Day 18: South Hill to Clarksville, then to Greensboro, NC

Last night was so hot that I didn’t rest well. I was also afraid of bed bugs due to the condition of the room. Luckily, my fear was just that. Fear, and no bed bugs.

After getting up at 6:15 AM, I prepared my things and checked out at 7. I ate breakfast at the only place in town that’s open, The Donut Shop. I had a ham egg cheese sandwich. Not enough to be a full breakfast, but at least it’s something.

Downtown South Hill

I got on the road around 7:45 and made good speed. I averaged about 11 miles per hour. The country road was quiet in the morning since I’m taking the East Coast Greenway route today. It’s not direct, but there are fewer cars compared to the main highway.

Beautiful country roads

I passed by at least five houses where they had dogs in cages. They must be dog breeders. I wondered what happens when it rains. Will all the dogs get wet? I don’t think they live in good conditions. I know the South has a lot of dog breeders and most of them don’t care about the welfare of the dogs and care only about money and profit. I hope these dogs get a better life elsewhere.

The cloudy weather made the temperature a little cooler, but it was still in the 70s. I made good time and arrived at Boydton around 10 AM. I decided to get brunch at Our Happy Place, the only restaurant that’s open at that time.

Our Happy Place in Boydton

While eating a meat lover’s omelette, I texted Crispin and we decided to meet at Bridgewater Bar and Grill in Clarksville at 1 PM. I only had about 13 miles to ride to Clarksville and had plenty of time, but I decided to get going anyway.

When I got closer to Clarksville I had to cross a bridge. As I was riding I heard a noise, but I didn’t think to stop since I was riding on the bridge without any shoulders. When I reached the other side and stopped at a McDonald’s I saw that my flag was gone. It must have fallen while I was cycling on the bridge. The flag was more of an annoyance so I decided to take down the flag pole and not replace it.

Going into Clarksville

I drank an iced caramel macchiato at McDonald’s before going across the street to Bridgewater Bar and Grill to wait for Crispin. I had ridden about 38 miles today. And I rode a total of over 500 miles since I started in King of Prussia, PA.

I ordered a crab soup and waited for about 45 minutes at the restaurant when Crispin showed up closer to 2 PM. It was great seeing Crispin, my cycling buddy from 2018, 2021, and 2022. We both ordered salads and they were huge.

Crispin

Over lunch, we chatted about my options of cycling around the world. I told Crispin that I might cycle in Europe after my grandma’s funeral service in June. I might start in Amsterdam, but I don’t want to cycle east toward the sun. Then I told Crispin about sticking with my original plan of going to Canada, but start in Toronto instead of Quebec City since I want to cycle the Erie canal trail from Albany to Buffalo. Also after I cross Canada and go down the west coast, I might not go into Mexico. Instead, I’ll get a flight to New Zealand or Japan and cycle there. Just talking about my plans with Crispin somehow motivated me to continue my cycling journey.

After lunch, Crispin and I loaded my bike into Crispin’s car and walked two blocks in downtown Clarksville before returning to the car since we were curious to see what the town is like.

Downtown Clarksville

Crispin ended up driving over an hour and 45 minutes back to Greensboro with a bathroom break in the middle. I’m glad Crispin and I arrived in Greensboro before the rain started to pour.

I met Crispin’s wife, Margery, and their Pomeranian dog named Teddy at their new retirement house that they moved into last summer. After taking a shower, we went to the dining center at the retirement community and had dinner.

Crispin, Margery, and their dog Teddy

I’ll be staying with Crispin and Margery for the next couple of days and I hope to use this time to visit my friends Chris and Liz in Winston-Salem and write more blog posts about life.