Tuesday, August 7 - Near Charlottesville, VA

We have crossed the Appalachians!  I can now say that I have crossed over both mountain chains by bicycle, self contained.  Today's ride of 67 miles took us over the Blue Ridge or Old Appalachians.  This included 26 miles on the Blue Ridge Highway which was simple gorgeous no matter which side of the road that one looked.  Crossing the Old Appalachians was no easy feet as we had to pedal up a very steep, switchbacked road to the Blue Ridge Parkway.  This was a four mile climb with a change in elevation of over 2000 feet.  It more than doubled the distance of any of previous steep, switchbacked climbs.   It was appropriately named Vesuvius in honor of the small town at its base.

While we did not ascend Vesuvius as a group (this was because each of us ascended at our own pace) each of us - Kyle, Andrea and I - had to stop midway up the mountain side to catch our breadth.  This was a first for Kyle.  Vesuvius was simply a beast.  A river of sweat was flowing from my body throughout the ascent.  It felt great to reach the top and to do it with both my kids.  While there were still more long climbs on the Blue Ridge Parkway itself, they all paled in comparison to what we had just climbed.  Because of road construction, rough roads, and hairpin switchbacks, we had to be cautious on the descent.  Some loose gravel on the roadway almost took me out on a hairpin turn.  Fortunately, I was able to recovery.  My options were not good if I had not, an emergency room visit was likely the best alternative option.

As noted above, Andrea joined us for two days of riding following the wedding in Asheville, NC.  This seemed only fitting since she has been a major part of this entire blogpost.  She did not ride self-contained however, as our support vehicle for the past two days (my wife, Vicki) hauled her camping equipment and clothes.  As a point of clarification, Kyle and I traveled self-contained, as if no vehicle support existed.  Neither of us wanted to put an "*" behind the Vesuvius climb.

The other challenge today was that Kyle's bike developed a derailleur before the last major climb, which we were not able to fix ourselves.  While were were able to make it to our destination, I don't believe that we will be able to make it to Yorktown, VA without being repaired.  While Charlottesville, VA is within a 12 mile riding distance and does have several bike shops, we will lose a 1/2 day of riding to get the repairs made.  This will put Yorktown out of reach.  Given the driving logistics (Vicki would need to drive Andrea back to Raleigh, NC and then make a return trip for Kyle and I), the heavy traffic that we expect in the Tidewater area of VA (especially within the Historic Triangle), and the high humidity and temperatures expected over the next several days, we have decided to end our ride here.

While this is a disappointment, reaching Yorktown was my second to the goal.  Crossing the Appalachians was my first goal.  Since I'm now sitting at the highest elevation (around 500' ft) for the rest of the week,  I can honestly say that I accomplished my goal.  I now understand a little bit better how Andrea and Alex must have agonized over their decision to end their ride two years ago slightly short of where they wanted to bee.  However, to end it with Kyle, Andrea, and Vicki present truly feels good.  There will be another time for a coast-to-coast self contained bicycling adventure.

Friday, August 3 - Radford, VA

Today was a relative short day as Kyle and I needed to abbreviate the ride at 12:30 PM when we were picked up by my wife and daughter to travel to a Shabbat wedding celebration in Asheville, NC which began at 6:00 PM.  Despite the abbreviated day we managed to pedal over 51 miles.  Considering that we generally haven't suspended out riding prior to 5:00 PM after traveling between 70 - 80 miles, Kyle and I covered a lot of distance in a short period of time.  That is not to say it was without some drama.

Despite the miles that we put in, we were not at out best in working together in ensuring the we followed the route detailed by our maps.  While we harmoniously worked together during the first 30 miles and enjoyed the beautiful, rustic countryside with mountains partially encased in fog, the last 20 miles almost to the contrary.  It all started when we missed a turn without realizing that we had missed a turn.

While I have a map of the route displayed to me from the top of my handlebar bag that allows to me identify roads, towns, turns and the various services along the route, the route is also marked by special TransAmerica Bicycle Trail/Route signs.  We both missed a turn sign at a time when I was briefly disoriented as to our location on the map.  The end result was that we ended up riding on a road that we  8 miles longer than planned.  It brought us to the same exact destination where were supposed to be but via a busy, non scenic state highway.  Our situation caused some discussion between Kyle and I, which resulted in Kyle charging ahead without knowledge of the route leaving me well behind.  Unfortunately, unlike the ride up to this point, the route was not very clearly marked.  In short, Kyle and I became separated on two occasions during the last 20 miles.  Because Kyle's cell phone was a casualty of ice water in a water cooler during out travel to Berea, KY, I essentially had no way to contact Kyle to plan a rendezvous.  Fortunately, this was not the first time that we had become separated (relates to my inability to match Kyle's speed and strength and somewhat to my overall weight package).  On both occasions, I stopped at next course change and waited for Kyle to backtrack his route to find me.  Not the best method, but a method nonetheless.

Given the combination of the lost time spent waiting for the action of the other, the warming temperatures, and our desire to reach the pickup rendezvous punctually, our temperaments were on edge.  In the end, i) we saw more of Radford than we planned to see, ii) I was the first to the top of a major hill for the first time on this ride, and iii) we arrived at our rendezvous point outside of Radford, about 7 miles from Christiansburg, at almost the exact same time that Vicki and Andrea arrived.  In short, near perfect timing.

We will not be riding on Saturday or Sunday, August 4 & 5.  This will allow Kyle and I, as well as Vicki and Andrea, to attend the wedding of a member of our extended family that is being held in Asheville, NC.  Kyle and I will resume riding Monday, August 6 in the PM.  Andrea, my daughter, will also join us for 2 days.

August 2, Wytheville, VA

Life is good!  Today was a very nice day.  Although our sleep last night
was sometimes interrupted by rain and trains and our planned early start
was halted by heavy fog, the ride more than made up other minor
irritations.

In total, we logged over 80 miles today.  While we were anticipating two
hard climbs, both with elevation gains of more than 1000 ft., the climbs
themselves were a bust compared to the previous two days of hard climbing.
We reached our highest elevation today, but you could not tell that by our
breathing when we reached the crest.  On the other hand we had several
wonderful decents.

Our first town this morning, Damascus, was one of the best pass through
towns yet.  It would have been a perfect town to overnight.  The
Appalachian Trail passes nearby which causes the town to host a lot of
through hikers.  In addition it is at the middle of the Virginia Creeper, a
37 mile long rails-to-trail conversion in the mountains.  There are several
outfitters which support the trail by taking bike riders to the trail head
in the mountains to allow them to bike down. What a way to bike!!

We spent several hours in this town talking to the local folk, getting a
proper cleat for Kyle's mismatched shoe, and eating a great breakfast at
the Dairy King.  Since 12 miles of the Creeper paralleled our road route,
we used the Creeper for the first big climb of the day (Note that we were
riding in the opposite direction as the hordes of bicyclists that had been
shuttled to the top for the ride down.

Prior to taking the Creeper we heard the story of an 80 year old man that
has pedaled over 120,000 on the Creeper.  During our ride up, we meet a 70
year old who had logged more than 12,000 miles.  Needless to say he knew
the Creeper well, including the bridge number that we needed to exit near
to get back to our road route.  My only disappointment was that we should
have stayed longer in Damascus.

Tonight we are camping in the Wytheville's City Park.  Of course we have
the permission of the local police.  It is a quite, restful park.
Unfortunately, it does not have a swimming pool.  Because we needed a
shower badly ( the Creeper put a lot of grime on us) we reluctantly pedaled
2 miles to the town's wellness center for a shower.  While pricey, the
shower certainly made us feel better.

While the day got a little warm in the mid afternoon, it has settled down
to a near perfect evening, It is hard to imagine life getting any better
than this.

Lastly, I have two final comments.  In our last 11 miles today, we had an
8 mile stretch where I averaged 18 miles an hour with bursts up to 22.  If
you have done loaded touring, you will understand how this feels.  You
should also know that even at this speed, Kyle was dusting me.  The second
is that after we rode 80 miles, Kyle put on his running shoes and went for
an hour run.  If I tried that, I'd be in a hospital somewhere.

Dick

Wednesday, August 1, Meadowview,VA

Of all the days on this trip, the one that I dreaded the most was this one.
While we had one less climb than I had originally planned (this because of
the abbreviated day on Tuesday, it was still a daunting day.

We had two climbs that were nothing but up on steep switchbacked roads for
two miles plus numerous hill climbs similar to those on Sunday and Monday.
Some additional adversity was thrown into the works when we were about 3
miles from tonights destination when we came across a road closed sign and
forced to take a five mile detour.

Unfortunately,  the detour did not bring us back to the road we were
traveling on but into another town.  Meadowview was still miles away and
did not have all of the services advertised.  By the time we got here both
Kyle and I we our of water and running short on fuel to sustain the body.
Kyle was not a pleasant person to be around.  Topping it all off was the
fact that there was no designated camping around the area.  One again, for
the second time in four nights, we door knocked to find a home that would
allow us to camp in their yard and use their outside water for a hose
shower.  Kyle feels like we are "hobos" when we do this.

It rained all night last night and we awoke in a cloud of heavy dense fog.
Everything with us was damp or wet.  To add insult, a critter somehow
managed to eat the wheat bread out of my trailer without getting into the
trailer.  Because of the fog and rain, we delayed our start this morning to
wait for the roads to dry and the fog to lift.  Despite not leaving Breaks
Insterstate Park until 9:00 AM, we still pedaled 70 miles.

The scenery today was spectacular, at least during the times when I could
enjoy.  We had one 4,5 miles switchback decent near Hayter's Gap that was
priceless.  We also saw a priceless view at Breaks Interstate Park when we
were walking the trails that was priceless as well, at least until a bolt
of lightning stuck on the opposite of the canyon which served as a quick
reminder that we needed to get away from our perch lest we be the next
attraction for a lightning bolt.

While it is hard to believe there is a marked difference between KY and VA.
There appears to be more wealth in VA, the homes are nicer, and the dogs
are not trained to attach bicyclists.  We did not have one dog attack
today.  What a relief!  We also had a nice lunch in a feed store about
midway through the ride today.  We enjoyed good food and great talk with
the locals.  It should be noted that a confederate flag hung above the
doorway and one of the locals stated "don't consider this prejudice, but
Abraham Lincoln would not have freed the slaves if he had spent a day
behind a jack hammer".  Ah, the confederacy is alive and well.

All in all, it was a great day.  We ended the day by eating at the Harvest
Table.  It was the only place to eat in town.  It was a fine dining
restaurant with a duet playing continuously.  It was the perfect way to end
a great day, although I suspect the 38 oz of local beer helped (this was
the first of the ride).  Life doesn't get any better than this.

Tomorrow has two major climbs before noon, after that, with the exception
of climbing to the top of the Blue Ridge Parkway early next week, the major
climbs are behind us.  By the way you may remember reference to Big A Hill
on the first day of this ride.  Today, we crossed Big A Mountain.  Need I
say more.

Dick