Friday, March 11, 2016

Jim's NC to PA Hike - Part 3

Here is the journal of Jim's next four days:
     
Tues., Mar. 8Jim's voice:   Our Williamsburg hosts, Clay & Pinky McEldowney, returned home yesterday afternoon after a long weekend away.  We enjoyed a great evening with them.  Early this morning we drove two cars 45 minutes to the end point of yesterday's hike.  We left Clay's car there for a later pickup and the happy hikers set off.  We spent the day hiking northwest on the Virginia Capital Trail engaged in conversation and admiring the splendid construction of the trails and wooden bridges.  Countless flowers, trees and bushes were planted along the path to enhance the scenery.  By 12:30 we were getting hungry and happened to spot a small cafe that was under renovation, so not open yet.  There were padded benches outside under a roof that provided welcome shade from the sun on this very warm day.  We enjoyed sandwiches that we had packed before leaving.  After a 20 minute break we were back on the trail again and cruised along for another couple of hours.   Along the trail signposts indicate points of interest ahead and mileage to them.  These told me that Dorey Park - a large county recreational area - would be the ideal location for Jane to meet us.  We arrived there mid afternoon and Jane showed up promptly a few minutes later.  Clay and I were happy to call it a successful day on this very warm afternoon, having walked over 15 miles together.  We then drove Clay back to his car, said our goodbyes and headed off to Richmond.   We arrived at our next hosts in Richmond, Bob & Martha Camire.  Bob is a high school classmate of ours and we had a delightful evening talking about the old days, current lives and family.   Bob plans to hike with Jim tomorrow - another day of companionship.
Miles Today - 15.5..... Total Cumulative Miles - 150.5

Wed., Mar. 9 - Jane's voice:   The three of us drove back to Dorey Park and Bob and Jim set off shortly after 8am, an early start in deference to the high temps forecast today.  By 11am they had reached the end of the Virginia Capital Trail in downtown Richmond.  Then they hiked along the waterfront. Jim was impressed by the huge metal floodgates that protected the adjacent low-lying section of the city from the river.They spent the next couple of hours walking through the city, including the campus of VA Commonwealth University, and then met Martha and me for a late lunch at a busy open air restaurant - a treat for all.  After a delightful lunch that refreshed the tired hikers on this very warm day, they set off to do a few more miles.  In fact, they did another 6 miles before calling it a day at mid afternoon.  Jim especially enjoyed walking along Monument Avenue, lined with stately houses and luxuriously landscaped yards.   I got lucky today since Martha had a medical appointment very near their end point, so she picked them up.  After much needed showers for both guys we relaxed for a while and then went out for a great dinner at yet another open air restaurant. 
Miles Today - 18.5..... Total Cumulative Miles - 169

Thurs., Mar. 10Jim's voice:   Bob offered to drop me off this morning and Jane readily agreed!  It was a 20 minute drive on this rapidly warming day.  The first several miles I walked along some major highways and crossed entrances to the interstate.  It wasn't until several hours later that my roadway narrowed from a 4 lane divided highway down to a 2 lane road.  By this time the commercial strip had been replaced by fine residential developments and later agricultural  fields.  The predicted temperature high of 80 was correct, but a pretty consistent breeze made it feel somewhat more comfortable.  I stopped at noon to buy a Diet Coke to drink with my sandwich that Jane had made before I left this morning.  The small store had picnic tables out front - how convenient.  Although only a 15 minute break, I felt somewhat refreshed when I continued up the road.  I passed a huge ranch with several hundred head of cattle visible from the road.  But there were two close to me - one a small heifer just inside the fence and a large cow, most likely the mother standing guard about 50 feet away.  She eyed me closely as I passed her baby.   Most of today I was on busy Route 33, but finally was able to turn off onto  a quieter country road.  Here the terrain became quite hilly with a series of ups and downs that lent some variety to today's walk.  
Meanwhile Jane chose to spend her day at a shopping area that our hostess had recommended to her - Short Pump Town Center - sure is a strange name, but I assume there is a reason for it.  She described it to me as a perfect place to spend a few hours.  Like many of the shopping areas here it is an outdoor mall.  She was able to walk and walk, checking out what was there.  She said there were many areas to sit either in the sun or shade, including small couches, rocking chairs, etc.  After walking the entire area a couple of times, she decided that a rocking chair under a pavilion had her name on it!   She was even able to get a wireless connection there and caught up on emails, checked my route maps and then did some reading before having a nice lunch.
We talked when Jane got to Short Pump and I estimated a 3pm pickup.  When I called her at 2pm to revise that pickup to be earlier, her phone went to voice mail.  I assumed (correctly) that she was at lunch and had her phone on silent.  When she didn't return the call I texted her to request a 2:45 pickup.  When she arrived I was approaching the Ebenezer Baptist Church and she pulled into that parking lot.  I was happy to see her and pleased to have completed another long day without blister issues, despite today's heat.  At this point I am almost a half day ahead of schedule which may permit me to take a zero miles day when rain is forecast for Sunday and Monday.   We then drove to our next location - a Comfort Inn in Montpelier, VA.
Miles Today - 19..... Total Cumulative Miles - 188

Fri., Mar. 11 - Jane's voice:   After a hotel breakfast we drove back to Ebenezer Baptist Church and Jim set off around 9:15.  Less than a mile later, Jim walked past another Baptist church.  He decided to keep count of how many churches he would pass today on a route consisting entirely of relatively small back country roads.  By the end of the day he had counted 5 - all Baptist churches.  His favorite (of course) was St. James!   Jim did express some concern this morning that his feet might not do well today - they felt a little "funny".  This meant that I  was "on call", meaning don't go anyplace interesting or time consuming, because I might have to make an emergency pickup.  As it turned out, this was not the case.
With each passing day Jim observes additional signs of spring.  Today the most impressionable one was his first sighting of blooming forsythia.  He also passed a number of active logging operations, as well as other recent timber cuts.  The woods around here are growing but it seems also they are being seriously harvested.  He talked briefly with a logging truck driver who was waiting for his turn as another logger was being loaded with a giant tree claw.  At one point Jim thought he was in trouble as the route he had been on for many miles unexpectedly terminated at a junction with two other routes.  However after walking on for another quarter mile he found the route sign he was seeking and continued on.  The only historic plaque he came across was one for the birthplace of William Clark, who was born nearby in 1777.  Yes, this is the William Clark of the Lewis & Clark expedition.  Near the end of today's hike, Jim passed through two "towns" several miles apart that he believes are mere figments of someone's imagination, even though they were indicated on his Google maps.  
We rendezvoused as discussed earlier at a few minutes before 3pm after Jim had walked 18 miles in well under 6 hours.  Jim today passed the 200 mile mark and is halfway to the finish line! 
Miles Today - 18..... Total Cumulative Miles -206
 
Pictures:
1 - Jim and college classmate, Clay as they started out
2 - Jim walking along one of the longer trail bridges
3 - Jim admiring the trail side daffodils
4 - Maggie the Camires' cat as she sat on the chair where I usually read
5 - Jim and high school classmate, Bob as they started out
6 - The Gregoires and Camires enjoying lunch in RIchmond
 





 












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