Three days off in Virginia Beach was a great break. I got to swim in the bay, throw a frisbee and play bocce on the beach, and eat some tasty food. And seeing a college friend, hanging out with someone that I know for a change, is nice. I love meeting new people and keeping the experiences fresh, but remembering shared past experiences is great as well. It was an fun and relaxing stay.

Today I continued on my journey, heading north up the Eastern Shore. Graham’s brother gave me a ride over the bridge/tunnel that crosses the bay, as you can’t ride a bike across evidently. I think it would have been fun, but definitely stressful. Getting started again after such a long and relaxing break is really tough. I was tired anyway, as I didn’t get quite enough sleep last night, but going from a comfy, air-conditioned condo right by the beach to riding 50 miles in some brutal heat and humidity is not an easy transition. I think it will take a few days to really get back to the mindset I had before the break.

The ride today was really nice. There is only one main highway that runs up the peninsula, but there are smaller highways that parallel. I took highway 600, Seaside Rd. Completely flat, mostly straight, passing through farmland, forest, tiny towns, and sometimes close to the shore, but not often. The best part is that there is no traffic. A car might pass on average, once every half hour. It was peaceful, maybe a bit lonely.

Tonight I’m staying in a small coastal town, Wachapreague. I rolled into town looking for a church to settle down at, but the ones I passed on the way in were not too promising. Everything is really close together, so there is not much land around the churches, just houses. I rode through town and was on my way out when I passed a marine sciences division of William and Mary University. There was a building that looked like housing and a girl laying on a bench outside. I rode past once, thinking maybe I should inquire about sleeping outside. I kept going a bit to look for another church first. After a couple blocks, though, I thought better of looking for a church before at least inquiring at the school. So back I went and asked. The girl said it was fine and that I could probably just stay in one of the dorm rooms, as there were only three people there and plenty of rooms. So here I am now, watching a soccer game on TV, on the internet, about ready to go sleep on a tiny dorm bed. Pretty nice how that worked out.

Tomorrow I head up to Salisbury, Maryland, where I’ll be couchsurfing. From there I’m not sure what my route will be, but I will probably be increasing my mileage a bit from now on. I don’t want to overdue it or rush, but I am also thinking about the possibility of heading west after spending some time in Rhode Island, and I don’t want to be getting to the Rocky Mountains too late in the year. It’s all up in the air, but biking to Oregon is a strong possibility. We’ll see.

sunflowers. unfortunately, they were all facing the wrong way. i tried to get their attention, but they were too focused on something.

finally got some new sunglasses, courtesy of Graham. thank you kindly.

Wachapreague