Day 45 (6/13/22): Just When You Think You’re Home Free…
Start: Fredericksburg, VA
End: Alexandria, VA
Mileage: 88 miles
Elevation: 3,825 feet
Read the last few entries. I thought I had this in the bag. If figured it was all downhill from here. Not so fast my friends.
Today was a tough one. Without question, the second most difficult ride of the journey. (I’m not sure I’ll run into anything like the sandstorms and the headwinds of the Brawly, CA-Blythe, CA ride on day 4.)
First and foremost was the traffic. I don’t believe I’m exaggerating when I say I was in more traffic today than I was in all of the previous rides combined. I can’t say I was surprised; Northern Virginia is crowded. Lots of people. Lots of commerce. And definitely lots of cars. It’s one thing to know it’s coming and another to be in the thick of it. It started from the get-go in Fredericksburg. I started at 5:55 to beat the traffic. If that was beating the traffic, I’m glad I didn’t start any later. Treacherous. The crowded roads were pretty much a constant for 70 miles until I got to Valley Forge when a beautiful, dedicated bike path was served up. I actually spent about 2 hours riding on sidewalks in the middle of the day because they roads were so unfit for a bike.
Early in the ride, I ran into a road closure that led to a 5-mile detour—again along a very busy corridor (the Jefferson Davis Highway?).
The signage for the route was pretty awful. I wrote about Bike Route 76 (the Trans America Trail) in MO, IL, KY, and VA in earlier posts. When I got to Fredericksburg, I hung a left and moved onto the Atlantic Coast Trail—also known as Bike Route 1. Bike Route 1 signage is not nearly as good as Bike Route 76. My GPS tracker tells me when I go off the route or have missed a turn, but there’s a delay, meaning unless there’s signage, I’m often backtracking once I get the alert from my GPS tracker. That happened a lot today.
My cleat on my left shoe decided to go wonky today so getting into the clip was a constant adventure. I won’t even try to describe the pain when you’re trying to clip in and the cleat doesn’t engage and you slam your foot into the ground (and your bottom slams into you saddle).
I’ve had a lot of people also suggest the heat made it a tough day (mid 90s). That’s not the case, as very hot weather typically doesn’t bother me.
So yeah, I’ve had better days in the saddle, but one of the lessons that’s been reinforced throughout this trip is there are always going to be bad days or bad hours or bad minutes. Can’t avoid them. It’s just important to be mindful that these challenges pass and you need to take the long view and realize it’s all part of the journey.
Case in point. After such a challenging day, we had one of the best nights on the trip. We’re staying with my nephew Rob (who I’ve known since he was an infant in 1985), his wife Ann, and their very cool son. We always have such a good time with these guys and as a bonus, we actually had a regular sit-down dinner around a dinner table tonight. That hasn’t happened since April. After dinner, all 3 boys played laser tag, while Ann and Tish went out for gelato. Great fun.
I had planned on going on to Bethesda at the end of the route but decided to call it a day in Alexandria. The route to Bethesda is another dedicated bike path. It takes you past a lot of the D.C. monuments, so Tish and I are going to do it together on Wednesday and use it as an excuse to be tourists.
Other than our monument tour on Wednesday, I won’t be riding until Friday, so no blog for a few days.
What am I Grateful for Today
First, thanks Ann, Rob, and Jackson for a great evening. We’re looking forward to another great day on Tuesday.
I mentioned some of the qualities I appreciated in my older brother a few days back. It would be unfair not to do the same for my younger sibs. (Bad family politics as well.)
Joel
Don my have my father’s name, but Joel is the real Don Jr. in terms of personality. He can talk to anyone and very much enjoys sparking up conversations—unlike my older brother and I who are a bit more reserved. This trip has helped me become more outgoing, but it’s always been Joel’s way. While I hope we’re all very likeable, Joel is very likable very quickly.
Additionally, like my father, Joel (and his wife Jen of course) always have several projects going. Their house is in constant evolution both inside and out. I’m always amazed at the amount of construction, remodeling, and landscaping that’s taken place since the last time we visited. Joel is really good at a lot of things and relishes the challenge of taking on something new. I’ve always admired this and frankly wish I had both the skill and patience to tackle so many different types of challenges.
Joel is a fantastic father to Drew and Tara. When I see them interact, I can see they trust their father and value his input, but also have tremendous respect for him. I think a lot of that comes from him being able to be present so much for his kids when they were younger because he’s a teacher. (I was always very jealous of him in the summer these past 30 years.)
Val
I know it’s always true when a child comes along, but Valerie changed her life dramatically after her son was born. He became the center of her universe and has blossomed into a wonderful, unique young man.
She’s awfully courageous. Although it was quite difficult, she pulled up all of her stakes a few years ago and moved to New Jersey because it was in their best interest. She hasn’t looked back, and our entire family is the better for it.
Valerie is also a tenacious worker. She has always been involved in some type of inventory/warehouse management work and becomes indispensable typically staying at firms for long periods of time. She also has that Wussler work ethic.
My brothers and I are all grateful to Valerie for all of the support she provides my mother. Being local means so many small and big things fall to her that go unnoticed, but she puts in so much time and helps in so many ways.