We took a risk scheduling a bike vacation for Virginia the first of November, but could not have imagined better weather. We'd already had a vacation's worth of good times when we started our third day. We took a chance on back roads to York River state park. We hit a lovely bike trail next to Worrell Mill and right behind our hotel, and then we followed pretty country roads to a park on the York River which looks more like an ocean bay at this point. I found the presence of suburbia at the very gates of the park a bit off-putting but totally loved the park. First we came to an empty area made glorious by the early morning sun. From a viewing area we saw a blue heron in the Takanis River and on tall trees near the York River we spied bald eagles. We watched the eagles come and go and even saw one swoop to the water and grab something with its talons. Paula remembered she had forgotten to start her day with crunches decided to get some extra exercise in this pretty spot. We found miles of multiuse trails which were carpeted with leaves and lined with colorful ones yet to fall.
     We did not want to leave the park but bicycling gives the stomach a lot of influence and we headed for some food. In the small town of Lightfoot, Virginia we dined at Pierce's barbecue, a charming local restaurant specializing in Tennessee-style barbecue. Stuck in the woods on an access road near the interstate in draws people from all over and has Southern Living praises framed on the walls. We stopped at Worrell Mill to explore their mountain bike trails only to be told that they were closed for at least a year due to the hurricane and excessive usage. We went back to the historic area for ice cream and a spin through the Matoka Woods. Once again we found out as we left that we weren't supposed to bike there. It's okay with me because I hit some soft sand and took a spill. Paula stood in silence until she heard I wasn't hurt and hasn't been silent about it since.
     Our last day in Williamsburg started with another great breakfast at 6:15 and we were on the road enjoying another perfect day by 7 a.m. We took the Colonial Parkway west this time across College Creek and along the James River toward Jamestown. We took some delightful detours including one that took us on a very narrow road advertised as a dead end. However, the blockage, an old bridge, applied only to motor vehicles and we made our way through. We stopped for a while at Lake Powell watching a Kingfisher. At Paula's suggestion we paid the $16 to enter the James Island park, and found a wonderful 5-mile one-way road through the woods. We passed Canada geese and the ferry that would take us home later in the day. We enjoyed the historic markers which were on the sight of various early developments. We also saw birds galore including bluebirds, towhees, yellow-rumped warbler,  white-throated sparrow, Carolina wren, bald eagle, terns, flickers, red-belied woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, blue herons, Canada geese, blue jays, mockingbird, nuthatch and chickadees. We visited the ruins of Jamestown where we saw archeological works. From the lovely river side we viewed a freighter moving up the James River and viewed a monument to John Smith.  By then we needed food and pedaled back to Williamsburg before loading up the bikes and reluctantly heading home.