Day 3 - Wednesday, May 13
Start - Ashland, VA
End - Mineral, VA
Miles (on route) - 48.5
Miles (total) - 52.5
Ave Spd - 13.2mph
Max Spd - 34mph
Total Ride Time - 4:05
Again got things rolling later than I planned. Showered at Marcos' house in the morning and chatted briefly before rolling into the town of Ashland. Found a library right away so I grabbed a reservation and had a fantastic lunch across the street while I waited for a computer to open up. Had an enjoyable brief chat with a girl who used to go to school in Indiana and frequented Chicago, and drank a bit of the Goose Island brew.
Eventually, I got to serious trucking about 11:30 and did thirty miles straight to a little country store in Bumpass where I again gorged myself on everything! I've found a crazy abundance of corn dogs here in Virginia; strange? But I did find my new favorite beverage, Cheerwine! It's almost a cross between Dr. Pepper and Cherry Coke. Simply the most delicious sugary sweetness money can buy! My first biker aquaintances rolled up on me there. They are doing the same route, just a bit faster. They started out doing about 80+ miles a day and were carrying a bit less baggage. And I'm not talking about their panniers! They seemed like a couple that would have been fun to ride with, but honestly I'm just not at their level yet. The ride on to Mineral was gorgeous, repeatedly crossing over Lake Anna and all it's boathouses. Eventually I arrived in Mineral around 5pm where I debated riding on or camping in back of the firehouse. The Adventure Cycling maps have been very helpful with planning for services ahead, and noting camping options such as the free camping at the firehall. I thought I could ride on another 20 miles but there would be no guaranteed camping, so I took the sure bet. They even let me shower up in the firehall. It was early so I decided to ride around the town and see what was going on, even though it only had a population of 424. I happened upon the county track meet at the high school and I decided to be the creepy guy walking around in spandex. Security kept a close eye on me but I got some pictures taken. If anyone was interested, Louisa High School seemed to kick the other schools' asses!