we had to turn the car around to go pick it up.
2023-03-14 We got through security with plenty of time to get breakfast. Stig was not happy being upside down for the slog through the airport. But the jacket had no pockets.
2023-03-14 First food picture of the trip. Breakfast burritos at the airport!!
2023-03-14 3/15 In Williamsburg! Our bikes were ready for pick up. “Conte Bike Shop Paul” and Stig enjoyed a moment.
3/15
2023-03-15 3/15 Still figuring out this blogging thing. Here are more pictures at the bike shop. Bike shop Paul did a great job for us. My wheel was out of true, and Paul’s wheel was out of dish. He fixed both of those issues for us, and we got a water bottle, too! Paul affixed the water bottle cages and Stig is ready to ride!
3/15 Keeping track of our miles, we rode 15.5 miles today. We tooled around Williamsburg and saw the Colonial part of town. Then rode through the campus of William & Mary College. A beautiful town with lots of history. Glad we started here.
3/16 Today we rode the Colonial Parkway to Yorktown. Here we are at the Yorktown Monument, the official start of the TransAm Trail.
2023-03-17 We dipped our tires in the Atlantic Ocean. No where else to go but West now!
2023-03-17 We cycled 40.4 miles today. Our friends Sean and Bettina joined us. They helped with navigation, which is a good thing because Paul is still figuring out how his Hammerhead works.
2023-03-17 
2023-03-17 
2023-03-17 At the end of the day, Stig said goodbye to his new friends. Now it’s just us and 4,270 miles to go.
2023-03-17 3/17 Happy St Paddy’s Day! The luck ‘o the Irish was with us today.
2023-03-17 After some trepidation over whether the panniers would fit on the bikes, and lots of waiting around for Paul to get it just right, we finally had everything loaded and said goodbye to the Sleep Inn.
2023-03-17 Note to self - it might be a good idea to put all the weight you plan to carry on your bike at least once before starting a cross country trip just to make sure your panniers fit your racks. Then make aure the bike shop put them together the same way…
2023-03-18
We rode to Jamestown on the Colonial Parkway.
2023-03-18 Then onto the Capital Trail from Jamestown to Lewis Lawrence Jr County Park. Our first night in the tent.
2023-03-18 For those keeping track, we rode 40.7 miles today. It felt like 60 miles! Sure glad we have about a week to get in shape before we go over the Allegheny Mountains. My legs are tired!
2023-03-18 We were supposed to be out of this campsite by 8am. But it rained last night and everything was wet! Finally leaving at 11…. How did we get all this stuff into the panniers?
2023-03-18 3/18 Today was all Capital Trail until we hit Richmond, the capital of Virginia. Before we got started, Paul made breakfast in our makeshift campsite. At least the bathrooms and water source were close by!
2023-03-19 The trail was heavenly to ride on. Mostly little rolling hills that were not too tough to get over and fun to glide down; wood-planked bridges passing over the swampy parts; fellow cyclists taking advantage of a sunny, warm Saturday to go for a spin. Someone had thoughtfully planted daffodils along the trail.
2023-03-19 
2023-03-19 We ran into a family fishing for catfish on the James River. The gentleman spoke to us in such a strong accent that Paul only caught about half of what he said. Paul also saw his first turtle sunning itself on a river bank.
2023-03-19 In Richmond the trail was right along the James River until it headed up into town and past the state capital building, which looks like is either under construction or being renovated.
2023-03-19 After pedaling past many old, brick, two-story buildings with front porches, we found The Diamond Inn across the street from the baseball stadium, and found a delightful Greek Restaurant, Izzy’s, where we shared a bottle of wine.
2023-03-19 3/18 Total mileage today was 39.1. Forgot to wish Paul’s brother, Jon, Happy Birthday dude!
2023-03-19
3/19 It was about 32 degrees when we got up and only warmed up to the mid-forties while we were riding. We both wore almost everything we have with us! So we found a Whole Foods for brunch and some supplies.
2023-03-19 3/19 It’s supposed to get to 23 degrees tonight and 28 tomorrow night. So we rode to Ashland VA and got a Quality Inn room for two nights. Not really into waiting for my water bottle to thaw before I can make coffee/tea.
2023-03-20
Finding Ashland was a challenge for Paul and his new GPS. But I read the map and saw we were following US Bicycle Route 1. So I patiently waited for Paul to figure out the route rather than pointing to the sign in front of him.
2023-03-20 Before we left Richmond I asked a young woman what they called the houses all connected together, each_ with a unique front. She agreed they were probably called “rowhouses”, but only if they actually shared a wall. I’m getting used to being called “ma’m” around these parts.
3/19 Rode 23.4 miles today, including the stop at Carytown Bicycles in a hopping part of Richmond to replace a broken tire pump, buy some lube, get new gloves for Rhe, plus a little more insulation for the upper body given the unexpected cold temperatures in VA in March.
2023-03-20
I’ve decided Sunday is the day to publish total miles. So far we’ve traveled 159.1 miles. Only 4,122 to go!
2023-03-20
