Day 1 - Yorktown, Virginia to Willis Methodist Church vicinity of Glendale, Virginia

Thursday April 21, 2016, 61 miles(98 km) 

My day started early with Patty driving me from Williamsburg to Yorktown.  The first stop was the Victory Monument commemorating the last major battle of the Revolutionary War in 1781.  The result of the battle was the surrender by General Cornwallis to General George Washington.

Victory Monument

From Yorktown I road along the Colonial Parkway, a restricted, lower speed road. The road was quite busy with commuter traffic but all were courteous and gave me a wide berth when they passed.  I left the Colonial Parkway for a short pass through a small part of Colonial Williamsburg to avoid a tunnel on the Parkway.

Governor's Palace

Once leaving Colonial Williamsburg I was back on the Colonial Parkway on my way to Jamestown.  I didn't tour around Jamestown because I had visited there a few days ago. Once arriving at Jamestown I began a ride on the best cycling trail I have ever ridden, the Virginia Capital Trail.  I remained on the trail for the next 36 miles.  

Virginia Capital Trail

The trail passed through an area with a lot of history or at least a lot of historical markers. The photo below is but one example, a total of seven markers all in one place.

Seven Historical Markers

The route passed through an area with several plantations dating back to the 17th century  but they were all off route more than I wanted to ride,  I did pass by many homes with beautiful azaleas in bloom in many different colors.

Colorful Azaleas

After leaving the cycling trail I had a short ride along a quiet country road.  It passed the Malvern Hill battlefield part of the Richmond National Battlefield Park.  The battle in the area was on July 1, 1862 and the days preceding and following.

Malvern Hill Battlefield

After a nice 61 mile ride I arrived at my stop for the night, the Willis United Methodist Church.  The ride was a little longer than I would have liked for the first day but the church is known for providing great service to cyclist and I arrived by mid-afternoon.  This church has provided a place for cyclist to stay for several years and it seems the church has a long service to those in need as it served as a field hospital after the Battle of Malvern Hill during the Civil War.

Willis United Methodist Church