Day 16: Richmond to Dinwiddie

This morning, I awoke at 6:30. After organizing my things I took an allergy pill and dripped some allergy eye drops in my eyes. I walked over to Sugar and Twine cafe and ordered a Thai coffee and an egg and bacon sandwich. There was no seating so I went back to the house and ate my breakfast.

A popular spot for the locals, Sugar and Twine

I noticed my eyes still itched so I put more drops in my eyes. Soon I experienced the fatigue eyes syndrome and I wasn’t even cycling. My new theory is that the reason my eyes feel fatigued in the morning is because of allergies, not low blood pressure.

Jackie and Sarah had errands to do at 9 AM. Even though I had a hard time keeping my eyes open, I decided I better get going too since I have a long way to Dinwiddie. I will follow the East Coast Greenway’s western route going into North Carolina from now on and not rely on Komoot anymore, unless things change.

I rode for over an hour and half with my eyes barely open. It was dangerous because I couldn’t focus on the pavement below and the road ahead at the same time. Consequently, I don’t remember too much of the scenery on that section of the ride.

At a little after 11 AM, I arrived at The Village Grill in Chester. I decided to get an early lunch since I don’t think there’s another town in between here and Dinwiddie. I had three hot dogs and I also inquired about which town to arrive for the day since McKenney is just ten miles past Dinwiddie. The cashier said Dinwiddie is a better town and I don’t have to ride the extra ten miles.

Coleslaw on a hot dog is pretty good!

I continued to follow the East Coast Greenway, but the weather was getting hot. The high today is 82 degrees. I passed by a convenience store on the road and decided to turn around and go inside to see if they have my favorite thing to eat on the road: ice cream. And they did have it!

Ice cream is served!

After resting in the shade for a while, I decided to get going before it gets too hot in the afternoon. It’s already 75 degrees at 1:30 PM. I thought I only had 15 miles to ride into town, but it turned out it was more like 20 miles. When I reached Dinwiddie, I clocked over 50 miles, at 51.2 miles. That’s a new record for me on this trip.

I found the Route 1 Country Store and decided to get something to eat even though it’s only 4 PM. When I was paying for my pork BBQ sandwich, I told the young cashier, whose name is Jeremiah, about my cycling trip to Florida. His eyes lit up and couldn’t believe what I’m doing. I gave him my business card so he can check out my website later. In return, he paid for my dinner. What a nice guy! It’s the second time that someone paid for my meal. The first one was Inti in Alexandria. This time, I made sure to get a photograph of this road angel.

Jeremiah, the road angel in Dinwiddie

I also asked Jeremiah if I can stay at the church down the road for the night. He said he goes to that church, the Smryna Baptist Church, and thinks I should be able to.

I arrived at the church and couldn’t believe how big it is. Unfortunately, no one answered the door. I even tried calling. I think I’m going to stealth camp tonight here. A good spot is right next to the front door, behind one of the pillars so no one can see me.

Smryna Baptist Church in Dinwiddie