The Cookie Lady

Almost on the Blue ridge mountains but staying at The Cookie Ladys place. . A cross beween a museum and a backpackers. June is lovely, been feeding cyclists for 33 years. Early start tomorrow, along the ridge. Might manage to get the US sim to work properly with any look, as its cost me about sixty bucks so far. .

Uh oh, the mountains are coming. .

Somewhere under the clouds are the appalacians

Camping at last

Last night was the first night under canvas, which was good, and cheap! Had a swim in the river, watched the groundhogs and bats and fell asleep at about 9. . There are black bears around here but they are more scared of than we are of them. . Apparently.

Wednesday night...sunburnt, fat and tired

It didn't quite go according to plan today....I'm esconced (?) in the Holiday Inn Express, Mechanicsville...I'm supposed to be in my tent about 20 miles up the road but it was either have food and get a room or get to the campsite before it gets dark and miss the food. The food option won. Mmm, and good food, unlike all the hideous junk I've had today. I even had a burger that had probably been cooked about an hour (optimistically) before I got there from a bad grocery store. At the time though, it did taste great. I can't believe how much I've had to drink...I must have had 10 litres of nice and not-so-nice fluids today. The worst was a banana, non-dairy protein drink. The best was a Long Island Iced tea.....

Virginia is very nice indeed. I had to cycle 13 miles from last nights hotel in Williamsburg to Yorktown, then back again as Williamsburg is inland and I hadn't located a hotel in Yorktown. Some of Yorktown was a bit like Colonial themed area in an amusement park but Williamsburg was the genuine article if now full of tourist shops, but quite tastefully done. Very Georgian. On the noticeboard in Yorktown was an invitation to go 'Shagging on the Waterfront' every weekend. As it is very genteel I presume that means something different over here. I cycled through miles of forest today - really big trees, lots of eagles and birds of prey, butterflies, drogonflies etc etc. It was great. And flat fortunately. I'm breaking myself in for the hills - 2 days away I think.

I almost had sausage gravy (and that's not a euphemism,although perhaps it should become one) for breakfast. WTF. It looked like porridge with stuff in it. Thank the Lord I asked first. Who thought of that?? I know the idea is to try new things but no. There are limits.

Getting lost several times didn't help the planning. The maps are good so long as you stay on the road. Move off it and there's no chance. Fortunately the people I've met have been very helpful, with the exception of the guy who I made jump as he couldn't hear me saying 'hello' as his lawnmower was too loud. He really did want to punch me when he'd climbed back down off the kennel. And generally they are very friendly - loads of people wave, one guy was applauding me from his car as I went past. Not quite sure what that was about.

Not managed to get an American SIM card for my phone yet - it appears they don't give them away over here like they do at home. I dread to think what it costs to send the pics over - someone ring Orange and find out!

Aiming for Mineral tomorrow or possibly Charlottesville if it's not too hot.

Day 1, the start

There is no-one around to take there pics for me. . Anyway, this is the Atlantic Ocean. . I'm not putting my wheels in the water as i'll get sand in my SPDs. . I'll take a matching one on the west coast in a couple of months

This is it. . The start

This rather attractive pic is at the Yorktown Victory Monument, celebrating where the French and Americans say off the British in 1781. This is the official start of the TransAmerica bike ride. . Better get going. . Got to get back to the hotel for breakfast. .

Newark airport

Waiting for the connecting flight to Norfolk, Virginia and this aptly named diner is right next to my gate. Cheers Rubes! First burger of the trip. .