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Saturday, September 20, 2008, Castillo's garage, Newport News, Virginia
Mr. Castillo got on the job right away and found out it was the fuel pump. It was going to be a costly replacement, but we have no choice. We went to the nearby Hardee's to use their restroom. I bought a breakfast burrito that ended up costing me over $3 (including the 11% junk food tax). What a rip off. At around 11:00, the kids and I rode our bikes over to their favorite place, the library. I, like a dummy, forgot the device which enables me to upload photos onto the blog site, so hence, no photos. We didn't leave until late, past 3:00, because I had a lot to catch up on.
To be continued...
When we got back to the Castillo Garage, he had already finished replacing the fuel pump and charged us very little; he wanted to help us; Later, he let us all take showers there. Yes, he had one in his garage. It was so good to finally take a shower after three days. He told us we could stay and tent as long as we needed, no problem. Nice man. We were very hungry and decided to splurge and go to the buffet Mr. Castillo suggested: the Golden Corral. It was delicious and I think my stomach has grown accustomed to stretching far beyond normal on these occasions. I must have eaten six or seven plates of a variety of food. I amazed myself. It reminded me of when I was in college and could eat for hours, continually going back for plate after plate, a bottomless pit. The biking has increased my metabolism a lot. I've lost about 15 to 20 pounds and am at my fighting weight: 160 to 165 pounds. Oh well, I'll enjoy it while I can. I'll probably gain a pound a day when the trip is over. After the buffet, they all wanted to go to one of their favorite places, Barnes and Nobles. I was feeling the after effects of the buffet stuffing, and couldn't stay awake, so I slept in the van for the hour or so they were in the store and went straight to bed when we arrived back at the tent.

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Friday, September 19, 2008, Behind Castillo's Garage, Newport News, Virginia
I woke up several times last night to the wind flapping the tarp against the tent. We wanted to drive back to Williamsburg and Jamestown to see them better, but we didn't know where we would stay for the night or how far we should ride. I also needed to stop by the post office and pick up any mail; I knew I should have a card from my mom and the last set of maps to complete the trip to Maine. My mom's letter was there, but the maps weren't. I found out later they were returned to sender because they had been sitting there too long. However, I called explaining I would be arriving at a later date, so this shouldn't have happened. After buying some things at Costco, as we were heading back to get the bikes to resume our riding toward Williamsburg, the van dies on Hwy. 17. I called AAA, but they sent the wrong tow truck; we needed a flat bed because it was an all-wheel drive. It was starting to get late, so we decided to run the five miles back to the bikes. A patrolman who had arrived to help us ended up taking four of us back to ride the bikes, and he put the other two on his rack behind his trunk. We ended up riding to the garage the van was towed to and arrived about the same time as the van. The man who owned the garage said we could put our tent up behind the garage on the grass, a secluded spot. After putting up the tent we walked a quarter mile to a fast food place and lounged around drinking sodas for fun, and it was. Still no shower (3rd day), so another sponge bath.

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Thursday, September 18, 2008, Front of Mason Lodge, Yorktown, Virginia
WE MADE IT TO THE EAST COAST! Well, we made a major milestone today, pedaling all the way to the east coast. It was a thrill.
We got up earlier than usual and left about 7:45. I knew we could make it all the way to Yorktown if we had a good day. So we left and Mom packed up to follow us later and feed us snacks. We kept seeing signs in front yards saying "No Olf". No idea what it means. When we got to Waverly, we ate at McDonalds, always a treat, especially the all-you-can-drink sweet ice tea. We were making good time, despite the fact that the breeze was against us. It was exciting to arrive in the town of Scotland, where we took the ferry to historic Jamestown. Such a neat place with so many old buildings. Once there, all the little ones got on bikes, and we rode the old Colonial Parkway, which connected Jamestown with Williamsburg and our final destination, Yorktown. Beautiful, safe, and scenic. We rode through Williamsburg and saw the old buildings and shops, still as they were in the 1600s. As we approached Yorktown, anticipation was building; we all wanted to see the Atlantic Ocean. It was a race against the sun because it was getting late. Finally, we arrived at sundown and stood under the memorial where General Cornwallace surrendered to George Washington, ending the Revolutionary War. Then we headed to the waterfront and dipped our front tires at the mouth of the James River, which flowed into the Atlantic, and took pictures, capturing this important milestone. Unfortunately, because it was such an important place, there were no cheap places to stay and no nearby campgrounds. Finally, after much looking around and unsuccessful attempts, we found a man cutting the grass in front of the Mason Lodge, who let us put up the tent in the corner of the grass for the night. What a relief. It was already late and dark, so we were very appreciative. Still no showers, so I rode to a gas station for a sponge bath. 110 miles.

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Wednesday, September 17, 2008, Rick Wilson's field, near Darville, Virginia
Pat and Jimmy told us that a couple of newspaper reporters were interested in our story and would be coming after breakfast. So Pat made everyone a delicious bacon, egg, pancake, and lots more breakfast. Boy was it good! Later I talked with the reporter and she took our picture. She said she would mail a copy to Tia Chela in Ukiah, California, when it was published. With a good meal in our bellies, we got off to a good start. The ride was nice, not too hilly, and the weather was good. Later, around noon, we met with the second reporter in his office in Lunenburg. Besides asking us questions about our trip, he gave us Gatorades and fruit for the journey. His son had ridden cross-country years before and had really enjoyed it. Five miles past Blackstone we saw a teenager, Rick Wilson, riding his four wheeler and asked him if he knew of a place to put up our tent. He invited us to put it up in his field. So that's what we did. 61 miles.

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Tuesday, September 16, 2008, Jim and Pat Harding's house, Phenix, Virginia
It has been such a blessing staying with the Bonheims; they are so hospitable, we felt right at home. We finally said our goodbyes around 12:00 and headed to Liberty to pick up our bikes, which had been sitting there in the bike rack in front of the Schilling Building for the last four days. They were fine, but Becky's still had the flat tire I didn't want to fix on Friday, so I had to fix that. We had to go a little off course and take back roads to Rustburg. We saw two lost lonely adorable kittens which ran over to us while we were riding. It was hard to finally say goodbye to them since they were running after us when we left. Paul, especially, had a hard time; he wanted to keep them. We found a roadside tree loaded with crisp apples; so we stocked up on them. As it started to get late, we asked some guys in a car if they knew of a place to pitch a tent. They suggested visiting a lady in the nearby house who might be able to direct us. She made some phone calls and after a while, Jim and Pat Harding come over and invite us to their beautiful house. They all made us a delicious dinner and let us take baths and sleep in their beds. What a wonderful day it has been. God has really provided. 42 miles.

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Monday, September 15, 2008, Bonheims' house, Lynchburg, Virginia
Today the whole family got up early and went on an official tour of the Liberty campus, hosted by the recruiting department. It was thorough, but before it ended, I had an appointment with Dr. Rist about employment possibilities. I submitted my application and talked with him awhile. Nothing definite, but maybe something will open up in the future. After the tour ended, we ended with an all-you-can-eat meal in the school cafeteria, lots of variety and delicious. I saw an old college friend, Monica Parsons, who had completed her doctorate and was teaching at Liberty. She introduced me to others in the education department. I also saw Dr. Horton, my good physiology of exercise professor who is an amazing and accomplished runner, just as chipper as I remember him, and "pretty well preserved" :) Inside joke. We stopped by and saw Jesse before leaving. It has been great returning to the school that has been such an inspiration to me and seeing many familiar people. After Liberty, we rendezvoused with Beth Castro and family at the one dollar theater for the fifty-cent family day. That's right half off for all families; all tickets for 50 cents. So we splurged and bought two giant refillable pop corns to go with it and saw The Mummy (I think). I fell asleep half way through. Not a bad deal, a nap for fifty cents. That evening when we returned to the Bonheims, she had spaghetti ready with salad and garlic bread. Ummm good. We watched an interesting football game, the Eagles and the Cowboys, a high scoring, topsy turvy, game with lots of humor and drama. In the end, the cowboys won, making Coach Bonheim happy.

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Sunday, September 14, 2008, Bonheim's house, Lynchburg, Virginia
We woke up to delicious homemade waffles with maple syrup that Brenda Bonheim had made. Nice way to start off the day. At church, I saw Jesse Castro and family, Pat Sole and family, Dan Wilson, Doug Aires, and a few others I remembered. I also saw Jonathon Falwell preach. When I left Liberty in '81, I remember him as a goof-off high schooler; now he's the main pastor of a great congregation. Like his father, he put out the call for action on the part of believers, to DO something with your faith, put it in to practice in a practical way, not just sit comfortably in your belief. Good message. Afterwards, all of us old-timers went out to eat together. It was great to spend a little time together. I will go to Liberty tomorrow and submit an application to Dr. Rist, who is a friend of Coach Bonheim and influential in hiring; you never know. After eating, we went to Jesse and Beth's house to spend the evening with them. What a great family! All are homeschooled and are so friendly. We had a good time talking and reminiscing, and the kids playing. We ate barbecued hot dogs and Jesse lent me some nice clothes to wear to my meeting with Dr. Rist at Liberty tomorrow. I hope we can see more of each other.