There was another beautiful sunrise this morning. I had passed a Subway about a mile up the road so I didn’t eat before I left the Inn. The pain in my legs was pretty intense as I pulled out of the driveway. I wasn’t sure how many miles I would be able to string together for the day. I stopped at a Subway where I ran into three men who helped with directions on how to get back onto my route. They saved me about 8 miles by knowing a shortcut. I was eternally grateful for that!
There was a good deal more civilization and places to stop throughout the day and that was a welcome site! I certainly learned a lesson from yesterday and stopped every time I had the opportunity. I stopped in a town called Pottiesville and took a nice break. They were kind enough to refill my water bottles and I sat on their porch for awhile. It was feeling pretty good in the shade and my sprits were high. I also stopped at a post office in Bumpass and shipped some unnecessary supplies home. Two pounds may not seem like a lot, but in this heat, every little bit helps.
I had just finished all of my water right outside of Ashland. There was a man getting his mail and I stopped to rest in the shade. We chit chatted a bit and talked about how hot it was. Only 102 today compared to yesterdays 105. I asked him how far to Ashland and he said about 4 miles. He asked if I had enough water and I told him that I had just run out, but 4 miles wasn’t far and I would get something there. He offered to refill my bottles and I didn’t argue. His name was Ben Hutchinson and he was a retired vet. He shared some of his experience from the war and told me that his wife had died a few years ago. He was so kind and I was eternally grateful for the water. That’s how this trip was…people just put in my path along the way right when I needed them. It was amazing really.
I was so glad that I had the water as the next 4 miles into Ashland was hilly and hot. Ashland was beautiful. I passed by the Randolph Macon College and it was a stunning campus. I stopped someone to ask where a good place to eat would be and he gave me the name of two but wasn’t sure if either would be open. It was 2:30 and apparently all the restaurants close at 2:00 and reopen at 5:00. I finally found a place called ‘Trackside Grill’. It was so perfect! My server was Brie and she not only brought me a giant glass of water, but a pitcher! I ordered a bacon cheeseburger and fries and they were amazing! Brie was super nice and it was a great experience. Brie…if you are reading this…Thank you!
I called Meredith from the restaurant and she hooked me up with hotel Reservations in Richmond. I still don’t know what I would have done without her. Thank you Meredith.
The hotel was about 12 miles away and the battery on my phone was super low. As I was packing up my gear to begin the trek to the hotel I spotted an office and decided to see if they could help me out. I walked in and met Vicky. I filled her in on the situation and told her the whole story. She was kind enough to print out the directions for the hotel and told me that the man they just hired there a couple of weeks ago was from Salem. Small world! Thank you Vicky! You were kind and helpful and I truly appreciate it!
I took off for the hotel. Ashland has a set of train tracks that run right through the town. I love to see train tracks because that means its going to be flat! The heat was still pretty intense and the tar in the road was sticky causing my tires to stick a bit. I was chased by a dog, but it wasn’t a scary dog. I was more afraid of the dog getting hit by a car than it hurting me. The directions were easy to follow and I was at the hotel in about an hour. I felt like I was on top of the world knowing that tomorrow was the last day! Looks like I’m going to make it after all!
I talked to my mom and she was glad to hear I was sounding better than yesterday. I also talked to Sue and we firmed up plans for pick up the next day. I don’t know who was more excited! It looked to me like I was less than 50 miles from Yorktown and I could hardly sleep I was so excited about the big day!
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