At this stage of my trip, the novelty of day 1 had worn off and the excitement of the final day hadn't quite struck yet. You're also completely secluded for hours on end with nothing to distract or entertain you except the next turn. Anyone else's schedule, opinions or suggestions are completely nonexistent. These solo expeditions inevitably present a strange dichotomy. Nonetheless, I was already burning daylight and needed to cross into Virginia and bag as many miles as possible. I also had a less defined end goal on day 2 which can equally be a good or a bad thing. I knew this as well and was mentally gearing up for a long and monotonous day. For at least half of those hours, I was graced with a consistent light drizzling rain.Īnyone that has driven the stretch from Durham, North Carolina, to Richmond, Virginia, knows that it is a 2-3-hour drive of rural nothingness via I-85. I arrived at his front door 138 miles after saying goodbye to my front door 11 hours earlier. Fresh legs, more familiar roads, and an end goal of my brother's house in Hillsborough, North Carolina, where I could look forward to a warm meal, cold beer and campsite where I didn't have to worry about trespassing. The first day was designed to be the longest mileage-day of the trip for a few reasons. It would be 360+ miles until I reached my destination less than 58 hours later. Just after sunrise, and after giving the family repeated hugs, kisses and assurances that I would see them on Friday, I pointed my geared loaded bike towards Southeast Virginia. to scarf down a hearty oatmeal breakfast, check weather (again), and make final gear preparations before Miles (6) and Maximus (4) wake up for their typical school routine. Both would be required for this trip, which was the perfect balance. I have two very different packing routines … a suitcase for "normal" weekend getaways with all the trimmings and comforts, and an ultralight and fully self-sufficient setup for multi-day pedal, paddle, and camping efforts. After years of endless "wishful thinking" research for adventures in a 1000 mile radius of Charlotte, I immediately knew I could link up segments of the Tobacco Heritage Trail , the Virginia Capital Trail and the Colonial Parkway to find my way to the heart of America's Birthplace. "Why don't you just ride there?" My response was quick and succinct. A week later, my wife Kristi, overflowing with better ideas than me 99% of the time, flipped the switch that lit the light bulb. That's where the elder Bratton wanted to celebrate his 70th birthday regardless of anyone else's hectic life. Separate from my unspeakable college partying antics, my parents are huge fans of Williamsburg and have been lifelong supporters of Colonial Williamsburg. As we gathered, typical conversation turned to my dad's birthday in March which was quickly approaching. ![]() January rolled around and we celebrated my mom's birthday as a family. The flip side … I also knew that with two young kiddos in school, weekly soccer practice/games, professional obligations with MJ Bratton Agency and Human Powered Movement, other "work" trips like packrafting the Buffalo River, it would be tough to justify another solo venture so quickly. I went to William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and knew that this town between Richmond and Virginia Beach was well within striking distance for a pedal-powered trip. This excerpt is from a post from Adam Bratton '06 on the Human Powered Movement website.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |