Sunday October 7, 2012

Causeway and Bridge Lake Marion

Sumter SC to Walterboro SC; 132km 160m vertical climb

Today was a big day for us with 135km planned. We had an early start and stuck to a disciplined approach to the day.  We took a break every 20 km and alternated the lead regularly.  After 40km and a short coffee break at the gas station in Summerton we rode through St Paul (Gibbins) and a few miles later crossed Lake Marion (Gibbins). To do this our road, Route 15, joined up with Interstate 95 to cross the more than mile wide lake. No shoulder in places and fast traffic made it a hair-raising experience so EuroTim put his camera on a handlebar mount and videoed it.

Lizard near St. George

Roadside Cactus

Overall, the terrain was favourable – it has been the flattest day so far and the weather was nice and cool this morning and but heated up to 33°C in the afternoon.  The afternoon proved a challenge as several towns seemed closed up and we ran low on Gatorade.  We arrived at our hotel before 4 pm and re-hydrated with tea and lemonade.  The motel receptionist told us that Walterboro is dry on Sundays so there will be more tea  tonight.      












       

Saturday October 6, 2012

Cotton Field near Society Hill

Cheraw SC to Sumter SC; 119 km 323m vertical climbed

The motel breakfast was the worst so far, a barely drinkable coffee and a few cornflakes. Not the best start to the day though the weather was wonderful. We were on our way shortly before 9 under a clear blue sky and 20°C. If it had stayed at that temperature all day the stage would have been easy but it kept on rising to 32.  We are definitely in the south because we saw our first cotton fields today.  We had done 61km before we found a gas station/convenience store/diner at which we could stop. We were both dehydrated and had loads to drink while the proprietress asked us a lot of questions. It was a bit of a hammer blow when we left the air conditioned store and walked out into the midday sun and we had to take several short breaks to have a drink in the shade of trees until we finally reached Sumter. Even then, things weren’t over for a while because we had to ride 6km south, east and back north until we found a motel. If I can get TimB away from the College Football on TV we can go and eat.         

Swamp near Sumter

Church near Bishopsville

Friday October 5, 2012

Southern Pines, North Carolina to Cheraw, South Carolina 82 km  402 m Vertical Climb

We had another short day planned and we got a quick start this morning.  The road was fast and 2 hours later we stopped in Hamlet, North Carolina.  Hamlet is a major train junction that has made it’s living from the railroad from the last 100 years.  We ended up at the Hamlet Train museum, where we got a 3-hour tour from a very knowledgeable guide. There were 3 of us; TimG and the 3^rd person (from France) were both train buffs.  The guide rose to the occasion and we got an outstanding tour and a surprise visit to the only Tornado train engine left in existence.  It was 3 hours well spent. 
  Back on our bikes we crossed the border into South Carolina and arrived in Cheraw at 4 PM.   We toured the old historical district of Cheraw and saw the stately homes from the civil war era.

Thursday October 4, 2012

Siler City NC to Southern Pines NC; 89 km 593m vertical climb

Antique store in Goldstone

We only had a short tour planned for today but we still managed to make it a full day. The first 10 miles were more difficult than usual because the shoulder of the dual carriageway had a rumble strip leaving only 6 to 12 inches of asphalt for us to ride on. This narrow strip of road was covered with all sorts of rubbish, which a couple of hours later caused a problem. We left the highway to take a country road and a short time later I saw that I had left my (new, bought specially for this trip) drinks bottles in the fridge in the motel. I wasn’t prepared to do a 24 mile round trip to fetch them so we continued on our way. There was one historical point of interest on the route so we made a small detour to see the “house in the horseshoe” where loyalists and patriots fought during the war for independence. Shortly after continuing on our way we had to stop again because my rear end (bike, that is) was drifting all over the place because the tyre was nearly flat. I repaired the tube while TimB inspected the tyre and pulled out two pieces of fine wire. I patched the tube and we were soon on our way but a closer inspection in the motel found a second hole that has now also been fixed. We checked into our targeted motel shortly before 3pm and had a couple of hours to ride around historic Southern

House in the Horseshoe

Fields in North Carolina

Pines, that has a more traditional style of shopping street than the modern strip malls. We were able to enjoy a very tasty ice cream, we even found a bike shop where I was able to replace my drink bottles and the owner of the shop directed us to O’Donnell’s just around the corner where we were able to start our process of re-hydration.

 

Wednesday October 3, 2012

Danville VA to Siler City, NC  119km, 987m vertical climb

This morning shortly after departing, we crossed into North Carolina. Our route took us through the countryside and the neat green lawns were everywhere.  Even what looked like abandoned houses were surrounded by well-manicured green lawns.  We had a good day navigating with just a little difficulty in the middle of Burlington NC.  However our destination hotel was nowhere to be found in Siler City.  After consulting with some locals we ended up at the hotel we wanted on Chatham Square, not Chatham Street. 

            We had lunch in a small place, Sharkey’s Grill in Burlington, where the cook kept asking us about our trip.  When we left he took our picture to post on face book, since nobody would believe he had 2 guys who cycled from Montreal eating in his restaurant.

            We also noticed a strong change in the accent in North Carolina. We are definitely in the south now and we both have trouble understanding the locals.

Tuesday October 2, 2012

Lynchburg, VA to Danville VA; 114 km, 996m vertical climb

When we got up this morning it was still raining but being optimists we figured it might stop by the time we got on the road. First we had to get breakfast so we walked down the highway a few hundred yards to a diner and on the way the weather had to pretend it was monsoon time. That was the first soaking of the day. Breakfast was our first all-you-can-eat-buffet for $6 so we loaded up good and proper for our 114km/71m ride.

Our optimism didn’t help at all so we set off in the rain. On a fast downhill to the middle of Lynchburg to cross the river the front half got wet and on the highway to get out of town the trucks going past made sure the back half got wet as well. Monsoon type showers gave us the rest and by the time the water was running out of our cycling shoes we didn’t care which direction the water was coming from. For some reason, when our multi-lane highway, Route 29, bypassed a town, we were not allowed to use it so we had to successively take the exit and ride through the middle of Altavista, Gretna and then Chatham before finally exiting for Danville. The rain stopped around midday when we were in Altavista and, thereafter, steadily improved to the point where we thought we were in a tropical jungle when we arrived in Danville. After settling in at a Super 8 motel for $55 we set off to find the Laundromat that the receptionist said was just down the road. After walking over a kilometre we gave up and diverted to a Mexican restaurant just for a beer to get us back. It turned out to be Happy Tuesday and the Mexican draught beer was only a $1.50 a glass so we decided to stay for supper and a second, third and, I think, fourth. It was a long walk back. Some days are really tough.

Monday October 1, 2012

Charlottesville, VA to Lynchburg, VA 97 km, 1153m vertical climb        

Mexican Restaurant in Lynchburg

After getting lost twice yesterday, we took the main road today.  Route 29 runs straight to Lynchburg and we made good time riding the shoulder of a 4-lane highway.  We rode all day in the hills and climbed or descended all day.  We stopped in the suburbs outside Lynchburg at a Mexican restaurant to have a hot drink and reorganize our maps.  The waitress didn’t know what black tea was, so we picked our teabags, gave her some instructions about hot water and she made the best tea we’ve had this trip.  We had a second cup and by the time we left it was raining heavily so we checked in a the motel across the road.  After cleaning up we went back to the Mexican restaurant for supper and just one beer.

Just one beer

Sunday September 30th, 2012

Warrenton Virginia to Charlottesville Virginia; 127km; 1160m vertical climb

Horse Country near Warrenton

  
Today we had a long day planned.  Within 5 km the day got longer as we had to turn around after we couldn’t find the 3^rd road Google maps had recommended.  We picked up the route again down the road but within 20km we lost the road again when 3 roads had the same name.  After flagging down 2 cars to get instructions we finally hit a main road and we threw the Google map away.  After losing an hour on back roads we stuck to the main roads until Charlottesville.  The terrain is still hilly but gentler hills than Pennsylvania.  During the morning we passed through the horse raising area of Virginia.  During the afternoon we saw some remnants of the industrial area.  We arrived in Charlottesville at 5pm but it took an hour to find the hotel district.  Fortunately the pizza parlour next door to our hotel had a special on beer tonight and we enjoyed 4 large locally brewed beers for $8. 

Stone walls just like England

   

Methodist Church

Old Mill near Rapidan, Virginia

Saturday September 29, 2012

Gaithersburg Maryland to Warrenton, Virginia; 98km; 823m vertical climb

Every day has a personality and today it is traffic lights. We rode down the longest strip mall in the world when we rode Route 29 from Vienna VA to Warrenton VA.  Every 800 metres we had a traffic light.  Some were green - most were red!  Some were on down hills – most were on up hills.  We stop / started are way through Virginia.  We are each carrying 20 kg of luggage.  When we come to a stop it uses up energy to get started again.  I estimate we went through 140 stoplights today and stopped 70 times. 

Crossing the Potomac

 
  

            We left Maryland this morning and rode into the District of Columbia.  We then crossed the Potomac into Virginia and rode past the CIA offices. There was a sign at the side of the road that said “George Bush Centre for Intelligence” which we thought was a contradiction in terms. We dropped into a bike store for travel information.  The shortest route to Warrenton was route 29, which wasn’t recommended by the riders in the store, but we tried it anyway. It was interval training at its worst, or best depending on how masochistic one feels.

Stop Lights everywhere

 

 

Friday September 28, 2012

Tourists at the White House

  

Washington DC

Today was our planned tourist day in the capital. We had to wait until 10am to be able to take our bikes on the Metro and we were not allowed on between 4 & 7pm so we had a full day to look around. Having the bikes was a major benefit because the centre of town from the White House to the Lincoln & Jefferson Memorials and Capitol was several miles. It was all well worth seeing and on the way from the Jefferson Memorial to the Capital we were held up by police closing off crossroads all along Independence Avenue. I asked a pedestrian on a corner what was going off but she didn’t know so I rode into the intersection to ask a 9 foot 300lb black police officer what the hold up was for and he growled `the President` and shortly thereafter we were treated to the spectacle of around 10 police outriders clearing the road followed by the 2 big black limos and about 14 other vehicles. We didn’t get his autograph but we did manage to video it. Once the road was freed for the plebs to use we went up to look at the Capitol and then road back down Constitution Avenue to then head north for a few miles to see the Washington National Cathedral. With that little job done we then rode down Newark St.!!!!!! towards the Metro where we had to waste an hour drinking in a bar until we could get on the train after 7pm.

                                                                                                             
           

Washington Monument

         

Lincoln Memorial

WW II memorial

The Pres is coming

Jefferson Memorial

The National Cathedral

Thursday September 27th 2012

Gettysburg PA to Gaithersburg MD 99km 1134m vertical climb

The day off to look round Gettysburg did our legs good. The roads were still wet from the storm in the night that had woken us both up and the forecast was for unsettled weather, but it turned sunny and remained dry the whole day. The hills were not as steep and high for the first hour but that changed after Taneytown and, thereafter, the terrain was similar to Tuesday’s ride. When we arrived in Gaithersburg we had done nearly as much hill climbing as on Tuesday and a few kilometres more and with the temperature at around 26C coupled with high humidity we were somewhat dehydrated. Fortunately, a bar/Indian restaurant not far from our motel enabled us to rectify the hydration problem in no time at all. Time for Thursday night football……………………

Gettysburg

Wednesday September 26th 2012

Stores on York Street

 Gettysburg is an introduction to American history. In 1863 the biggest battle of the Civil War was fought in this area.  In 1865 Lincoln made his Gettysburg address here.  To rest our weary legs, we spent the day touring the town. The town is well kept and every second house seems to have been around during the Civil War.  We walked the main streets in the morning  and after lunch we sat through a 30 minute show depicting the 3 day battle of  Gettysburg.  We toured the National Military Cemetery and then returned to the hotel for bike maintenance and laundry.  All is ready for Tomorrow.

Gettysburg - Main Square

House on Middle Street

National Military Cemetery

Tuesday September 25th 2012

Duncannon PA to Gettysburg PA 81km 1166m vertical climb

 

 

 

We set off at around 9:15 and decided to use the Google route description to take a country route rather than use the main roads through Harrisburg. The first few kilometres were easy enough to follow, but suddenly we arrived at a junction where the instructions said turn right on 305 but route 305 went straight on and 307 went right!!! We decided to go straight on to stay on 305 and had to tackle a tough climb through a forest until we hit a road that was not mentioned on our instructions (nor was it on our state map) so we knew we were lost. Well, Florida is south so that is the direction we took and, as luck would have it, we picked up the route as described a few kilometres later. The only problem we still had was that the terrain was crippling us. The climb rate was higher than any previous stages on this or any other tour.

We arrived in Carlisle about midday and were glad to be able to stop for lunch. The next section was a little easier until the road forked and we took the 94 to York Springs. It just got steeper and every time we topped a rise we could see a series of hills that looked just as bad. Forever optimistic, we pushed on hoping that every hill would be the last until we turned onto the Old Harrisburg Rd to Gettysburg where it did get a lot easier but still far from flat.

Gettysburg is the best kept town we have seen so far and being the scene of a major civil war battle in 1863 has a lot to see so we will stay an extra day to see the sights and get some feeling back in our legs. 

Monday September 24, 2012

River street in Northumberland

Danville PA to Duncannon PA 101km 766m vertical climb

Tim resting by the Suskahanna

We had our earliest start ever and left our hotel shortly after 9.  We passed through Northumberland/Sunbury where the Susquehanna and Lackawanna Rivers combine.  The town of Sunbury has built major defences against flooding and lookout posts dot the river dyke.   We decided to follow a minor road to Duncannon.   The road was hilly, steep and sparsely populated.  The shoulder was narrow or non existent and the truck traffic was heavy.  It wasn’t the best, but the drivers in Pennsylvania are considerate and we did well.     After lunch the road improved and the route followed the river closely so the terrain was flatter and the riding faster.   We arrived at the Doyle Hotel in Duncannon to find it is a hostel for hikers walking the Appalachian trail.  Our room cost 32.50 and the bathroom is down the hall.  But they have the best food in town and 3 local beers on tap.

The Doyle Hotel, Duncannon

Saturday September 22, 2012

 

            Scranton PA to Danville PA 107km 545m vertical climb

The strong smell of mothballs nearly choked us so we were glad to get out of our motel room this morning. The motel breakfast was in the room price but what looked like second hand donuts and coffee was not enough for us so we walked up the road to a diner and had a classic breakfast of fried eggs, bacon and potato pancakes with toast and jam. That was a much better start to the day. We had a clear blue sky and the heat, while stood loading the bikes outside the motel, led TimB to decide on a short sleeve shirt for the ride. The air, despite the sun, was actually quite cool so the high speed downhill immediately after leaving the car park left TimB with jaw ache after trying to stop his teeth chattering so it wasn’t long before he put a second shirt on.

           

Main Street - Avoca

            The first couple of hours were spent riding through the suburbs of Scranton and Wilkes Barre on rough roads past a lot of rough looking properties. Things looked more cheerful as we left Wilkes Barre and cycled on Route 11 paralleling the Lackawanna River. We stopped for lunch in Shickshinny and on entering the restaurant saw a plaque on the wall showing a line 55 inches off the floor, which was the level that the Lackawanna River had reached on Sept. 8^th last year as a result of the tropical storm Lee. The restaurant was about 300yds from and several yards higher than the river so it must have been an impressive sight to see. It had taken the owners until May this year to rebuild the place and reopen for business.

The afternoon was pleasantly warm and we had a nice steady ride through flat terrain until we decided to stop at about 70km for cold drinks when we saw the Bandits Roadhouse. The place was buzzing, being surrounded by Harley motorbikes and full of leather clad bikers. Despite not fulfilling the apparent dress code we felt qualified to enter having arrived on two wheels. After tanking up on two (US) pints of ginger ale on the rocks we easily managed the remaining 37km to the Red Roof Motel 4km north of Danville. 

Bandit Roadhouse - Berwick

Saturday September 22, 2012

Binghamton to Scranton, PA   106 KM  640m Vertical climb  

 We       We left Binghamton NY at 9:45 and crossed into Pennsylvania 1 hour later.  We headed south against the wind all day.   I am driving a new bike today – a Specialized tri-Cross.   I guess it will be all right, but it is not my deVinci.  It’s sad to end a love affair after 6 years of passion. 

Bridge built by the Lackawana Railroad in 1915

  My new bike performed well as we climbed and descended all day.  Pennsylvania met my expectations, an industrial landscape with decaying industries.  The Lackawanna viaduct, despite being 100 years old, still is an impressive concrete memorial.    After the first16 km the highway we travelled became a nice, smooth, well-maintained road and we cycled through PA in safety.