The Tuesday Group outdid itself today with a repeat of one of our favorite bike rides, the Newport News Park to Yorktown Bike ride. The weather was perfect with temperatures in the low to mid 80s, a light breeze and moderate humidity. We had 17 cyclists today: Sandy, Tricia, Ania, Bill Bunch, Bill Billings, Bill Leber (3 Bills!), Diane, Bob M, Erdal, Bruce, Sherri, KAO, Mary, Andy, Sandra, Jack and me, Phyllis. We met up this morning at the NN Park campground parking lot, did our safety talk and announced our names. Bob Mooney's friend, Erdal, is from Istanbul, Turkey and hopes to eventually live permanently in the US. He fit right in with the Tuesday Group!
We had a pleasant ride through NN Park soon emerging onto Washington's Redoubt. From there we followed the tour road (including the French Loop) and spent a little time on the bridge over Rt 17. Some of the female members of the group apparently engaged in some risque acts that elicited loud horn honks from trucks passing below. (I was not in view of this but as you well know, what happens in the Tuesday Group, stays in the Tuesday Group!)
We continued our ride, gingerly following the dirt path off the tour road and down onto the Colonial Parkway. Bob Mooney mused "Why do you drive on the parkway but park in the driveway"? (We need to figure this out.) Single file we pedaled on to the Visitor Center where some of us used our National Park Lifetime Senior passes for the first time to get stickers for everyone. (This was pretty thrilling for me!) We lingered at the Visitor Center for awhile (3 folks had to leave at this point) before having to decide if we'd do the Victory Monument for our traditional photo or the Tobacco Road. I couldn't decide so Bill Billings said "Let's do both!" So we did. We rode/walked our bikes (per the Ranger's instructions) to the monument and did our picture. Fuji was a little temperamental but finally cooperated. Then we circled back to the Visitor Center parking lot and rode the Tobacco Road down to the river front. In the 18th century, tobacco was prepared for shipment by packing it into large wooden casks, called hogsheads. The hogsheads were then rolled to the waterfront for loading onto ships bound for England.
The path is narrow and lined with huge stands of bamboo.
We pedaled down to the river and found a picnic table suitable for our lunch break. We spent an hour or so here and then decided to pay homage to the cannons "Jacques" and "Pierre". But sacre blue! The cannons, they are no longer there! I wonder if Margaret had anything to do with that?
We continued our ride back through downtown Yorktown, up that ridiculous hill and onto the loop past Wormley Creek, then another ridiculous hill until our next break at Surrender Field. We listened/watched the video tell the story of that fateful day. We also marveled at all the barn swallows roosting in the ceiling. Their nests defy gravity!
We continued our journey, through Washington's Redoubt and back into NN Park regrouping back at the Visitor Center where we got drinks and ice cream (ice cream sandwiches 96 cents!)
As Bill Billings said-What an amazing day for the Tuesday Group!
Phyllis
Bill says: Phyllis led a fun ride through the woods and battlefield with a pleasant lunch on the banks of the York River. Everyone rode under the "No Bike Bridge" on the old Tobacco Road trail.
We got to admire the Coleman Bridge.
We got to see a great blue heron, turtles, cormorants and many baby barn swallows.
And the weather was perfect!
Thanks Phyllis!
View Bill's photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/SHYfgMU6JcbUwhu98
View Sherri's photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/7CarxbiV65ZD1Kvy8
View Bob's photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/mhLwFfCGveLv1Vvr7