|
|
MENU
|
Day 65 - August 11 - Hopewell, VA to Yorktown, VA - 58 miles Click on the thumbnails to view larger pictures.
|
|
|
|
| Today is Day 65 and the final one of our trip! We have
mixed feelings about finishing. We're tired of eating in restaurants
and sleeping in a different bed every night, but we'll miss the daily rides with new scenery unfolding before us by the
hour. It'll be hard to give up eating as much as we want
whenever we want it. The challenge of mapping out and riding a new route each day
will no longer be there. And we'll miss the
friendly people that "made" our trip. The residents of the
areas we biked through, the tourists who took time to stop and talk, and
the other cross country cyclists will be greatly missed. These folks
all touched our lives and made the memories we will never forget.
Our route today took us past several historic plantations including Shirley, Berkeley, and Sherwood Forest. We followed the James River most of the way, but never really got a look at it till we approached Williamsburg. The final 24 miles were on the scenic Colonial Parkway as we rode into Yorktown, the York River being at our side for the final stretch. Finally we made it to Victory Monument in Yorktown on the banks of the York River. When we pulled up to the monument there weren't any bands playing, flags waving, crowds cheering, or fireworks. There were just a couple of tourists with confused looks on their faces. We stopped one of those tourists and asked if she would take our picture by the monument. When we told her the reason for the picture she stared at us for a moment, looked our bikes over, and then decided we must be for real. She agreed to take a few pictures and like so many other people this summer couldn't help but ask about the trip. We were happy to tell our story just one more time. Tomorrow morning we'll pack everything into Ron's truck, which has been parked at cousin Larry's, and drive to Ron's home in West Virginia as the final leg of our journey. It's hard to believe the trip is over! It went by so fast! After almost 10 weeks of a daily routine of early morning rides, setting up camp, eating huge feasts, and early bedtimes it will be hard to adjust to a different schedule. When we visited with the Cookie Lady we met a friend of hers named Cindy. She had ridden across the Transamerica Trail in 1983 and has since moved to Palmyra, Virginia to be near Mrs. Curry. She told us, "Once you've completed your cross country trip you'll never be the same. The places you visit and the people you meet leave a lasting impression on you, and gives you a whole new outlook on life." She's right! Our lives will never be the same! |
|
