Woke up and appreciated being in a bed after two days in a tent (although the tent was good). D and I went out to Baker's Crust for breakfast, a very nice place. We returned to his house and then prepared to set out: I would ride from D's residence to the Hampton Roads Tunnel, on Willoughby Spit, the furthest point one can go via a bicycle. Dave would give me some time and then follow in his pickup truck, so as to ferry me across the Hampton Roads.
The ride across Norfolk on Shore Parkway, Route 60, was a nice ride in that the drivers were all courteous. The shoulder was non-existent, and the right-two-feet of the pavement was a bit rough. It was interesting to ride across the neighborhood of Oceanview, which I'd spent some time in about a million years ago when I was in the Navy.
I got out to the end of Willoughby Spit a few minutes before D and his pickup, and then we loaded my bike up in the back of his pickup and we crossed from one side of the water to the other. In doing so, we passed close by historic Ft. Monroe and the Hotel Chamberlain, which D told me is now a senior-living facility.
I thanked D and we said our good-byes and went about our courses. I rode Mercury Blvd (named after the space program) across Phoebus and Hampton. Rode along Armistead Avenue and right underneath the approach end of Rwy07 (08?) at Langely Air Force Base. Got to see several F22 Raptors in the pattern (a deadly fighter, which unfortunately is killing the young people we ask to fly it). Also saw some T38's in the pattern. That was very cool.
Continued along a series of roadways named for astronauts through Poquoson, joined Route 17, and continued along to Yorktown. The Coleman Bridge crosses the York River and has generous bike lane on both sides of the span. I could see a very small destroyer at the pier at the Yorktown weapons complex. Ordinarily I'd consider that ship a corvette, but we don't classify any US ships as corvettes; this may have been one of the new littoral warships.
Continued to Gloucester Court House, where I called it a day at 43 miles. The next lodging was quite a few hours away, there was only another hour of sunlight, and I wasn't feeling the mojo so I decided to try prudence for a change of pace.
Found a room at the Hampton Inn, charged the various batteries, did five days of laundry, and updated some blog posts. Hoping for an effective day tomorrow.
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