Raining on our parade

October 20th

The morning rain poured mildly as we coasted down heavily trafficked Route 17. The traffic lightened up somewhat once we got off the main road into Fredericksburg, but the rain did not. We took refuge under the awning of a tattoo parlor while I searched the map and my Garmin 605 for a place a to eat lunch. As the GPS was searching, someone walked from the strip mall across the four lane road towards us.

"Are you guys waiting for this place to open?" he asked politely.

"No, we're just looking for a place to eat."

"Are you sure you don't want to come in?"

Struck by his kindness, we were too flustered to say yes.

"We'll be fine once we find a place to eat," said Nicole.

"Okay," he said. "Well, there's a Chinese restaurant across the street, and there's plenty of nice places to eat in town."

With that, he walked away. Nicole and I were struck that he was willing to open the store earlier just to get us out of the rain, particularly when we already somewhat dry thanks to our rain gear and the generosity of the building's overhang.

A few minutes later, the owner invited us in. First he asked us if we needed a tattoo, then he recommended one of Fredericksburg's many restaurants. We thanked him for his offer, but a tattoo was not in the cards for us today.

It took us less than a mile for us to cross the Rappahanock River into the heart of Fredericksburg. The building's hadn't changed much, but the businesses inside did show some of the changing face of Virginia. We saw a Thai restaurant and pounced on the opportunity, knowing full well that the rest of the South hasn't really progressed passed deep frying everything on the menu.

When we got out, the rain was letting up, but we took some time to view the local museum before riding our bikes to the great battleground of Fredericksburg.

Confederate General James Longstreet gave Union soldiers a proper burial.

We had originally intended to ride to the nearby Virginia wilderness, where Wal-Mart intends to build a supercenter where Grant's army camped prior to battle, but we were behind schedule. We rode up the very steep hill where thousands of Union soldiers admirably attacked Lee's northern flank. When we arrived at the top of the hill, we were overcome with emotion as we saw the many graves for the Union man who died in valor for a cause so just.

We rode onwards, touring the rest of the battlefield. Eventually, it was difficult to tell which was more disconcerting: that Union General Ambrose Burnisde foolishly walked into Robert E. Lee's well fortified defense, or that people have built houses on parts of the battlefield. I guess the moral to the story is that one should visit as many civil war battlefields as possible, even the ones that have been partially developed.

It's always easier on defense: seven months later, "Pickett's Charge" spelled disaster for the gray coats at Gettysburg.

By now, it was almost six o'clock and the Virginia sun was setting. We had spent so much time enjoying the town that it was time to retire for the night. We had two choices: ride ten miles to a "Kampground of America" or another Motel 6 that was just a mile away. Guess which one was cheaper. You may be surprised, but another night at Motel 6 was the answer.