On to Roanoke

I set out from Henrico on the first of what will be many miles of solos riding. Along the way, I pulled over for some shots, but they don't begin to capture how much gorgeous scenery I saw whizzing by. More coming, as (safe) opportunities present themselves. Sometimes, there just isn't enough time to pull over...

With daylight running out, I pulled into Roanoke Station 5 and was greeted with lasagna, salad and homemade cheesecake. Hunger overwhelmed my photographic instincts, but I managed to get a shot of the dessert before wolfing it down. The crew had gotten a late start on dinner anyway because of a first due 2-alarm fire, so my tardiness was barely noticed. As luck would have it, Capt Willie Wines Jr, of IronFiremen.com fame was Battalion 2 that night, and he was kind enough to document my visit and give me a plug on his blog (there are some great shots of the fire on there as well). You can check it out here. Capt Wines is the guy behind the impressive mustache. Before the night was through, the Chief of the Department stopped by to visit, and Mike Elston and his beau Debi took me for a quick tour of historic downtown.Before the night was through, the Chief of the Department stopped by to visit, and Mike Elston and his beau Debi took me for a quick tour of historic downtown.

The idea of a ride for ovarian cancer seems to resonate with a lot of the guys in the firehouses. Every place I've visited, someone has shared with me a story of a friend or relative who has battled cancer, and many have mentioned wives or mothers who have had a scare, been diagnosed with, or died from ovarian cancer. I'm inspired by these stories to keep riding.