Today’s Date: July 31, 2024

Today’s Start Point: Woodbridge, Virginia

Today’s End Point: Fredericksburg, Virginia

Today’s Miles: 74.92 Miles

Cumulative Miles: 4,467.99 Miles

Today’s route was meant to be a 61 miles ride to Fredericksburg, site of a Civil War battle that was a bloody Union loss in 1862. Unfortunately, due to user error I missed a turn early on and a 61 mile ride became an almost 75 mile ride.

The weather report called for a hot and muggy morning, and this time they got it right. I left before 6 am and the air was already thick and heavy. I immediately started on one of the many wonderful bike paths that sat alongside a highway. The view was pretty bland, but the path was car free and smooth.

At the ten mile mark I was supposed to make a left turn onto a new road, but I must have been so pleased with the bike path, I missed it and rode blithely along. I did not realize my mistake until I was about six miles down the road. The only way back was to retrace my steps and pick up my route. I guess you could say that I was not pleased.

Once back on the route the bike path finally ended and I was hitting the streets once again. I was thinking about it last night and I believe that since I left Wheeling, West Virginia, I have been on bike paths for at least 90% of the ride. That is just incredible.

The route book stated that the roads would be quiet shoulderless roads with little traffic. They were close-shoulderless yes, quiet and little traffic no. The area I was riding through was pretty, with rolling hills that twisted and turned. If there was no traffic, this would be fine, but on these narrow roads there was constant cars and dump trucks. I think that 50% of the dump truck fleet were on these roads today. The constant traffic made it hard to take pictures today.

The cars and dump trucks were not pleased to see an old sweaty cyclist in front of them, and I don’t blame them. Since the roads were hilly and twisty, most of the time there was a double yellow line restricting vehicles from passing. There was traffic behind me and traffic coming towards me so it was difficult to let them by unless I stopped and removed my bike from the roadway. I think I became spoiled with all of the bike paths over the last few weeks, but today’s ride was nerve racking. It is possible that since I am so close to the end, I finally care whether I get hit or not.

I am staying on the southern edge of Fredericksburg so I went through the city (charming) and the battlefield. I think it is ironic that the most peaceful and idyllic part of the ride was pedaling the road through the battlefield. No traffic, beautiful woods and informational signs along the way. The road through the battlefield is heavily wooded and shaded.

For anyone that wants to know (from Wikipedia):

“The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside and Confederate Army of Northern Virginia under Gen. Robert E. Lee, included futile frontal attacks by the Union army on December 13 against entrenched Confederate defenders along the Sunken Wall on the heights behind the city. It is remembered as one of the most one-sided battles of the war, with Union casualties more than twice as heavy as those suffered by the Confederates. A visitor to the battlefield described the battle as a “butchery” to President Abraham Lincoln.”

My hotel was just south of the battlefield. I checked in and kicked back. The cumulative effect of these hot and humid days requires me to take lots of naps. Tomorrow it is on to Richmond and another surprise guest.