Virginia
Virginia was a state full of surprises. I hadn’t originally planned on stopping here, but if you’ve been following along, you know by now that I haven’t planned much of anything. lol My good friend in DC let me stay with them for a bit, and I used DC as a home base while hopping around the East Coast. They told me they loved Richmond, so I figured I should see what the hype was all about.
Like much of the East Coast, Richmond is full of history. What makes it unique though is that it was the capital of the Confederacy. I took the train in and figured I’d just wing it. Leah from UpShift Workshop in DC recommended a few bike shops to check out, and the first one I visited was Outpost. This shop is really cool, it’s half bike shop and half market. So next time you’re out for oat milk, don’t forget to grab a few spare tubes and a Pink Tag Bag. Yep, they carry my bags now! :) They didn’t bite at first since they’d just restocked, but later placed an online order, I think all the love I received from the community in Richmond definitely played a part in this. But this order also triggered the realization: “Oh, I do need to get home soon to make more bags.” This tour has been incredible, but all good things must come to an end I suppose.
One of the staff members there is part owner of a really cool brand called Bike Buds, and it was great chatting with them about our businesses, as as always, I asked what kind of bike events were happening. Since it was a Monday, they sent me to Bike Monday Bros. I can’t overstate how much I loved this ride! The ride leaders and group were amazing, and you can read my full write-up HERE.
A lot of people on the ride were talking about something called Burning Van and asked if I was going. I had no clue what they were talking about, but everyone said I shouldn’t miss it. Unfortunately, I’d already made plans to go up to Baltimore that weekend. It’s tough sometimes because there’s so much bike culture and so many events everywhere I go, and I just can’t do them all. >_< HOWEVER! The event I was going to in Baltimore got canceled last minute because everyone was going to Richmond! So I had no choice, I HADcto go back. I’ll do a full write-up on this event soon, plus some videos, but for now I can tell you Richmond is wild. The event was so weird, and I was blown away by how strange, creative, and diverse the community is here.
Between events, I just kind of meandered around town. There are lots of beautiful trails and parks, and fall was the perfect time to visit. Everyone asked where I was staying, which was the Diamond Inn. Apparently this hotel has a reputation, and having now spent two nights there I gotta say it deserves that reputation. I travel cheaply considering I’m doing it for months at a time right now, but I have never had a hotel with graffiti in the bathroom and open prostitution going on in the lot out front. But hey, it’s a vibe and I’m not here to yuck anyone’s yum. I just needed a place to rest my head at night.
As I travel, I try to get a feel for every city. I’m not sure if the PNW is my forever home, and I’d like to try somewhere new someday, so I keep that in mind as I go. I loved Richmond and could definitely see myself here, but it might be a little too small for this city girl. We’ll just have to wait and see where the universe takes me. For now, I’m excited to go back to Richmond and ride around some more.
