My main accomplishment yesterday was getting a haircut when we walked up to the grocery store to get lunch and food for dinner. Felt so good to get a nice haircut and the rest of the day was spent watching movies on Netflix.

When the house sitter replacements finally arrived from the Netherlands, Folker and I were now already up past our normal bedtime. Looking at the current small window of dry weather, which would be rare for the next couple of days, we decided to go ahead and get some miles in and vacant the full house.

This was the first time on any of my adventures where I rode in the middle of the night and I actually enjoyed it with Folker. We had to really stay on top of navigation as we were currently off the Atlantic Coast Route trying to make our way back. We successfully rode for a little more than a couple hours and when the heavy rain was threatening again, we stopped at a roadside motel for the rest of the night.

Roadside motels are like a Cracker Jack box, you never know what surprise you will find inside. Folker and I laughed when we saw the beds not aligned with the headboards drilled into the wall, drawers not able to be shut, a couple holes in the wall, and many other quirky surprises. We laughed but were still so appreciative of the beds and roof over our heads and it truly did not take long for us to be asleep anyway.

We rolled out of the motel after official sunrise this morning, which is rare for us two. Today was all about navigating to the official route staying off of as many major roads as possible. This obviously meant not going in the most direct route as possible sometimes.

We found ourselves on some dirt trails and gravel during this exploration, which always brings a smile to my face. At one point, we noticed we were getting up north a little more than what we originally expected. With the impending thunderstorms today, we decided it was possible, now that we were so much further north than originally planned, to head to Yorktown. This would work out just fine if we could possibly stay where we did a couple years ago at the end of the TransAmerica Trail. Hopefully, John Oppenhuizen had available space in the house owned by his church that has been made available for cyclists and housed us during our last stay.

I gave John a call and unfortunately the church owned house where most TransAmerica Trail riders stay was being used for a church event this weekend. Folker was eager to talk to John since John grew up in the Netherlands, so I happily passed him the phone.

Once Folker and John started speaking Dutch, I knew something special may happen and of course it did. John invited us to stay in the apartment above his garage that he has opened up to numerous cyclists over the years. When we were in Yorktown two years ago, we had a great time talking with John and he definitely took care of us all. John was also a military pilot, so I also have a great connection with him.

Time to get to Yorktown. We would now have to take a more direct route that would cross three bridges leading into Newport News. John thought we should be able to ride over the last five mile bridge, which was the one we were most concerned with getting over and had specifically asked about.

As we approach this long bridge over the James River, we saw the sign that shows that no pedestrians, cyclists or those riding mopeds are allowed to cross. Folker spotted a cop sitting in the median and confirmed that the shoulder was just too narrow for us to give it a go.

Folker then saw a flatbed tow truck and unfortunately the driver said he would lose his job if he loaded our bikes and gave us a lift over the bridge. He did advise us to go to a bus stop and take a bus across instead of heading for the ferry many miles away.

Within a half a mile down the road, Folker then spots a man filling up his pickup truck at a gas station and headed on over. Chris Nixon said he would have no problem throwing our bikes in the back and getting us across the bridge. Folker was on a roll this morning!

Chris drove like a bat out of hell and before we knew it we were across the bridge and that much closer to Yorktown. It was turning into an adventurous day for sure.

The remaining portion of our trip to Yorktown included us finding more trails and small roads through the Yorktown Battlefield. It felt surreal to be back in Yorktown after two years. I can definitely remember the emotions of the day I finished the TransAmerica Trail and the good times we had the couple days we spent here in town.

We were graciously greeted by John upon our arrival and Folker was very excited to talk with him again. It feels like we have landed in paradise today, especially after the adventure we have had starting last night.