5/7 thru 5/8/23 – Day off in Richmond, then on to Fredericksburg, VA

Miles: 69.51 Today / Total 1721.83

Elevation Gain: 2313 ft. Today / 22,790 ft. Total

Yesterday was a day off in Richmond, and other than catching up on my blog, the only thing worth writing about was the wonderful congregants at the Lakeside United Methodist Church.

I tried to get to church, earlier in the day, but church for the entire area was the dedication of the Richmond Temple by Dallin H. Oakes, so I tried to get to that. The broadcast in a local chapel was too far away to drive to, so I ordered up a $25+ Uber. Well that was a big fail, as the driver took me to the wrong location. By the time we got to the right location, the dedication had started, and all doors to the building were locked. A family that was also unable to get in the building gave me a ride back to the Methodist Church. It all was very disappointing. Next Sunday, I have another day off in Conshohocken, PA, so maybe things will work out better there. 

Then later, at the Methodist Church, the men’s group rolled out the BBQs to grill hamburgers and hotdogs, while the youth group and/or their parents put the side dishes and desserts together for another really great meal. I spent some more time with a really cute couple who are 2 weeks from their 16th wedding anniversary—Jobeth and Zach. The night before, Jobeth’s Mom had filled me in on the details of her daughter’s life, but there was no Mom around last night. Ed and I sat with them, and at the end of the evening, we both commented on what exceptional people they are and what a great thing they have going together. I put the invitation out to Jobeth to come out to Arizona and visit sometime. That’s a serious invitation, Jobeth. I would pick up up at the airport, have you stay in one of my guest rooms and show you and Zach some amazing sights. Things like desert, cactus, red rock canyons and the Grand Canyon.

Nothing super spectacular happened today on the ride to Fredericksburg. It was a little trafficy leaving Richmond and arriving Fredericksburg, but in between those two sections of the ride, we rode on little country roads the entire time, as we wound around the countryside of Virginia through miles of hilly farmland, separated by tiny towns and short stints of forests and swamps. The sky was clear and the temperature started out cool, but heated up to 80 degrees with humidity, as the day wore on—nothing a girl from Arizona couldn’t handle easily.

Our first stop was for breakfast in Ashland, where there are train tracks running in both directions going right down one of the 2 main roads through town. And there was non stop train travel on both tracks. Beautiful historic houses and later shops in the downtown area faced the tracks.

We did have one last stop before heading to our host’s home: The death site of Stonewall Jackson. The farm office is the only building left standing of the Fairfield plantation.

Our hosts for the evening were a wonderful couple, Bruce and Vicki, who are BTUSFMS alumni. They are big time cycling enthusiasts who make a difference in the cycling world. As Boy Scout Leaders, they have changed the lives of many young men, planning and leading groups of up to 25 boys across the US on bicycles. On their own, they do some significant bicycle travel and are now involved in the 911 Trail organization where they plan an annual ride of either all or part of the trail that stops at various impactful places along the loop trail that connects the Pentagon, Shanksville, PA and the World Trade Center. Bruce had me in tears a few times, as he spoke about the rides and the people and places they see along the way. Just added another ride to my bucket list.

Another really great thing they did was let me stay in their guest bedroom on a real bed. A night in a real bed will be AMAZING!