Floods and Wind (again)

Dear friends and family,

A few of you have been inquiring as to my safety in the big Nor’easter hitting the whole east coast.

I am alive and well so far and been challenged by this weather to make progress and still be safe.

It seems every time I see a weather map on the news the flooding moves to either where I am or where I intend to go. I’m like a flood magnet. I always wanted to be a magnate but this is the closest I’ll get.

To get out of my hotel room in Smithfield I had to climb over the fence to get to a floating dock, the only thing that wasn’t submerged. Instead of keeping my bike in the room as usual, I kept it in the lobby which was high above the flooding. This weather sure keeps things interesting.

As I approached Smithfield (famously known as for their hams-hence called Hamtown), I was already thinking about a hot shower when the road was closed due to flooding and I had to take the last one and a half miles on the elevated freeway, the only way into town. Just love those last minute stressors!

Several of the people I meet, especially the younger ones, ask as their first question “How far do you go every day?”

It makes me feel kind of wimpy when these last few days I might answer “only about thirty miles”. 

What they don’t realize is that the last three rides have been into a big headwind from the north, of course the direction I am riding. 

Think of it as sitting on an exercise bike at the gym, set the damper at about eight (out of ten) and then ride for four hours. If the hills show up,briefly move the damper up to nine, just to keep the heart rate up.

The wind has been about fifteen knots, gusting 25-30, enough to stand me still in the gusts. It sure keeps the mileage down. Now when anyone asks,I will just say “About four hours” instead.

I feel like i am being extra careful to not overdo the exertion so staying on the conservative side with picking mileage per day. The difficulty of the headwind makes my legs work extra hard and I can see by my heart rate that I am working hard. 

I want to avoid overuse stress and protect against either any muscle pulls or overtraining. Either would screw up the trip , so I choose to make sure I still have something in the tank when I quit for the day. Of course, since I am staying in hotels and need to book in advance (all the campgrounds are under water right now), I have to estimate my fitness.

The start of the day is hard until the muscles are warm, then I can feel great for maybe an hour and a half until it becomes work for the next two or three. My goal is to extend that “feeling great” window of time. 

Hopefully soon.

Today I rode all on country roads with no traffic. What a delight after the earlier high traffic days. If it weren’t for the wind, it would actually be easy. Still, the farms and big country houses are fun to see as they go slowly by. And today landed in historic Jamestown on the ferry. 

Many years ago, about 1987, I sailed up the James river from the Chesepeake Bay and had my family visit on Lily, my cruising boat from then. I sure must have been ambitious in those days.

I am heading for a stop in Richmond to get the bike tuned. All that sand and salt was hard on her, so i made arrangements for a tune-up at a shop that the people who took my beach picture recommended. 

Also, as the tourist season winds down, the prices follow. I am tonight in a fancy condo that normally rents for up to $399 per night and I paid $124 for it, handy that it is right on the bike trail. 

More coming, but thought I would check in.

Sending love,

Charley

this picture should say Smithfield, sorry