Linda picked us up at 8.30 and drove us to Culpeper. A turkey buzzard was flying over the hotel as we left. An omen, no doubt, but of what?

We drove through Loudoun county, the richest county in America, where the Rockefellers, Carnegies and Mellons all have estates. The countryside is English looking and clearly prosperous.

Culpeper is a small town with a sprawling outer area and a small interior mostly given over to antique shops. Linda dropped us of at the outskirts and we finally started cycling. Disconcertingly the wide shoulder that had been on the road all the way there, suddenly disappeared and the first few miles were a real wake up call. I was also having some difficulty getting used to the handle bar pannier which seems to affect the steering quite a lot.

We cycled in sunshine on long rolling roads through pretty Virginia countryside. Mike mentioned a couple of times how beautiful the Blue Ridge Mountains were. I was more aware that they were getting ever closer.

We passed through the town of Orange after about 20 miles but didn't stop and headed on for Charlotteville. Linda told us that bears, bison and wild turkey are now seen again in Virginia. Wild life seen so far: 1 beaver, three skunks and something else with a long tail - all dead. (Mike thinks the other creature might have been a possum - in which case it may have been pretending; if so the blood thing was very clever). There was also a buzzard picking at a dead something in a field. Too big for a fox- a coyote maybe.

We stopped for lunch at a small deli about 13 miles from Charlottesville. Very homely. We ate chilli with grated cheese and toasted cheese sandwiches. Not in the Lance Armstrong diet book but just what we needed Two farmers sitting at a nearby table discussing the merits of different tractor manufacturers. They were eating chilli and drinking iced tea out of what looked like jam jars. The old lady who ran the place did actually say "you all be sure to come back now" which we promised to do.

The last few miles were a real struggle for me. It was very warm by now and the hills seemed to get noticeably steeper. There was also quite a lot of that weird optical effect where your eyes tell you you are going down hill but the bike and your body tells you it is definitely up. Most odd. We got to Charlottesville at about 4 and checked in to the Red Roof Inn on W. Main St. A quick shower and change we were out again. It's a university town and looks fairly well to do. The University, just up the road from the hotel, was designed by Thomas Jefferson and is extremely handsome.

We have a couple of pints of Guinness in an Irish bar while we plan the route for the following day - to Rockfish Gap or Waynesboro about 30 miles away. Mike would like to go further but the next nearest town is definitely too far for one day. I, of course am deeply saddened by this We have dinner in the 12th Street Tap house. a lively bar just down the road. Spaghetti and red wine makes everything seem a lot rosier. Stagger back to the hotel, very tired. The lack of sleep really catching up with me. Fall into bed at nine.