June 25, 2007, Monday
Williamsburg, VA
We spent two days in Williamsburg, what are called layover days. Some people do just that, taking time to see sights and maybe do short rides around town. On this day there were two official routes, a 32 mile out and back to Yorktown, and a 46 mile route that added a loop through Colonial National Historical Park. The route to Yorktown was on the Colonial Parkway, known locally as the Colonial Rockway; the road consists of concrete with smooth rocks embedded in the surface. The concrete is set in panels about 12 x 12 feet, three across. At one time there was a center, suicide lane for passing, but it is now two lanes without any striping.
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| Crash on Colonial Parkway |
We hadn't gone far before we heard the first of many ambulances rushing out to tend to the crashes caused by the road gaps. There must have been several crashes; we later heard that 7 people were injured, some severely. One of the crashes was at the bottom of a short hill and riders must have been travelling fast when it happened. The next day we saw the results of one of the crashes; a rider was almost completely wrapped in bandages. He was dressed in a hospital gown while eating breakfast at the motel. The sight of him was certainly enough to encourge those present to ride carefully.
Once we arrived in Yorktown we stopped briefly at the Yorktown Visitor CenterM where we learned about the role played by the French during the Battle of the Chesapeake which prevented the British from resupplying General Cornwallis just before his surrender, ending the Revolutionary War.
We then continued our ride along the shaded roads of the Colonial National Historical Park. There must have been glass or other debris in the road as there were many flat tires along the route. We stopped to read the first several historical markers, but it was one of those rare times when there were too many signs to read without spending the day there. We stopped briefly at Moore House where Cornwallis surrendered to Washington. Lunch was pizza and salad as we sat along the banks of the York River.
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| Moore House, AKA Surrender House | Cannon at Colonial National Historical Park | Lunch along York River |
We didn't spend much time in Yorktown. There were several small shops and restaurants and we plan to return in the near future. As we were leaving town we ran into a couple we met on Bike Florida a few years ago. They were both riding recumbents then; she has since gone back to an upright bike. She wanted to be able to climb a bit quicker so she sold her Rans V2 and bought a road bike. It was good to see them and hear about their latest adventures. They usually take a couple of months during the summer to travel and bike.
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| Colonial Williamsburg windmill | Ride through Williamsburg |
There were several activities planned for that evening; jazz and dulcimer concerts and an English Dancing exhibition. After an interesting dinner at a Japanese steakhouse we caught the shuttle to the campus of William & Mary. We wandered past the sites of the various events, strolled through Market Square at Colonial Williamsburg, then headed back to the motel.