Day 12 More slow going over the Virginia hills.

We were in Stafford, VA opposite exit 143 on I95. Fortunately for us the breakfast was set up half an hour early so we could eat it at the motel and still be on the road by 5:55 am. And it was a good thing. It is US 1 and there was virtually no traffic. But there were hills. I think it is safe to say that there were almost no truly level patches. We were constantly climbing or descending.

There is no question that we are stronger than we were at the start of the trip. The number of times we must stop to rest on the hills is fewer and fewer, it’s just not zero yet. We stopped a couple of times to nibble on food we were carrying (you have to fuel the engines) but had no major meal stops. As a result of all this, our overall progress was only about 5 miles in each hour of travel.

Of note, we were going down a hill, trying to get up a head of steam to go up the next hill when we had to slow down for two goslings who could not figure out how to get out of our way, as mom and dad honked at us from the grass for daring to threaten two of their babies. We lost all our momentum and had to take our usual breaks up the hill.

We got to Thornburg, VA at about 11 am. We stopped at a 7-11 for a drink, bathroom break, and information. We knew there were motels over at I95 but were less certain of the road ahead. The next anything would be at Carmel Church about 14 miles away. Two problems: 1. That is very near where King’s Dominion is located, and 2. It could be so hilly (no one seemed to be sure) that it would take us another three plus hours to get there and we really did not want to be on the road that late. So, we wimped out and biked the half mile to I95 and checked into a Quality Inn. Funny, we walked in and asked if there were any rooms and the kid at the desk said, “No, we were sold out.” We were a bit surprised and were about to leave to go the Holiday Inn Express next door, when it became clear that what he meant was that the rooms had not been cleaned yet. So we used one of those coupons from the travel books you can pick of at MacDonalds etc and got our cheapest room yet.

We were about the chain up the bike and go to eat when the kid came out and said our room was ready so we put the bike in, changed into bathing suits, and went for a swim in their very cold pool. It felt great.

Right now we are at a DQ eating and drinking and writing this blog. We are about three days behind but I figure we will get as far as we get.

Today’s travels: We rode 25 miles (plus .7 off route to the hotel). Our average speed waws 8.8 mph. We are now 464  miles into the trip (of which about 15 are off route).

Hoping to get south of Richmond tomorrow so we won’t have rush hour traffic to contend with on Tuesday, but it is probably too far given the terrain.

Debbie’s emotionometer: Today was a good day. High spirits, happier with the decrease in traffic on US 1 and early finish.