Virginia Apr 12-24 2010

((Click photo to enlarge)
Impressions, overall:

• great value, about half the cost-per-day of commercial trips, really just cost of accommodation
  
• the 4 included dinners were great
• the 5 inns were very different amongst them selves, each good in their own way
• the GPS was invaluable, very impressed, ... wont leave home without it.
  
• the group of 14 got along rather well, good esprit
  
• the weather was good (rather cool) and on the two rainy days there were things to do
• was worried about my 14 year old car, ... but it was fine
• the 'cycling' itself (roads, car driver courtesy, km/day) was very good

.....in brief
. . . . basically this trip is a group of 14 individuals (essentially Ottawa based) cycling together, not a commercial operation,.... details and reservations co-ordinated by one person, Paul,.. 12 nights, $1,039,... excellent value, and meals can be as lavish as you want, although 4 dinners (turned out to be excellent) are included.

Monday Apr 12, was a 10 hour drive down (2.5 hours longer than I expected) through the Allegheny mountains, to a rather basic ordinary motel, ....deliberately, just a place to stay.

Tuesday Apr 13 was cold wet awful (raining) ...... so did a 2 hour bus tour of Gettysburg battle field, .... with an older guide who was rather theatrical,/dramatic ... pretty good, .....so overall, it didn't turn out badly.

The weather improved dramatically Wednesday Apr 14, cool but sunny, did 80 km , rather roll-y hills terrain, staying in an old plantation mansion .... rather fancy serving of dinner and 2 breakfasts by two black lady servants, in a style much like 150 years ago.

Thursday Apr 15 is clear blue sky, did 60 K in so-called wine area (didn't see many actual vineyards), ......then 2 hours driving in cars moving onto Harrisonburg Va for three nights, Stonewall Jackson B&B. Had Bouillabaisse at Clementines for dinner... very reasonable and very good.

Friday Apr 16 we did a short 44 km circuit around Waterbridge which we drove to where we parked the cars. Had a real simple lunch (which I prefer) a chicken salad sandwich prepared by gas station attendant, while sitting on a concrete parking lot bumper... how's that for simple? Back at the B&B, went to nearby Costco, ...just to compare, interesting to compare products, overall very similar, but different specifics .

Saturday Apr 17 (sunny 63F high) we did a 36.5km cycle from the B&B, to a onetime black home grouping (collection of a few homes), and then in the afternoon went off, 20mi, to a battlefield museum (hour video re-enactment, and walk around) with Kevin and Diana. Dinner at a brew pub where the ribs were excellent.

Sunday Apr 18 was a transfer day to Locust Dale, about 2 hours over the Blue Ridge mountains. Thank God for GPS, ... makes finding a place like this (Locust Dale has 3 houses) so easy, .... I'm really impressed. Ive got to learn to trust it because each time I thought it to be wrong, ... it turned out to be right. There was complimentary hors doeuvres ... kind of fancy. Dinner (2 stuffed quail) was included, and very good.

Monday Apr 19 was sunny and the group headed off toward Madison, Syria etct but kind of got lost, and did my own thing, 70K ... including sunning on a rock, listening to my MP3. Dinner was a steak, and I tried the"flight" of wines (3) where each one is paired to the course you select. ... kind of a nice idea.

Tuesday Apr 20 was not so sunny, but nice, cycled 104 Km, to Culpeper, 9 of us... stopped for pulled pork slammers at a bar&grill. Made a 11 Km error by not noticing the Hwy#656 right turn .. kind of my fault. Tried crab cakes for dinner, .... since this is fairly close to where (Maryland) where they are popular fare, ... didn't like them much.

Wed Apr 21 was rainy and a transfer day (only 27 miles if direct) to Mineral Va, and since it was rainy (pretty solid) I stopped at Target and bought 17 small items, eg a splitter for my cigarette lighter so I can power both the GPS and the FM transmitter for the MP3` player, a small cable-lock, a replacement bottle cage, sleeves for mailing DVDs etc etc. The Inn is another plantation, not as big as previous, and we fend for ourselves for dinner, and the makings of breakfast are provided, and we make it ourselves. We went to a nearby resaurant that was ptretty bad, although my steak and cheese sandwhich was fine.

Thursday Apr 22 was a 23C sunny day and cycled about 80K to a Spotsylvania, a famous civil war site. Then for dinner a 25 min drive to 10k beyond Mineral, to an upscale pub, had baked salmon.

Friday Apr 23 another 23C mostly sunny day and we cycle 80K up #629 to Orange, back on #612, lunch at "Emerald on Stokes" which seemed to please everybody.... peanut butter chocolate trifle for dessert. Then bought the makings for an evening barbeque by the pool at the inn, in the evening.

Sat Apr 24 ... left at 7:25 AM, arrived 7:15 PM. So, with two half hour breaks and one hour wait at border crossing, a 10 hour drive.... matches Google map's estimate.