After leaving the campground near Lake Anna, I literally biked over hill and dale getting to my next stop. I was planning on stopping for lunch at a town called “Kent’s Store”, about 25 miles away. It was a hot day and it was the first day with a lot of hills so I was really tired when I arrived. To my surprise, Kent’s Store was actually just that. It was a store called… that’s right, Kent’s Store. There was also a post office across the street, but that was it. No restaurants, no traffic light, no houses, no school… nothing. To make matters worse, the store was closed and had a sign that read, “Just Had A Baby – Will Be Back Some Time After Labor Day”. I was so disappointed; I was hot, tired, hungry and thirsty and today for me there would be no cold drink or a hot lunch. Today is another, “beef jerky, crackers, warm water and warm Gatorade for lunch” day for me. After lunch I got bike on my bike (which has now been affectionately named “Sally”) and rode until evening and landed on the west side of Charlottesville sometime after nine. Ride around Monticello, I met a nice family who was very helpful in getting me to where I needed to be in Charlottesville and informing me on what I needed to do the next day to get up the mountain. The “Mountain”, something I have not been looking forward to since I started this trip. From everything that I’ve read, it is supposed to be the hardest part of the entire journey… and tomorrow morning I will have to face it. I thought briefly about taking some time to go around Charlottesville and check it out, but then I though I should maybe save my energy for the steepest climb on the entire TransAmerica trail that I will have to face tomorrow. So after washing my clothes again in the sink, I go to bed.
