Mechanicsville
By
Thursday, September 01, 2005
September 1, 2005
Today was another blue sky day and 75 miles. It seemed to me that most of the roads we were on today were named for Southern Generals (Lee, Jefferson Davis, Stonewall Jackson) or Churches ( Massaponax, Church Pond). The route was mostly flat and we had a slight tailwind much of the day.
My first stop was at the military cemetery in Fredricksburg. 20,000 of the Union Army are buried here. No Confederates allowed. We later rode through the battlegrounds - today's view is like many other wooded parks - Much different from Vicksburg which is covered in monuments. There were 2 battles at Fredricksburg. The first battle saw the Union army sent back while they succeeded in the second battle. http://americancivilwar.com/fberg.html
Large portions of today's route were on tree lined, shaded country roads. As you can see from the photos, the road is not only tree lined, but the trees are planted on a burm thus providing a secluded place to ride. This all despite the fact that I-95 was between 0.5 to 1.5 miles to our west.
At one point today, we exited country roads to cross over Ruther Glenn Road. The intersection had 4 truck stops and about 200 semis waiting to purchase fuel. The Hurricane Katrina has sent fuel prices soaring and a bit of panic is setting in. Despite the traffic jam, nothing could deter several riders, myself included, of carefully and cautiously winding our way through the jam to arrive at Dairy Queen. After a large cone, I was ice cream powered for the rest of the day.
Including Virginia, I have now cycled in 28 states and the District of Columbia. I will get tor ride in 3 more this trip - NC, SC, and GA.
Alabama - No
Alaska - No
Arizona -No
Arkansas -No
California - Yes
Colorado - Yes
Connecticut - Yes
Delaware - No
District of Columbia - Yes
Florida - Yes
Georgia - No
Hawaii - No
Idaha - No
Illinois - Yes
Indiana - Yes
Iowa - Yes
Kansas - Yes
Kentucky - Yes
Louisiana - Yes
Maine -Yes
Maryland - Yes
Massachusetts - Yes
Michigan - Yes
Minnesota - Yes
Mississippi -Yes
Missouri - Yes
Montana - No
Nebraska - Yes
Nevada -No
New Hampshire -Yes
New Jersey - Yes
New Mexico - No
New York - Yes
North Carolina - No
North Dakota - No
Ohio - Yes
Oklahoma - No
Oregon - No
Pennsylvania - Yes
Rhode Island - No
South Carolina - No
South Dakota - Yes
Tennessee - Yes
Texas- Yes
Utah - No
Vermont - No
Virginia - Yes
Washington - No
West Virginia - No
Wisconsin - Yes
Wyoming - No
