Day 79: 14 miles, Aug 5

These 14 miles were the slowest and the fastest of the whole trip. Because the end was so near, they seemed to go on forever, but when I finally reached victory monument in Yorktown, I found myself wishing there were more miles to do.

It was a beautiful way to end. The weather was certainly warm, but the extreme heat had abated a little. The Colonial Parkway, which covers most of the ride between Williamsburg and Yorktown, is about as scenic as it gets. And, as I entered Yorktown, it dawned on me how well Adventure Cycling has planned this route. Here, at the end, was the place that the British navy surrendered to the combined naval forces of the American colonies and France. I had, in effect, just traveled backwards through my country’s history. Wonderful!

Just as the last 14 miles were a dichotomy of speed, so have these four days since the end of the ride been an oxymoron of time. Day 79 feels like last year, yet I cannot bring myself to empty my handlebar bag. That bag was all I needed to contain my important daily items for 80 days (wallet, snacks, pellet gun), and now I have to think about deck furniture?! Whatever objections my adventurous spirit may raise, however, my life inexorably returns to its former state of complexity, but I know that, as the months pass, I’ll continue to long very much for that simple way of things where all I had to do was eat, sleep, and ride.