The longest stay....

I rolled into Palmyra Va Sunday around 6:45 PM. I met Betty, her and her mother were doing some yard work, I asked Betty where a near by church was, if the preacher would mind if I stayed the night so I could continue to Charolettesville the next morning.. She went in a made the call, Murph and I went to a BP and I got some milk and sweet to help keep the energy up while I waited..The call came in, I'm sorry Mr Matney but the insurance companies won't allow cyclist to stay on the grounds anymore..Forgive me for saying, But it would seem a banker speaks louder than God in the House of God.. So heres where It goes down hill, I called the Sheriffs office, they said I could stay at the Pole Barns, in Pleasant Grove about 1 1/2 miles up hill, My legs are already jelly at this moment, and night fall is setting in fast..Off I go.

I'm coming up to route 53, and I see a restaurant, I got $5 buck left from the fireman that helped me out in Mineral, I'll go in a get something to snack on when I set up camp..I got into a conversation about the trip and the chronic bad luck that has been eating my butt for a week, So a great person bought my dinner for Murph and I, as I was about to make a call to GP to let her pass it on Im alive, I got pulled outside because it was closing time, so Out I went, I couldn't eat much, because I haven't been eating much at all in the first place, So I packed it up and got to pushing the bike uphill, ITS BLACK pitch dark, the LED light cuts it nicely, and gives me a 15 feet forward veiw, but something is trying to sneak up on Murph and I behind us, I hear its growling and snorting, so My head starts spinning like a police car light, I have the "headlight" glued to the helmet and a red flashing light glued as well to the back.. Just when it was about  20 feet behind me a car pulled up and IT took off in the direction we just walked from, A guy asked me where I was going, and he mentioned he too was a cyclist, I told him about the Pole Barns, and the Sheriffs office, he pointed me in the right direction. we said goodbye, But I wish I got his name and number, he could have been a bigger help in the following days to come.

I searched my pocket(s) to find my phone..OH GOD NOW WHAT!!! I've misplaced my phone, I know where its at, I'll go get it in the morning....WRONG!! again, but we'll get to that in a minute. So I walk up to the office, they tell me its another 3/4 mile up the road on the right..a walking we will go, a walking we will go, Hi HO the dairy O, a walking we will go.. I find it, but not where they told me to go, cause the light was about gone, and its DEAD BLACK where the light isn't hitting. SO I set up camp by the nearest picnic table, Yogi and Boo boo , will have to search out another one to stalk I thought to myself..

I wake up to the sound and feeling of RAIN pouring into the tent, so more or less Im sleeping in a pool of water while Murph climbs on my belly to stay dry..Some dog!.  about 3 hours later more or less I got up to the sound of a dog sniffing out the tent, I walk about looking for something to charge the tablet, so the GPS might be able to tell me where Im at. I meet AARON SPITZER he is the coordinator for the grounds, and he leads me to the pole barns, and he gives me a couple bottles of water and Gartor aid, I tell him I left my phone at the smokehouse, then he informs me they are closed Monday and Tuesday,,OH GREAT,  another three day stay, this is killing the idea of getting out of Virginia in May,.. Im map-less, phone-less, and most of all CASH-less..Stick a fork in me Im done, with it. After a couple of conversation with a few people a man named Doug drives me to the smokehouse in hoping, that someone might be doing some cleaning, but to no avail, I ask him to take me to the store, I can get some ramon noodles for me to hold me off with the $5 I have left, Doug hands me $20 and said you need it, I tried to give him the change but he would have it.. This got me some peanut butter to help the hurting legs muscles, and a couple of drinks, along with some Folgers freeze dried coffee with those Flavor crystals as they call it..Butt flavor crystals is what I call it. So I go back and set up camp for the night.. I get a rude awaking to a sound of something VERY big roaming outside the tent, and I'm to chicken to look, but it took down a tree from the sound of it..mean while "killer" lying next to me is snoring so loud I don't think he'd know if the Earth was under Alien attack..I 'm sure I'd hear it first.

I wake up the next day to find a 4 inch thick sapling on the ground 30 feet from the tent, The Aaron pulls up to check on me and mentions about a few "small" black bears that walk about.. as Bill Cosby said, "first you say it , then you do it". He leave and I get to meet Dr Bob Burger, he's been my biggest help, he gave me his bible since I can't access mine without internet, (remember this is a spiritual ride as well for me), gets in contact with a few people to help me get my phone back sooner, I've met many super folks, Sam, Shining Sam I call him, with his diamond ear ring, and angle wing seat stubs shining, he told me it was safe to use my metal detector in this area of the state, GREAT! something to do while I wait,.

I found..metal, thats what it does, but I'm up to 28 cents so far. Murph and I go for a walk through the trails, and pretty much got lost, I found a old chicken coup, and walk towards it and came out behind the library, super, I ran into Betty, Betty knows the person that babysits fro Joshua (owner of the smokehouse) and she leaves a message with them about my problem.. she takes me to the store, I get Murph and I a chicken dinner, then when I get back, Just as I was pulling the zipper open I saw my phone sitting on the sleeping bag..YES!!!, Betty drives back to let me know that It was Bob whom got the phone fro me, and that they werer looking for me, but figured I went for a walk in the trails, Yep I did and got lost to. Super..

Now I have the phone, guess I'll call gayle and let her know I'm done with it. Buy me a train ticket back, and I'll chalk this up as another failure in my life, No pain, no gain, but Im getting plenty of pain, but as for gaining..Pfft!! Im losing my butt at every turn. I called Adventure cycling after leaving them a email, with no response..Could you help me? I'm a member, I donated, (not much but Im unemployed) I spent $138 fro these maps, and I got one left, that someone didn't steal. the answer isn't one I thought I would get from a group of people whos"s commitment is cycling, and helping and showing people about how great cycling across America can be... NO! No download, No back-up plan for the money I spent with them, No assistance on what to do, NO NO NO. nothing I pretty much got shoved off the phone..quickly.. I can't believe it, the very people that I put on the back of my traveling cards, the folks I spoke highly of and called Gods of cycling, just hung me out to dry in the middle of nowhere, with out giveing me assistance on how to get back..NOTHING!!..I have a few words I'd love to say, but since children are reading this I'll bite my fingers.. For the next 300 cards I have left,, I'm taking a black magic marker and removing their name from my card, You want me to promote your business for the sake of Adventure cycling..PAY ME!! or do it yourself.

So Bob wants me to carry on with the travels, problem is Im to broke to spend another $138 for the maps, my unemployment runs out in two weeks, I can't do it, its taking to long to leave Virginia, YES! the problems I've had HAS been fixed, But still, no funds arer coming into the donation bin..Its what I expected, but I got talked into putting it up, and whats coming out of it is what I figured would happen..It does look cool though.. But Bob keeps pushing on staying the trip.. Follow my own path, not someone Else's, map it out yourself,.. IDK I'll really need to think this out, I would be very happy to make it to the Mississippi, THATS worth bragging about, but funds, and being so far behind is killing it, for what I've spent, I should be past Berea Kentucky by now, but I havn't left the first half of the trip..

I have to think this out...I want to thank Bob Burger, Betty, Doug, Sam, Joshua and his wife, the local Sheriffs Office, the Palmyra Library, On this note, if anyone has lightly used books and music cd, movies ect ect, PLEASE send them to the Fluvanna county library in Palmyra, they need them, its a great place, that needs a few more things to make it..also computer related items couldn't hurt either. Aaron, Greg, Anthony, The guy with the Holister shirt, (sorry for forgetting your name) and the rest of Fluvanna park care takers for allowing me to stay in the pole barns... See you all later.

Chronic Bad-luck kicking in over drive to day

Yep you read it right, Between finding my maps have been stolen,(and YES I know exactly who has them and why they took them) that was the start, then the post office closed early today, So the 22lbs of stuff I have to mail back, I get to carry it for another 60+ miles on larger hill than when I was arriving here to Mineral.. I think I'm going to toss out most of it, and keep the memorabilia, items till I get to Christianburg, then mail them out.. Then tent has a massive rip in it and one of thesupports is broken in half, But it keep the wind rain and  the bugs out, that is till they find the rip in the tent and they come a feasting, lol and murphs pushes me out to the feeders while he goes and hides under the sleeping bag..Some protector!!


THE BEST I CAN TEEL YOU IS....Finding internet that the tablets will log onto is far and few between, and one person
I've metcant figurewhit doesn't want to log into certain places, and other it will. then, finding a library is even farthur away, So, I'm forced to post things using my phone,,
So if you want a more up to date posting of whats happening to " Jerry Murphy Matney " on facebook, and subscribe to it, I love blogspot but it gets hard to update when I have a picky tablet and towns with a library are far between... For those that don't know I got some photos posted I wanted to pick and chose, but the computer seem it was better at chosing what would be posted than what Ichose, so Only 1/2 made it on facebook, and I just let it go... Mr Wynnfries Thank you very much for the workshop to sleep and work on my bike in, And to Ingrid A. For buying Murph and I dinner at Mineral restaurant

There are some massive typos, this compueter didn't have the right click working AND any pace where i had to go back and correct, I had to re-write the entire pargraph from theclick point and on <---perfect example))


TECH DOES NOT LIKE OR LOVE ME ANYMORE...LOL!  Also, please help us continue the rest of the state, if you can chip in a few bucks or more we Might be able to buy the maps and have them sent to a city on the Va routes, and we could move onto Kentucky, But If anything..I want to make it 1/2 way.. It would match my 1/2 a_s life hahahhehe..thank you to all again.

One week, gaining little ground.

I'm one week in, The ride is in fact hell between points. But I can tell you is, the 1 to 2 days at any one spot is getting old fast.. I'd rather be riding two days on and one day off, but now its the oppisite. The trailer and weight problem has been fixed, However I'm still having shifting issues. The one person that said he could fix it,IF I got it to him went on vacation the day I arrived  in his home town Ashland, I paid$ 40 to get a new axel and hub work done, But this gentelman stated I'd need new shiftrs... (they are new shiftrs, and these didn't stop the problem, why would another set be a fixer, IDK).. These cost are killing me, nad its not just that, when sittng idle, you tend to consume more than  youneed o survive( SPACEBAR  IS STARTINGTO ACTUP AGAIN). So-now-I have-to go-back-to-doing-this..

I'll-be-leaving-from-the-KOA-camp-ground-Thursday-morning-Dave-McCrackin-with DTB-is playing-Charlottesville-Va-this-sat,But thats 120+/--miles away, If-I-left-today-I-could-catch-it,But-I'm-goih-to-miss-seeing-my-friend,AND-NO-MATTER-WHAT,I-cant use-or-gain-any-mileage-on-anyting-but-a-peddle-powered-ride..This-makes-me-sad-that-Im-forced-to-miss-the-show,I-cant-do-60-miles-a-day-with-the-shifter-problems-Im-having..If-it-was-working-like-it-should-I-would-barely-make-it,HOWEVER,I-wont-make-it-at-all..

I've been so stressed (yes the spacebar is working again), I am doing a 1/2 pack of smokes a day..NOT GOOD!!..And to boot,I've got a angry spider somewhere in my tent, every morning I wake up with 2  to 6 new welts  on my BUTT and legs.. and they ITCH LIKE A CRAZY. I guess its thinking like Murph E.Dog, Its my fault thatits raining outside.. So both are going to takei it out on my..........

Well speaking of which, my butt is going numb now, sitting onthis concrete floor, I need to move and keep my legs limber, when the intefnet is bette or if I hit a library I'll give better details, on whats goings down, cash is getting tight, and as long as Im  in this historic side of the  ride, I dare not try to use the Coinmaster, in fear of it getting it taken away from me and locked up.. The camp ground manager and I will go and try his and mine out tonight on the grounds, but I have to split it 50/50 on the findings, fair enough for me,, I type at you all later.....

Wonderful people on the horizon,

So heres the skinny, Williamsburg Va, to Charles City is deselent, If your walking or riding bring lots of water and some food. I had a reak down 5 miles out of Charles City. I pushed the bike a trailer with Murph in it 4.5 of the 5 miles.. The reason i left  murph in the trailer is due to the fact I
mmkkkkk c auxktan walk faster (3 to 3.4 mph), on the other hand if he's walking next to me we MIGHT get up to 2, but only for a few feet before he's off markiing his tree,bush,beer can,dead creature on the road side..  How can a 25lb dog hold 25 gallons of piss?   


The trailers yoke is wearing out due to Murph standing or trying to stand in it. I felt a hard pull, cussed Murph again for standing then turnedto look at it, ans saw the entire cart leaning to the left in a 45 degree angle, Thats when the pushing began. In order to be place in the book for doing the Transam, I'm not to use or take a motorized vehical, But after 4.5 miles pushing a ove weighted bike, with a broken trailer..I could turn away the offer made by a state crew to ride me to the next city, Charles that is.

I talk to law enforcment at they set me up in thier lil park by the old court house. I spent a good chunk of my time here weeding out un needed stuff, removing 17 lbs, and tossing out 2lbs of trash, since I dont litter.. With the trailer messed up I hardley felt the difference. I bent it back, and made the trailer pretty much empty, I'll be forced to strap Murph down to keep swaying to a minimum, till we get to Mechanicsville, Maybe I can find someone to weld it..

Tomorrow this lil city becomes a big hit, over 2k in cyclist are to start a benefit ride going across the state, Of cousre they seem to think I'm part of this crew, I laugh and say I'm to far out of their league

The luck doesn't change, thank god the veiw does..

I spent three hours last night on the in-house computer updating everything, only a 3rd got posted..I had a hour long "story" for here..but as I just looked at it, well..its plain to see something went amiss and it didn't get published..Very well then, I'll just redo it.


Its now late in he evening, The tablet keeps blinking off and on, at least the screen does..but its still putting down a great chunk of what Itype, but it doesn't like to put spaces between words, I think I'm going to have to use someting else as a space, even this little bit took to long totypeout, going back and adding spaces where none is at is kinda tedious, and makes me lose my train or thought..Murph-has-made-many-new-friends,he-cant-seem-to-get-enouhg-of-the-love-he's-getting-from-everyone.He-loves-yard-here-wants-to-roll-in-it-at-every-moment-he-steps-outside.I-just-got-done-looking-the-book-over,the-cyclist-sign-in-list.I-sent-a-message-to-Lisa-and-Sam,that-Murph-and-I-are-behind-them,just-not-that-close,They-got-4-to-5-days-headstart,from-what-I-just-read-they-are-now-in-Williamsburg---hmmm-5days-away-to-williamsburg-for-expierencd-riders,guess-that-means-murph-and-I-will-arrive-in-2-to-5-weeks,lol.-I'm-loving-Yorktown,and-they-are-hiring-at-every-place-around,I'll-be-honest-If-I-had-a-longer-place-to-stay,I'd-take-up-the-offer-I-got-today,in-a-minute-flat!!.I'm-and-murph-is-loving-this-place..I-hate-to-leave,but-this-isn't-my-house-and-whats-calling-for-me-hasn't-shut-up-yet..So,-I-need-to-move-on..Speaking-of-I-need-to-sign-off-go-take-a-shower,then-repack-the-bags..then-re-map-the-way-out-of-here..Goodnight,at-my-next-intenet-connection-i'll put-more-up,maybe-then-the-tablet-wont-be-acting-up-on-the-blogger-account.. Thanx-to-all-and-be-blessed..

Its Friday, and I'm hung-over..

You read it right, hung-over..I went out with a group of friends last night and got intoxicated, then wound up passing out on a friends couch, Now here I am eating day old, mild heat pasta (everyone in the house seems to thinks it volcano hot), Its bringing a lil water to the eyes, but hey its cleaning out the sleepy's from the corners. I'm less than 72 hours from being dropped off, and left behind on my own choice, The derailleur is still giving me issues, I told one of the guys at recycles I'm the only person on this tour riding a 27 FIXED gear bike, You would think, a not so cheap derailleur and two different shifters the problem would fixed, but its not.. What makes it more of a pain in the ass, is IT DOSEN"T MESS UP WHEN I'M AT RECYCLES, and the guys tell me I have to change the way I'm shifting, But lets be truthful a bike sitting on a bike repair rack is going to be have differenlty over a bike going ten feet with a 200 lb rider on it.. I'll wait till i get to a shop that specializes in tour bikes, they might be able to fix the problem with the bike, or if its me, then me.

I'm slow going and I need to get going, I want to stop by Carolina Coffee and pick up a pound of something good for the road, I'm thinking a Mexico, Peaberry blend.. yumm. or Mocha Java,, YES! thats it.. I'll need it Monday Morning. Well I need to get going. sorry this is short, But I'll give a better run down when I'm sitting in Yorktown Va Sunday.. Love ya guys, thanx for keeping up.