We had about ten minutes to set up camp before it was dark. I didn’t have time to stretch out or rehydrate. I just started unpacking everything as fast as I could. It was going to be cold, and there weren’t many people around. We ended up pitching both my little tent and my dad’s four-person dome. Body heat was going to be important, so we decided to both sleep in the big one–from then on, we made the genius decision to not set up both tents if we are only going to use one of them. All about efficiency, baby!

My pops had arrived in my trusty CR-V, and we figured we’d take advantage of the horsepower over my leg power. After camp was ready, we took off through the hills to find a place to have a real dinner. I know it had only been one day of biking, but I had almost forgotten how fast you can go on these roads with a real engine under you. After dodging about 250 deer on the way out of the campground, we ventured into town to find some sustenance and to kill some time.

We came across Point Potomac Winery, and we decided to go for it. The place was perfect–great food, great wine, and the most comfortable seating on the planet. I sunk into my chair, and I could almost hear my battered tush saying thank you.

The next morning, my dad figured I should get some more fuel in me before I hit the road. We decided to head towards my next destination and stop on the way. I know it’s cheating a little, but I couldn’t turn down the double-whammy: a good meal and less hills.

The diner we found was awesome. Classic America, serving big portions of eggs, grits, bacon and of course, real pumpkin pancakes. It was a good start to what I know will become a true love affair with these joints as I head south.

We found the next point on my route, and he dropped me off with everything to continue on my way. I swung through Randolph Macon–it was their homecoming and I almost convinced myself to stop by a tailgate and throw a few back. But I’m not comfortable with this trailer yet, and I’m wobbly enough as it is.

The ride into Richmond was beautiful. Looks like Sandy didn’t get to every tree along my route.

Because of the head start, I made much more headway towards Richmond than the original plan. We decided to tent up in the KOA in Ashland, which would leave me with a pretty easy ride into the city on Sunday.

We had time to set up camp and then some. We piled in the car in search of something to do and another big meal. After a solid tour of American franchise restaurants, we decided to go with Chili’s. It was Saturday, and we spent about 5 hours in the place watching college football and chatting. After all this time, it’s amazing how much I still learn about my father. Even though we are different generations, our life stories paralell each other in many ways, and he’s got some wild stories from back in the day. Other parts I just sit back and listen. Twain once remarked that it’s amazing how much wisdom our fathers gain during our transition from teenager to young adult–it’s a very valid point, he just said it much more eloquently. And although we might differ in some of our opinions, and our points of view are from different ends of the spectrum, it’s still so important to listen.

5 hours is also more than enough time for my father to make friends with everyone in the room. By the end of our night, the bartender made us some drinks on the house, and those put us over the top and into sleepy mode. We went back and hunkered down into the four-man tent to enjoy some solid Z’s.

We woke up pretty early to our oblivious neighbor conversing at about 120 decibels with the girl he was trying to impress. It was pretty funny to listen to, and I still think he had no idea how loud he was talk-yelling. I did a quick search for a diner near the KOA, and we decided to double-down on our luck. We found a place called the River City Diner outside of Ashland. Honest to God, one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been. The food was awesome, and they definitely take care of you.

Her name is Theresa, and she was almost glowing. She was our server, and she is also exactly the reason why I went on this trip. She is such a sweetheart, and her positivity and kindness is contagious. She genuinely wanted to know how we were doing. Coming from a bustling city where people don’t/can’t take the time to listen or care, it was so refreshing to chat with her. Most of the time, I refrain from blabbing about my trip, but when she asked us what we were doing in Ashland, I couldn’t think of a quick and easy way to answer her question. So, I explained to her what I was doing, and she half-hugged me and walked away. Dad and I enjoyed the rest of our breakfast until we couldn’t even look at another bite.

Theresa came over and handled our stuff and we sat back to take a breather. Then, another server walked by us, “wished me luck on my travels,” and slapped a $5 on the table. Then, another waitress did the same thing. Then another. I swear, it was like the scene out of Rudy. I didn’t even know what to say. And then Theresa came up to us and said that the meal was on them and then handed me a $20 on top of that. She told me how happy she was that I was doing this, and this was the least they could do to help. Both my father and I had tears in our eyes. It was unbelievable.

Unfortunately, my dad doesn’t know how to work an iPhone, so I don’t have a shot of us, but we tried! If you’re ever in Ashland, please stop by the River City Diner. They have great food, and I know for a fact that they will treat you right. People are just amazing.