Friday, May 15. The Adventure Begins. Day 4

We eat a lot though out the day, stopping periodically for food. We figure we burn on the average of about 5 to 6 thousand calories a day. Here the three of us just finished sucking it all down.

Ever wondered where President James Monroe used to live? Now you know.

Our lodging for the night in Charlottesville, Va.

You meet some of the nicest people in the world on a tour like this, Claudia on the left, and Mallisa were no exception. Claudia is the substitute Post Mistress at this tiny little corner Post Office in the town of Kent Store. I only saw one store and a Post office. Mallisa used to own a little corner store that closed for one reason or another, and told us that she just loved it when touring cyclist came by. She rides a little herself.
We stopped to take a picture of this old hounted looking house. Turns out it used to be a school at one point.

This old building sat by itself on the side of the road. It made me wonder what role it played in the history of this place.

German engineering in progress.

Believe it or not, there's a snake down there. I went down to the stream to see if I could photograph some of those neat little turtles. When this snake about 3 feet long slithered away from about 5 feet away from me.



The old train station in Mineral, Va. It's abandoned, but trains still use the tracks in front of it.

Leaving the Mineral all volunteer fire department on our way to Charlottesville.

57 hard miles today. there were a lot of hills. Not very big ones, but a lot of them. It is by far our hardest day yet. We didn't pull into our motel till well after 7:00PM. To make things worse. The University of Virginia here in Charlottesville has it's graduation this weekend. So this town of 45,000 plus, is really cooking. We almost couldn't find a place to stay.

Today's ride took us through some really nice hill country. There were miles of rolling hills and numerous little stream crossings that gave us an excuse to stop every few miles. It is beautiful country out here. At one of these stops, A snake gave me the scare of my life when it took of just a few feet from me. I yelled, "Snake!" which brought Lisa and Fabian to check out what all the commotion was all about. They didn't seen impressed one bit.

The rain haunted us though out part of the day, but we were fortunate enough to avoid the showers. I think it was The Lord Giving us safe passage, because at one point we were traveling during rush hour on a very busy winding road. If it were raining, visibility would have made it very dangerous. Thank You Lord Jesus.

We also went past two former presidents homes. James Monroe. and Thomas Jefferson. Did you know that 6 of our nation's presidents were from Virginia, including George Washington?

Saturday will be our first rest day. Our bikes are giving us a little trouble. Fabian needs his rear wheel professionally trued, and Lisa and I need to have our front derailleurs looked at. I have trouble shifting in to the small ring. Almost like there's not enough pressure in the return spring to over come the friction of the pivot. Weird, I've never had that happen before. Also my bottom bracket for the crank arms started to come loose. It was making strange noises that got worse as the rise progressed. Luckily I brought a full home mechanics bike maintenance kit along and was able to address the problem, but shoud have it checked to see if there were any related problems.

Tonight we stay at the Budget Inn in Charlottesville, but will have to hunt for another place tomorrow night since it is graduation time here. Thank you all again for thinking and praying for our safe journey. I'm not quite sure when we will have internet again, but will make updates when ever possible.

Aloha kaua, Ted.

Thursday, May 14. The Adventures of Ted, Day 3

Ted setting up his tent in Mineral, Va. behind the fire station.

The three of us made it just in time, cause later that night, there were heavy rain, thunder and lightning. Our stuff held out, we all stayed dry.

Lisa all set up and ready for the showers.

I liked this little water mill. I've seen pictures of these and even have a picture of one hanging in my house some place. But this is the first one I've seen in person.

A snap shot back from the saddle of my bike. I took this while resting. So no risk was involved.

On road repairs are common on a trip like this. Fabian tightening some loose spokes before catastrophic results.

Little dwellings and farms like these are abundant in this area.

The three of us taking a short break on the side of the road before moving on.

We stopped on this bridge. I thought it was pretty cool.

Biker Ted. Head mechanic, Tran s America crossing, 2009.

May 14, Day 3. Mechanicsville to Mineral, Va. 63 mi. 160.2 total.

It was great last night having all the conveniences of a hotel with all the comforts of home. I was able to update the post and recharge the computer and itouch. A bit of bad news though. I realized that I had left my camera bag along with six 4GB. High speed SD cards, remote shutter release, lens cleaning kit, and spare battery for my Nikon. That really hurt, about $200.00 to replace. Thank The Lord though, the battery charger was kept separate, and I am still able to recharge the one battery I have, when needed. I just need to up load the images daily to clear the card so that I don’t get all the days mixed up for posting on this blog.

We left the Hampton Hotel at a little after 8:30AM. It was over cast, and I thought it was going to rain for sure. We headed directly toward what seemed to be the darkest part of the sky. The morning news reported a killer tornado that had ravished parts of Oklahoma killing 13 people. Although our route does not take us through Oklahoma, we will be crossing the tornado belt during tornado season.

As we mad our way along back country roads, the sky’s cleared up a little, even showing signs of sun shine now and then. Just when it looked like we might be out of it, another dark and gloomy system headed toward us. At no time though out the day, were we absolutely sure that we were in the clear from the rain. Thank The Lord that the weather held out, and we made it to Mineral without a drop being shed.

Today’s ride was mostly uneventful. There were no close calls, no killer climbs, and nothing to really get excited about. In fact, I took very few pictures today. Partly because I thought it might rain at any moment, and the lack of interesting subjects. The terrain here is mostly rolling hills that are thickly forested, and dozens and dozens of small farms. The drivers were very courteous, always making sure that we had plenty of room before attempting to pass. At one point, a big UPS van followed us for almost ten minutes on a winding road, full of blind turns, and only passed us when visibility was safe enough. And then, he waved to us as he passed. I told Lisa that if this was Molokai, we would get run off the road. Jokingly of course.

We saw our first herd of cows today. We were wondering when we were going to see them/ This type of land would be perfect for them. We stopped every five to ten miles to take a break and refuel. All of the local people I talked to were very, very friendly, and were amazed that people would even think about such a journey. And when I told them where Lisa and I were from, they were even more amazed. I told them that we were riding our bikes all the way to Oregon, and to build up our arms, we were paddling a canoe all the way to Hawaii. But only after I made sure that the timing was right. The last thing I want folks to know is that people from Molokai are crazy. In the end though, they wished us well, and told us to be safe. There is still hope for humanity.

Tonight we are staying at the Mineral All Volunteer Fire Department. They allow cyclists to pitch their tents in the fair ground right next to the fire station, and use their shower and restroom facilities. A thunder storm is fore cast for tonight, so I made sure everything is buttoned up. We put the bikes and the trailers inside their kitchen facility to keep it out of the weather. Great folks these people. Aloha to them all.

Well getting late, tomorrow we start tackling some hills. Aloha, Ted.

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.

May 12th. The Adventure Begins, Day 1.

Pat had a mechanical problem. Wheel axle came loose. We later found out that his rear drop out was cracked all the way through. He had to drive all the way to Washington DC where REI replaced the frame at no charge.

This is Kevin, he came all the way from Richmond to ride with us on our first day.

Me and Kevin at Historic yorktown.

Kevin woke up extra early to make us some musubi for lunch.

We met Pat and Virginia at the Victory Monument. A father and daughter team going all the way to Washington.

The River's Rest Marina. Our home for the night.

Lisa in front of the Victory Monument with our bikes. Notice the Hawaiian plates on mine. Thanks Brian and Deb.

The Victory Monument.

After I got far away enough that I thought it was safe, I took this picture of the two cars that scared the #$%* out of me.

Civil War canons at the battle ground near the Victory Monument visitor center.

This is part of the Colonial Parkway trail.

It was nice to ride with out worrying about cars.

Lisa in front of the fountain at the James Town Historical Museum. Each state is represented by a flag. Hawaii is to the far right.

Casually riding though Historical Yorktown near the campus of William and Mary Collage.

Fabian and Lisa trying to decide which way is west.

TransAm-Day1 May 12, 2009. 46.6 mi., 4:39:32. Yorktown to Charles City Va.

Aloha friends and family. Finally, after over a year of planning, saving, training and dreaming. The reality of it all is finally sinking in. We purposely planned a late start, because we hadn’t planned on a high mileage day. We knew that Yorktown and the surrounding area had much to offer in the way of history and lore. After all, it is the place that our country was formed. The three of us set out from the Travel Lodge at 9:00am sharp. It just happened to work out that way. After a brief stop at the 7-11 to pressurize Lisa’s tires, we headed to the Victory monument where the official coast to coast trek will begin. Within minutes, the excitement started. A late model black van traveling in the opposite direction stopped to make a left turn to yield to our crossing. A red sedan traveling at an excessive amount of speed, hit the brakes squealing and crashing into the stationary vehicle not more than 15 feet next to me. Talk about a rush, I was buzzing for the next hour at least. I don’t know what happened, but I know that the Lord was watching over me big time. It could have easily been a quick end to a long journey.

Once leaving the beach where Fabian dipped his rear tire in the Atlantic ocean, we made our way thought Old Colonial Yorktown to find a place to eat. Believe it or not, we scoured that place for at least 20 minutes, and the best we could find was the WaWa Market. A combination convenience store and deli. The whole explanation for this, and the lack of public restrooms in such a highly visited tourist destination is beyond me. I bought a sandwich and called it good. The Colonial Parkway is a really neat river rock and cement roadway that snakes its way along the James River. Light traffic along with breath taking scenery was worth twice the price of admission. It could not have been a more perfect day. The sun was out, blue skies, light winds, and the three of us soaking it all in. We met up with Kevin Kubota. A local boy from Mililani now a high school teacher in Richmond that I met on the internet through “Crazyguyonabike”. We have been corresponding for the past 7 or 8 months about our trans-continental bike ride. He himself hopes to some day do this same ride in the future. We stopped, exchanged greeting, and rode to Williamsburg together. Being a local to the general area, he gave us inside advice on safer, if not more enjoyable options to our route. The afternoon quickly gave way to early evening, when it was time for Kevin to part and say good bye. I presented him with a bag of Malulani coffee as a token of our friendship, and we continued on our way. Tonight we are staying at the “Rivers Rests Marina”. fishing resort on the banks of the Chickahomany river. It is said that this place is home of some of the best bass fishing is the country.

Thank you all for joining us on “The Adventures of Ted”.

May 11, Our last full day in Yorktown.

These things take forever!

With the anticipation of the big day tomorrow, Lisa needed a way to release all that energy.

Lisa and I with the good folks at "Back Alley Bikes". They were almost as excited as we were about our trip.

Since Krystal wouldn't be able to see us off in the morning, we said our good byes and took this parting shot. Thanks Krystal and Anthony for all the great help. You guys made things a lot easier.

Today was our last full day here in Yorktown. We finally made it to a bike shop where we were able to get the last of our needed items for the start of our journey. It rained most of the day, and the temperature dipped into the 50's, so Lisa and I did not get a chance to ride into old colonial Yorktown to check out where we would start like we had planned. We did take advantage of the situation and got a lot of organizing and packing done, including shipment of stuff that we didn't think we needed. I think we still ended up with way too much stuff, but since we have no clue about bike touring, we're going to see how it goes, and take it from there.

Tomorrow we meet Kevin Kubota. A local boy from Mililani who now is a school teacher in Richmond about 50 or so miles from here. We have been communicating via e-mail for the last few months about our trip. We became friends, and there is a good chance that his grand father and my father knew each other years ago in Lahaina......... He and his son will be riding with us part way tomorrow. Since it'll be the first time meeting him, I thought it would be nice to give him something from Molokai to share with his family. What would be better than good ole Molokai coffee.

Aloha everyone, we miss you already. Ted.

May 10, 2009. The preperation complete.

"SHOPPING!'

Our home and stagging post.

Lisa, Ted, and Fabian. We met Fabian this morning. He saw us putting together our bikes and came over to chat. Come to find out, He is also doing the Trans-Am. We were very excited and invited him to join us. He is from Oregon and writes programs for a satellite imaging company that supplies Google Earth with data. He also is pulling a trailer.

Ted, Krystal, and Anthony. Krystal and Anthony were a great help in helping us get around. We wouldn't know what to do with out their help.

The bike all set up and ready to roll.

This interesting character popped up on my bed just as I was ready to call it a night. Cute little bugger.

Lisa busy updating her blog. Go Lisa!

Happy Mother's Day Mom! And to all you other mother's out there also. Today Krystal and Anthony came back to help shuttle us around to shop for more needed items. We went to Walmart and picked up food and a small cooler for ice and stuff. We had lunch at a great Chinese place that had not only good food, but the price was even better. We will have the left overs for dinner. After a full day of running around, it was back to the Travel Lodge to finish setting up the bikes. We are now ready, and will have the whole day tomorrow to relax and do some sight seeing before the big day Tuesday. The manager at the Travel Loldge was one of the necest guys you could ever meet. He just about bent over backwards to make sure that all of our needs were met. He earned himself a bag of Molokia Coffee. So far, everything is going as planned, and we see no problem as of yet. Thank you all for your prayers, they are deeply appreciated. We love you all.

Aloha, Ted.