Day 44 (Glendale to Yorktown)

(61mi,13.5mph)
Slept in and left around 10. We rode 20 miles, then stopped at a BBQ trailer on the side of the road in Charles City.  From there it was only 40 more miles, so we pushed all the way to the end without stopping. The last 20 miles were on the Colonial Parkway, which would have been a nice road, except the concrete pavement was really rough.  We arrived in Yorktown and met up with Tom and Caroline Kelter. (Katie's dad and sister) We officially ended at the Victory Monument in Yorktown, 3775 miles from San Francisco.  We averaged 86 miles per day over 44 days. It's been a great trip, but I think we're all ready to be done riding for a few days. Now we're at Virginia Beach, and it's time to relax!

GPS Track

Day 43 (Charlottesville to Glendale)

(130.9mi,13.1mph,4998ft)
We had breakfast at McDonald's and then headed east on the route. After about 25 miles, we intersected highway 250, which was a straight shot to Richmond. There was very light traffic, so we decided to take the shortcut to make it to a church in Glendale, rather than a campground that would have been 110 miles on the route. Our idea backfired once again as we found ourselves on a busy 4-6 lane road on the outskirts of Richmond. I found a detour to get us back onto the route, and we stopped in Mechanicsville for dinner around 6 after 110 miles. It was 20 more miles along the route to the church, so we made a final push to get there before dark. It's nice to have A/C on our last night of the trip. We're going to sleep in because we have 60 more miles to Yorktown. The route continues to get flatter, so it should be a very easy, shorter ride. Almost there!
(I didn't take any pictures today, but I found this picture of us on another cyclist's blog. This is in Larned, KS)

Day 42 (Troutville to Charlottesville)

(99mi,11.5mph,8067ft)
We woke up to rain, so we didn't get started until 9 when the rain lightened. We still ended up riding through rain for the first hour, but then it stopped and eventually cleared up. The high was 85 today, which was a really nice change. We rode about 30 miles to Lexington for lunch and then 20 miles to Vesuvius, where we would start our last climb up to Blue Ridge Parkway. The climb started out fairly steep, but leveled out and became an easy ride up to 3200ft. We rode on Blue Ridge Parkway for 25 miles or so, then coasted to a campground to make it 99 miles for the day. It's pretty much flat from here on, and we're excited to get up and ride the last 200 miles. After looking at the maps, we're probably going to try and take a few shortcuts. The route gets pretty windy and avoids some roads that aren't bad to ride on. We'll be careful to try to avoid situations like yesterday with traffic. Two days left. They should be easy, but hopefully rain doesn't slow us down.

Day 41 (Wytheville to Troutville)

(93.9mi,12.9mph,4317ft)
We got on the road at 6:30 and took the roads next to the interstate instead of following the route. This saved us a few miles and hills. We stopped at McDonald's in Dublin for breakfast, about 30 miles into the ride. We took route 11 straight to Christiansburg to cut off more miles. Christiansburg would have been 56 miles on the route, but we made it in 50, and it was a very easy ride. It was downhill out of Chrisitiansburg, but at about 75 miles, we started to get more traffic. Apparently there was construction on the interstate, so lots of trucks were taking a detour onto route 11. The traffic came to a standstill around mile 78, but fortunately there was a side road that would get us to Roanoke. Unfortunately, other cars had figured this out too, so we still had traffic on a narrow, windy, back road. We reached another traffic jam on this road, but it was due to debris on the road from a recent storm. By the time we got to Roanoke, we were tired, hungry, and ready to be off of busy roads. We stopped at Pizza Hut around 3:00 and relaxed for a while. We still had to navigate through Roanoke to get to Troutville, where there is free camping in the city park. Right as we were about to leave Pizza Hut, the sky got dark and it poured rain for a few minutes. When it stopped, we decided to try and bike the final 15 miles to Troutville. We had light rain for the last hour, but it wasn't anything like earlier. We've been fortunate with rain on our trip. We had about 45 minutes of light rain in Illinois, and another 15 in Kentucky. 2 hours of rain in 41 days. Three more days left, and we have our final climb tomorrow up to Blue Ridge. Around 310 miles to go.

Day 40 (Council to Wytheville)

(88.1mi,11.2mi,7268ft)
Got an early start today, but even though it was 75 degrees, we were dripping with sweat within minutes due to the humidity. We had two bigger climbs in the first 30 miles, then just small hills. When we got to Meadowview, we headed east on route 11 instead of following the maps. We had been told that it would cut off about 25 miles and a bunch of climbing. The shortcut was easy riding, just a little extra traffic due to construction on the interstate that runs parallel. We stopped in Wytheville around 4:45 and decided to quit for the day because there wasn't any camping for another 30 miles on the route. At Walmart, we met Mark, who invited us to stay at his house. We took showers and cooled off in the air conditioning while we talked about cycling with Mark. It's going to be so nice sleeping inside away from the humidity! Four more days to go, and it feels like we're practically there; only 420 more miles. That may seem like a big number, but it feels like nothing compared to what we've already come through. (3383mi, 84.6mi/day) We have small hills until we get to Blue Ridge, then one final climb to Blue Ridge Parkway before its all downhill and relatively flat to the coast.

Day 39 (Hindman, KY to Council, VA)

(94.6mi,10.8mph,7943ft)
Left around 7 and had an easy ride for a few miles before we started the first of 4 big hills left in Kentucky. We met a pair of cyclists on the road that had stayed Hindman last night, except in a church. For free. Apparently the guy from the hostel/historical society had complained to ACA (the company that makes our maps) about this church taking away his customers. There isn't much we can do about it now except for giving other cyclists advice about avoiding this hostel. Anyway, enough complaining. We got to Virginia 66 miles later and it almost felt like finishing the trip. We were done with our least favorite state, and starting the last one of the whole ride. We went up some steep climbs past Breaks, and arrived in Council 28 miles later. Tonight we have a free park to camp in, which helps make up a little for last night. Today was a tough day as far as terrain. Probably one of our toughest days aside from Utah and the first 2-3 days of the trip. We still managed to make it close to 100 miles to stay on schedule, and tomorrow we have about a 25 mile shortcut that will also bypass some climbing. 5 more days until we're in Yorktown, and it feels good to be in Virginia!

Day 38 (Berea to Hindman)

(113.6mi,11.8mph,8556ft)
Started around 8:15 and went 20 miles to Sand Gap for breakfast. We had some longer climbs, but none were too bad. It was the humidity that made it difficult today. The road conditions got worse and the dogs became more frequent as we went farther east in Kentucky. We reached Hindman in the evening after a long, hot day filled with dogs, pot holes, rumble strips, and car horns. There was a bike hostel associated with the historical society listed on my maps, so we called, only to find out that it was $25 per person. We ran out of other options, so we decide to head to the hostel. I assumed that for $25 a person (more than we've paid anywhere, even motels) we would be sleeping inside. That was not the case. We were told to set up our tent on the hill behind the historical society building. The $25 would have included dinner and breakfast, but since we didn't call a day ahead, we wouldn't get dinner. We asked if he would lower the fee, and he told us that we hadn't taken advantage of everything he offers, but that it's $25 no matter what. It was too late to find a place to camp in the woods, so we gave up. Frustrating. We're going to try to sleep in the humidity.

Day 37 (Bardstown to Berea)

(96.7mi,12mph,6818ft)
Slept in, Aidan woke up to a flat, and we had breakfast at subway, so we didn't leave until around 10:45. It was 30 miles before we encountered any gas stations, so we stopped for lunch around 1. The hills started to get a little longer, but it was still a fairly easy day. It got cloudy and looked like it was going to rain for most of the afternoon, which made it much cooler. We got chased by a few dogs, but they didn't give us any trouble. Hopefully we'll be done with the dogs after tomorrow, which should be our last full day in Kentucky. We arrived in Berea late because of our late start, and found an rv park near Walmart where we stopped for food. We're still on schedule to finish in 7 more days.

Day 36 (Whitesville to Bardstown)

(106.2mi,13.6mph,5600ft)
The smaller hills continued in the morning and got a little bigger, but it was still an easy day. The humidity may have been the worst part; it was probably our most humid day yet. After about 65 miles we were taking a break at a gas station in Eastview when 4 other cyclists pulled up. They were headed west and had been on the road for about 3 weeks. They had come on a shortcut from Bardstown. Bardstown was 65 miles away according to the route, but their shortcut would get us there in 40. It was an easy ride to Bardstown where we had dinner and found a campground. We took showers and were informed that they would be having a fireworks show right next to the campground at 11. Going to sleep a little later tonight, so we may get a later start in the morning. It's about 90 miles to Berea and the end of the 3rd to last map. 8 more days.

Day 35 (Cave In Rock, IL to Whitesville, KY)

(102.8mi,13.7mph,5716ft)
We got on the ferry across the Ohio River at 7 and were in Kentucky 15 minutes later. We rode 12 miles to Marion before stopping for breakfast at McDonalds. While we were inside it rained for a few minutes, but stopped by the time we were ready to go. 25 miles later we grabbed a quick lunch in Clay before riding 20 miles to Sebree. We made one more stop in Utica before we got to Whitesville for the night. We had rolling hills all day that made for an enjoyable ride. It was humid, but not as hot as the last week or so. After 5 weeks, we've gone 2884 miles and averaged 82.5 miles per day. We should have around 950 miles to go, and we're planning on 9 more days.

Day 34 (Carbondale to Cave In Rock)

(85.7mi 12.2mph 5805ft)
The bike shop didn't open until 10, so we didn't get started until 10:30. We stopped in Goreville after about 25 miles for pizza, then 25 more to Eddyville for a snack. From there it was around 35 to Cave In Rock, so we rode until 8:15 to get there. We camped on the bank of the Ohio River, ready to take the ferry across to Kentucky in the morning. Fortunately there are showers in the welcome center for us to use tonight, and camping was only $7.50. We have a little over 1000 miles left, so our goal is to be done in 10 more days, on July 12.

Day 33 (Farmington, MO to Carbondale, IL)

(88.6mi,13.7mph,3710ft)
The Ozark hills continued, but got smaller as we approached Illinois. We crossed the Mississippi and took the alternate route to Murphysboro, which had less hills. Then we decided to take another shortcut off the alternate to cut off at least 5 miles. (2/4 successful shortcuts) After a quick stop in Murphysboro, we took hwy 13 (3/5 shortcuts) to Carbondale to meet my dad's cousin Cary for dinner. We ended up at a motel as it got dark and we ran out of free alternatives. I ran over a piece of glass that popped a hole in my tire and tube this afternoon, so we're headed to the bike shop in the morning for a new tire. We should be at the Kentucky border tomorrow night, if not in Kentucky.

Day 32 (Eminence to Farmington)

(86.4mi,12.1mph,6844ft)
We had been warned about the steep hills east of Eminence, and the steepness of the Ozarks in general, but they weren't bad. Some were steep, but they were all short. We stopped in Ellington for lunch and met a group of 12 on 6 tandem bikes. Two families of 6 with kids as young as 8! It was hot riding after lunch, but we had some shade and a breeze that made it bearable. We rode another 60 miles to Farmington (with a shortcut that cut off 7 miles. We're one for three on successful shortcuts) and found an inn for cyclists that we had been hearing about.

Day 31 (Houston to Eminence)

(43.7mi,13.9mph,2279ft)
Got another early start and rode to Summersville for a snack. We had heard from other cyclists that there was tubing on Jacks Fork River near Eminence, so we stopped in Alley Spring and found a rental shop. They were able to take our bikes to the spot where they would pick us up, so we floated instead of riding for 5 miles. The river was slow, but very cool and refreshing, and my waterproof speaker provided us with music. We spent 5 hours floating on our tubes before we reached the pick-up spot with fresh sunburns. We had dinner in Eminence and the Methodist church is letting us stay in their basement. The hills are supposed to be tough tomorrow, so it will be nice to have a cool place to sleep.

Day 30 (Fair Grove to Houston)

(81.4mi,13mph,3463ft)
Left at 5:40 and rode 40 miles to Hartsville for breakfast. The hills weren't bad, and it was under 90 degrees before 10am. We stopped in Bendavis before we arrived in Houston around 1:30. After a cold drink and a quick stop at Walmart, we went to the local pool to cool off. We were allowed to camp in the park, so we set up there and we'll try to sleep as it slowly cools down.

Day 29 (Pittsburgh, KS to Fair Grove, MO)

(102.2mi,13.1mph,6404ft)
Woke up at 4:30 and waited until it was light enough to ride. Started around 5:45, but almost immediately Aidan had a flat, so we left Pittsburgh at 6. 35 miles later we stopped in Golden City for water and a granola bar. (We stopped eating at cafes for breakfast a while ago because we found that we were spending at least an hour sitting around and usually $10 a person.) 33 miles later in Ash Grove, we stopped at a small gas station for lunch. We had hoped to be done before the heat of the day, but beyond Ash Grove there wasn't much until Fair Grove (33 more miles). We pushed on and the hills got bigger as we rode farther into Missouri. At 3:45 we found a Subway in Fair Grove and cooled off for a couple hours. I had two footlongs and probably a gallon of water as I recovered from the long day. We were told we could camp in the city park, which had showers. Hopefully it cools off tonight and we get another early start tomorrow. No dogs yet, but we've been warned that they're coming.

Day 28 (Parsons to Pittsburgh)

(36mi,12.8mph,872ft)
We woke up tired, but rode 35 miles to Pittsburgh in the morning. We tentatively planned to go another 35 to Golden City, MO, but by the time we had lunch in Pittsburgh, it was 1pm and 100 degrees. We found a motel and took a nap for a few hours. The local bike shop was busy with other tourers after lunch, so I went back at 4 to have them take apart my bottom bracket (it was squeaking). We're going to get a very early start tomorrow to get our riding done before the heat, and hopefully make that our new routine.

Day 27 (Eureka to Parsons)

(91.5mi,13.7mph,1849ft)
After a late night, we got started around 8. We got to Toronto, KS looking for water, but everything was closed on Mondays. We went a little farther to a small bait and tackle shop where the owner gave us some advice on an alternate route. We decided to follow his suggestion and were hoping to cut off a few miles, but unfortunately there was a road closed for construction. We talked to some locals at a gas station who gave us another detour, which we decided to follow instead of going back on the original route, still hoping to save a few miles. We realized we would be going farther south to Pittsburgh anyway, so we made our way down to hwy 400 and rode east. After 91 miles in the heat, we stopped in Parsons for the night. We eventually realized we would not be able to sleep in the heat, so we found a Super 8 and escaped the heat for another night.

Day 26 (Newton to Eureka)

(74mi,13mph,1870ft)
We got off to a slow start as we readjusted to heavy bikes. It was over 100 all afternoon, but the wind kept it bearable. They were almost no services for our whole ride, so when we got to Eureka we decided to stop for the night. We had some dinner in the city park, and then we were offered a place to stay for the night. We took showers and will be sleeping in air conditioning tonight. Hoping to get an early start tomorrow to avoid some of the heat.