May 13th, The Adventure Begins Day 2.

Plaq of the last battle for Richmond.

Ted testing out one of the canons.

The reality set in when I seen this tornado shelter.

There were a bunch of these turtles at this stream we crossed.

This racoon didn't make it.

We are on the actual 1976 Bicentenial route.

I figure if Obama can do it, so can I.

It was so much fun, I had to do it again.

No, we're not lost, we're just double checking.

One of our many fuel stops today.

50'3 miles, 4:25:24. Carles City to Mechanicsville, Va.

We didn't get going till almost 9:00AM. It was cold, cold, cold. So we stayed in till it wormed up a little. By the time we left the River's Rest Marina, the temperature had climbed near 70, and that was good enough not to wear a jacket. Being so far off the beaten path, the roads in this part of Virginia is simple two lane with no shoulder. On the plus side, there is hardly any traffic either. The cars that did pass by, gave us enough room that we were more than comfortable with. The scenery alone was worth evey peddle stroke as we steadily made our way across the land scape. We would take a break about every ten miles or so to grab some fuel and go over our maps. We couldn't have asked for a nicer day that this. We encountered a turtle that had just crossed the road. I wanted to stop and check it out, but figured there would be plenty more as the day went on. We stopped at an open field where we saw bald eagles feeding on something. They scattered a short time after we got there. Come to find out, it was a dead deer. One of two we saw today. I was so excited about seeing the eagles, that I completely forgot to take pictures. Bad Ted, Baaaad! We didn't see any live ones, but we did see a couple of dead snakes on the road. Also a racoon that didn't quite make it, and about five or six possums.

I was amazed at the amount of history there is in these parts. It seems like every few miles there was a memorial of some battle that was fought during the Civil War. We stopped at a couple, mainly to rest, but took in a little history at the same time. They don't allow metal detectors there because they don't want people walking off with Civil War relics.

Lisa was in high spirits all day, and did not complain once. In fact, she kept Fabian and I entertained with her lady like personality. She really is great to have along. Tonight the three of us are staying at the Hampton Hotel. We have wifi, a hot shower, and Ruby Tuesdays just across the street.

Aloha, than k you so much for all the e-mailed comments of support. Ted.