So It Begins

I made it to the beginning of the TransAmerican Trail today, which starts in Yorktown, VA. Twas a grand day.

I woke up this morning around 8 but stayed in bed accidentally until 1030. It was the first night I left the rain canopy off and waking up, all my senses tingled, especially  my sight which finally could see the sun as opposed to being toasted inside of the rain cover. 

When I finally got out of the tent, I called a phone number of a couple named Susan & Joe who drive bikers across the Hampton Tunnel because you can't bike it. The only problem was that I had read about her on an old forum dating back to 2007 so I didn't even know if she still lived in the house. As the phone rang, a message machine picked up stating it was still Joe and Susan's house. However, did they still drive cyclists? If not, I would have to attempt to hitchhike again. 

About 45 seconds into my voicemail and just as I was concluding my situation, an out of breath voice hurriedly answered the phone. It was Susan to save the day and tell me she would be more than happy to drive me. All I had to do was cycle the 10 miles to her house. Awesome! I was on my way.

Almost immediately out of the gate, I felt something wrong with my bike. The chain would become stuck every time I stopped pedaling so I pedaled down to the nearest "bike store" (hardware store that worked on bikes). Again, I met the most kind and helpful man by the name of Ron. He gave me a free bottle of WD40 (which the bike shop noted never to use... Oops) and tried to help decipher the problem. I had a broken spoke and the chain had become so clogged with grime and dirt that it would become stuck. The WD40 did fix the problem so Ron was still the man. I still had to fix the spoke though so I looked up the nearest bike shop on my Iphone (this device... No words) which was 10 miles down the road directly before the tunnel I had to cross. 

The bike shop guys were the coolest! Devin and Michael told me they'd fix the spoke and check out the rest of it. I ensured I had time to take a dip in the Chesapeake and set off to get wet. Virginia is incredibly humid. The Chesapeake was incredibly warm. I was incredibly replenished.

When I got back to the bike shop, I learned there were several things wrong with the bike (which honestly relieved me because the gears have been sketchy most of the ride) and I'd have to wait another hour. As I waited, Susan showed up! We chatted like old friends and I learned she had traveled the same route across the country a few years ago. Her enthusiasm and excitement recalling the trip was contagious! I started to really begin to get hyped up. Actually, the guy Devin had also biked the route but started in the West. Upon learning this, I asked him, "How was it?" He looked me dead in the eyes and said, "It was the best thing I've ever done in my life". Excitement bar raised! 

So eventually, Susan took me over the bridge and tunnel... AND the extra 10-16 miles to Yorktown where the trail begins. I can't even express my gratitude toward her for the conversation and how she went completely out of her way to help me. She even borrowed her father's truck to fit my bike in. The woman has a heart of gold!

From Yorktown, I biked on down to Williamsburg where I found a nice motel for a very reasonable price. More importantly, I met Ray who immediately took to treating me with immense kindness and generosity. We had a nice conversation before he gave me one of the nicer rooms off by itself and he gave me a card to keep in touch. 

There's a lot of great people in this world. I look forward to meeting more of them. 

Good night all.

            Dippin in da Chesapeake.

                          Susan!

      Yorktown, Va aka "The Beginning"

      Colonial Parkway was beautiful.