Today was the last day of the full PAC Tour routine. Which has been: bring down the bikes, pump up the tires, eat breakfast, ride to the first and second rest stops, ride to lunch, ride to the afternoon rest stop, ride to the motel, clean the bikes, drag luggage to our rooms, shower, sort things out for tomorrow, do laundry, eat dinner, get a massage (some nights), go to sleep. Tomorrow, it will be the same only to the morning rest stops and then we will have lunch at a beach in Yorktown, at about mile 75. Then we backtrack to the hotel in Williamsburg and disassemble our bikes in the afternoon. Thirty days of repetitive routine will be over rather abruptly.
I’m really excited because my parents and their friends Bob and Audrey Fritts, who live in Williamsburg, will be coming to witness the completion of our tour. I can’t wait to see them!
So today, we had our final “real” ride of some distance, with a strenuous climb over the Skyline Drive Shenandoah ridge. We also had our final lunch on the road and our final afternoon rest stop. After the morning climb, It was a delightful ride through rolling Virginia countryside on mostly quiet back roads. We were also back in hot weather and down to only a few hundred feet above sea level, so we’ve been appreciating the frequent stretches of shade that the roads pass through.
For some reason, tonight’s hotel is a fancy Hampton Inn in Ashland, which is a very nice treat. The beds are very comfortable, which it turns out has been an important factor during this tour.
Today’s pictures:
- sunrise over Harrisonburg, parking lot breakfast
- final afternoon roadside rest stop
- charming Ashland depot on Railroad Avenue
- usual luggage arrangement upon arrival
