October 7

Rain started shortly after I got into my tent on the night of the 5th and continued all night and all the next morning. I sure can pick 'em. I set up camp near an army base, five miles from Larton., congratulating myself on the money I had saved. Checked into a motel in Larton at 11:00 the next morning, thoroughly soaked. Bought a Washington Post, two bottles of Heineken's and two cans of chili, and did a lot of emailing and transcribing of this journal.

At ten this morning, having been on the road two hours, I pulled into a shopping center looking for a laundromat. There wasn't one, but there was a bike/ski shop, and a compadre there, the owner, replaced my brake pads, cleaned and oiled the chain and gears, tuned the deraileur and put air in the tires. We had a good chat for an hour, and that buoyed my spirits..

I'm in a dumpy, but warm and adequate, motel in Fredericksburg. $42. A drizzly, cold day. I started out on shorts and a T shirt, put on a jacket at 9:30, rain pants at 12:30 and gloves at 3:00. Deer season. Ol' boys in camouflage giving me hard stares in country stores. Not all of them. Near a marine station there was a fifty-five year old guy in a group of four who gave me a friendly nod. The weather is supposed to clear up and get warmer tomorrow. My poor tent is still soaking wet.

Virginia rivers are muddy, and there are lots of water depth markers, but so far no water, on the roads. Glad I'm doing this in the dry season.