Day 15: Sunday, April 24, 2011

38 miles to Draper, VA

We slept like logs at Claytor Lake State Park, then woke up to a beautiful Easter Sunday morning.  After getting a fairly early start since we knew it would be our first day over 80 degrees to ride, the wind and heat conspired against us. It was a chore to bicycle down the hills.  We ended up having Bob pick us up about 10 miles shy of our original destination.  The good thing though is we got into camp a lot earlier and had some time to relax. This was our first time of really just enjoying the weather and experiencing this RV camping phenomenon.

Pot cyclist, just outside Catawba, VA

Day 14: Saturday, April 23, 2011

66 miles to Christiansburg, VA

Today we passed two milestones.  There are 12 maps for the TransAmerica Trial.  Each map has about 10 mini maps on it with varying mileage. Today we finished the first full map and we will start the next map tomorrow.  Because we are going East to West, our maps started with the highest numbers, so we start map 11 next time we ride.  The second milestone is that we met our first self-contained bicyclist riding the trail.  He is also riding East to West and is carrying 75 pounds of supplies.  He is taking his time and hopefully, we will see him again.  Next time we cross paths, I will see if we can get a picture to post. 

It was a rough climb into Christiansburg, I thought I was going to puke my guts out.  But I made it, without walking!  I’ve never been so happy to see the golden arches.  Sweet tea for all!

Day 13: Friday, April 22, 2011

Here we are at the KOA in Natural Bridge, VA and we have never been here before.  So we find ourselves taking another break from bicycling.  We visited the caverns, the Natural Bridge, the Wax Museum and factory, and the Toy Museum all for one low price.  The wax museum was one of the best I have ever been to and the factory has provided figures to many other organizations including Disney.  We had wanted see the VMI Cadet parade, but Easter break began today, so no marching.   

Don't mind the tree. We're cyclists not photographers!

Day 12: Thursday, April 21, 2011

49 miles to Buchannan, VA

The scent of lilac in the air, dogwoods, redbuds and azaleas in bloom made this ride pure joy.  We biked along the South River and Broad Creek much of the way. We passed a very nice waterfall, but since we were going uphill, I didn’t  take a picture!  We stopped at Niko’s Grill in Lexington, VA  for lunch and it was a treat to eat something other than peanut butter and marshmallow.

Broad Creek ran along much of our route.

Day 11: Wednesday, April 20, 2011

31 miles to Vesuvius, VA

We decided to take a short ride today since we had to bicycle over the Blue Ridge Mountains.  We rode the Blue Ridge Parkway which was great.  It was beautiful and there was very little traffic.  We stopped at the Humpack Rocks Visitor Center and a ranger told us there was a guy who came through last year traveling the TransAmerica Trail on a Unicycle.  He didn’t know if he had made it, but he said he had lots of energy when he left their spot.  We climbed and climbed and climbed and climbed, but I preferred that to coming down the other side of the mountain.  Thank goodness I had read an article about coming down mountains and knew that it was critical to stop and check the tire rims to be sure the tires don’t melt.  We stopped about 3 times and my rims were very hot to the touch.  Vincent’s weren’t because of course he didn’t ride the brakes like I did.  Hopefully, I’ll get better at that with time.

It does seem as though every day brings a new issue with the travel trailer. Today, we noticed the refrigerator wasn’t cold.  Turns out we had parked at a severe angle (didn’t think it was a big problem since we weren’t staying in it) and the coolant doesn’t work under those conditions.  Once again, we relied on our good friend, Don, to help us out.  Despite the logistical problems with the trailer, it is like coming home when we get in from a long ride.  Much better than sleeping in a tent or even going to a hotel room every night.  

Day 10: Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Today, we are visiting my best friend from high school Tammy and her husband Tom in Staunton, VA.  They are very gracious hosts and are making sure we have plenty of rest, food and relaxation.  The first thing I did last night was take a nice, hot soaking tub bath and it felt wonderful.  We have taken over their laundry area and bicycle clothing hangs from all their doorways.  It is so great to be able to visit friends as I take this journey and share my dream with them.

Day 9: Monday, April 18, 2011

68.5 miles to Afton, VA

After passing Ash-Lawn Highland, the home of President James Monroe, and Monticello, the home of Jefferson, riding through Charlottesville, we started the climb around the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  The climbing was not steep, but very long.  Good training for the days to come.

Riding past the home of Thomas Jefferson.

Stopped by a train for the first time.