Northeast Ride #2 – Day Eight

Last night I got to spend a few minutes on the phone with my youngest which is kind of a big deal. The only time he doesn’t talk is when he’s asleep and when it involves a phone. We chatted about what’s been happening while I’ve been gone and what’s coming up for the weekend. His first football game is today, I of course missed it but I will get all the details later. We said our good nights and hung up.

The rest of the night was pretty rough on me. What I have accomplished is certainly not unique but it’s also no small feat, I wanted to celebrate but that’s not easy to do by yourself. This is the fifth trip without Dad and I still get at least one overwhelming moment of grief while I’m out here on the road. Last night was that moment. The loneliness pierced my heart and I fell into it’s darkness. I messaged my sisters to let them know that I was missing Dad but didn’t let on how bad off I was. Their responses helped but I still shed a multitude of tears before the grief subsided.

My campfire eventually began to burn itself out so I put myself to bed. I was up and on the road by 9:00am. It’s a short 30 miles into D.C., Libby and I make quick work of it but there’s a problem. Her engine light has come on again which is not good, I’m still 1,500 miles from home. I decided to keep going until I got to the city, I’ll check the code when I stop. I’m not terribly concerned yet as Libby has been running great this whole week and still is. But when we get to the city we run into stop and go traffic. A good twenty minutes sitting in the heat of traffic, I was glad I’d packed up the jack for the day.

My exit is not far but it takes a while to get to it and find out it’s blocked off and is the cause of the traffic jam. No worries though, I’ll take the next exit and reroute to my target. The next exit takes me off the highway and to a left turn that I cannot take, this way is blocked by local police. Only way to go is right so that’s what I do. I end up in the parking lot of some golf course. It’s a good place to stop and check on Libby.

I shut her down and check her codes. The code I find has something to do with oil, I don’t remember what exactly and should have written it down but failed to do so. I decided to check her oil. She’s a little low so I add a half a quart and reset the codes, I’ll see what happens down the road. I stop a couple of ladies walking past, they’re both wearing reflective vests so I assume they are working whatever event is keeping me from my destination. They tell me there is a bike race or ride going throughout the city. We talk for a bit and they try to help get me over to the Mall but I can’t heads or tails of what the two of them are telling me. They’re almost talking more about directions with each other than with me.

Back on the road. Every turn I need to make is blocked off and I can almost feel the GPS thinking I’m an idiot. I’ve hit most of the city but haven’t seen anything I want to. I eventually do see the top half of the Washington Monument, the dome of the Capital Building and even the top of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. I feel like I’m driving in circles and finally pull off to question a policewoman guarding yet another turn I need to make. She confirms that there is a bicycle event happening, they’re riding from Virginia to wherever, the route runs most of the city. I ask and she confirms that getting to the Mall right now would not be easy and would likely cost me a great deal of sanity. I defeatedly ask for directions out of the city and do my best to follow those.

I reset Libby’s GPS to home. I’ve got a bunch of miles to go and that’s the only destination I HAVE to get to. I’m still in the middle of D.C. and there are bikes everywhere. Not from the event, just normal bikes. There’s people riding in every direction and bikes on the back of half the cars I see. It’s insane but probably the best way to get around the city. GPS takes me through town and back to the highway, right back to the start of the traffic I was in earlier. Another twenty minutes in traffic heat and we’re moving again, but the cloud cover has started to return.

We make it to Virginia before long and jump off for a gas fill up, no more trouble with Libby so far. It’s right at noon now so I decide to get lunch. I’m looking for a place called Red Embers (I think) but I’m having trouble finding it. However, I find a Hooters. Wings and buffalo shrimp sound really good so I decide to cheat, I’ll get to get catch a little football too. Turns out the place I was originally looking for was just behind Hooters.

Back on the highway and officially headed for home. We’re trekking through the Virginia mountains, occasionally passing some farmland. My goal is to get 1,200 miles from home. If I can get this far then the I should be home at a decent time on Tuesday. The first hundred miles from lunch seem to take forever. It doesn’t take long for my butt to get sore at this point in the trip but I make it and pull off at a rest stop to use the restroom and take a short break. It’s starting to sprinkle when I get back out to Libby. I spend a moment contemplating putting on my rain gear. I’m definitely getting my jacket out, the temp has dropped a little and I started getting a little chilly on the road. I opted to keep the rain gear stowed for now, I can pull over and suit up if the rain really starts to hit. Radar shows a bunch of green in front of me.

I get back on the highway and the rain starts almost immediately so I pull off at the very next exit. I suit up and get back on the road as fast as I can, I’ve still got some miles to go before I get where I want to be. The rain is light but steady and the road remains in good condition. The rain gear keeps me dry for the next several miles but I’m starting to get drowsy, not good in dry conditions and certainly dangerous on any type of wet road. I pull off to gas up and grab another Red Bull, butt needs another break too. The rain here is still light and is still coming down steadily.

From here the rain begins to get heavier and the roads start to get really wet. I’ve got about 70 miles to at this point and it’s rain the entire way. The rain and spray from other vehicles makes visibility a problem. It’s difficult to see the road at times and keeping up at the 70mph speed limit is hard at times. I’m running at 60mph for several miles. Water is starting to find it’s way through my gear and I can feel my chest and crotch getting wet. It’s cold and extremely uncomfortable. I decide to readjust my target for the day. If I can make it to Roanoke I’ll be happy and just over 1,200 miles from home tomorrow.

It’s wet the whole way into town. The rain lightens up from time to time but never stops completely. I’m soaked in all the wrong places when I finally pull into a hotel. I poke my head in and ask if they have a room for me then go back out and remove my gear, I don’t want to make a mess in the lobby. Room rates are high and it’s explained to me that Blacksburg is just about 45 minutes down the road and the Virginia Tech Hokies have a game tonight.

I don’t want to head out to find something to eat in this weather so I walk nextdoor to a Mexican restaurant and order some tacos to go. They aren’t great but it’s better than driving somewhere else in the rain. It’s time for a hot shower and good sleep before heading out tomorrow. I’m hoping I can get past the rain quickly and make some good mileage. I should be crossing time zones and getting an hour back soon so I’ll be able to make good mileage on that day. It’d be nice to stay dry though.