Day 016 – WA DC to Fredericksburg, VA

I knew today was going to be a long one and at 85 miles it was the most miles I’ve done in one day so far and I really felt it. Especially with the 87 degree heat. I went through 10 water bottles and still managed to get through another two huge cups at the Bruce and Vikki’s house – my hosts tonight.

I took the Mount Vernon bike/running path out of WA DC to Geroge Washington’s house in Mount Vernon. I didn’t go in because I didn’t have time, but the it looks like it would be interesting. If you are in DC I can’t encourage you enough to rent a bike – not the bike share bikes, although they are are a great way to get around town, and check out all the trails that go in and around the city.  They are well maintained and the scenery and views of all the monuments are great. You can almost touch the landing planes coming in to Dulles Airport (video to be posted).

I shaved 10 miles and lots of elevation gain by using the Virginia State bike maps instead of the ACA ones I bought. They are great, but take you the long way around to avoid going on major roads. It’s always a judgement call for speed vs serenity, but I’m glad I took the faster route. The only challenging part was on Route 1 just outside of Mt. Vernon with the lack of shoulders and lots of cars, but it was less than 2 miles.  For the majority of the big roads there are separated bike path running parallel or in some cases a painted bike lane or extra wide shoulder.

Bruce and Vikki have a beautiful house on a acre of land a couple miles from downtown Fredericksburg that they share with their deaf but loving beagle Buddy. Bruce has been a Boy Scout Master for the past 16 years and is taking a big group of Scouts on a supported ride from San Francisco to Virginia Beach starting on June 8th. They’ve been fundraising and training over the past year – including a 24 hour bike challenge this past weekend to get the Scouts used to endurance riding. A lot did 200 (1-mile loops) and two did 225 miles. That should make the actual ride days seem pretty easy.

Bruce and Vikki sold their topsoil and mulch business a few years back, but still work there along with their two adult sons. I am going to stop by there and see how they do things on my way out of town. I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to learning how something is made or done.

Bruce was also a wealth of knowledge about cycling in Florida. I really want to go down the east coast and back up the west coast after hitting Key West, but my map doesn’t show anything on the west side. It was nice to hear that going up Alligator Alley to Tampa is a pleasant ride. He also told me about the Outer Banks of North Carolina which I’m also really looking forward to doing. Apparently going northbound is easier with the winds off the ocean, but I’ll see how it is going south.

Today is a busy day so I need to hit the road.  More later tonight or tomorrow.