I didn't know I could lie and stare into space for over 3 hours and not feel bored or restless. I was at a camp site on the Chickahominy River where I landed after riding 47 miles in 90 degree weather. It was up to 99 degrees when I arrived at 1:30 in the afternoon. I was covered in heat rash and pounding down water and orange gatorade, hoping I would eventually pee.
I'd set out at 8:30am from Richmond for a solo bike/camping trip.
My ride was pretty pleasant despite the heat--until the last 15 miles anyway. I rode through a lot of history, but didn't manage to stop and read all the historical signs. There were too many! I did stop in New Market and read about the "colored regiment" that fought and lost many. Wierfdly, I passed a man wearing a suburban looking shorts and a T-shirt who also had a fat (w/ 4-inch links) chain draped around his neck. What was that about?
It was a really nice trail. Generally like this the whole way.
Way more woods than I expected. I'd thought it would be all open cornfields.
I stopped to eat at the historic and quaint Cul's Courthouse Grill.
I thought I should eat outside because I was ruby red in the face and so desperately sweaty, but when I opened the door, I found a homey and spacious dining room with big ceiling fans turning over tables full of licra-clad cyclists and one busy waitress hustling across thick slabs of wood that were the old floor boards. It was pretty cool in there, figuratively and literally, and I figured I couldn't be more smelly than the others, so I stayed.
It was a nice reprieve to get out of the heat but I stayed too long. The mercury was rising outside and it would be a tough final 15 miles to camp. When I finished, I packed up my left over pita bread, thinking it would be a good snack for later.
The final miles before camp were tough. My thermometer read 99 degrees and I'd run out of shade.
I could feel myself overheating, so I ended up stopping every 5 miles when I found a patch of shade to cool off. My "smile" starts to look a little forced.
Finally, I arrived at the Chickahominy. Riding over this bridge was a little brutal even with the breeze. When I stopped to take pics I could feel the heat rising up around me - and honestly, that sun was burning through me.
I arrived covered in heat rash, feeling a little ill from the heat and all the water I'd been drinking. I didn't have to pee at all. I set up my tent first thing.
Then I
headed to the pool. I hoped to cool off but the sun was relentless and the
water was warm. No showers at the pool either. The one saving grace was the
cold gatorade they had for sale. I bought 2 and headed back to camp where I
turned my tent the the river, left the flap of a door hanging open, and laid on
my back staring at the buzzards circling over me all afternoon. It was so hot I
couldn't even touch my sleeping bag. After lying there for several hours, I finally
fell asleep for an hour.
After my nap it
was time for dinner. I'd hoped/planned the camp store would have SOMETHING I
could eat. There were restaurants 5 miles further down the road, but there's no
need to explain why that wasn't happening. The camp store had ketchup and mayo
and an entire rack of potato chips. And fishing lures. So this was dinner:
Afterward, I took
a much needed shower (disgusting bathrooms) and hung our writing/reading and
generally watching the sky some more.
I'd planned to go
to bed as soon as the sun set but the quiet and the sky were too captivating.
It was 10pm before I crawled into my tent.
In the morning, I
fought the squirrels off for my left over pita bread (a good thing I saved that
- I had to ride 15 miles before the first store, and again, they'd only have
chips).
Then I cruised
home. No stopping to read historical markers. No stopping for pictures. My
whole day was about beating the sun--which I mostly did. Here I am back at my
car around 11am with 93 miles under my belt for the weekend!
A HOT but great
trip!
