4/2 It was a cold day, but warmed up. Paul stripped his leg warmers by the side of the road. It was also a long day. Finally we got to Troutville and the city park where we camped for the night. Skeet helped us get set up and showed us where the showers were.
4/3 Woke up this morning and there was frost on the inside of the tent fly. We shivered through breakfast of oatmeal, then found a heated coffee shop across the street, where we sat a long time to let it warm up.
4/3 They were building a new area in the park for seniors to do exercises. I caught the park sign at sunrise. Read it carefully-no bicycles allowed. We just pushed our bikes on in.
4/3 Yesterday we did 43 miles with 3,000 feet elevation gain. Today we did 41 miles with 4,000 feet elevation. I should feel stronger, but all I feel is tired. We rode parallel to the Appalachian Trail on the ridge above us. And there were other distractions.
4/3 At the end of the day we hit a hill that we could not pedal over and had to push 80 pounds for half a mile to get over it. Yuck! Thankfully we had dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant where they had ground pepper and Parmesan available.
4/4 I’d like to explain how the terrain has changed since the Blue Ridge Parkway. This is a picture of the elevation profile. Right of Afton (in the Tidewater) you see that most of the hills are rounded at the top. After Vesuvius, in the Great Valley, they are sharp and pointy.
2023-04-06 4/4 We hit a few milestones! We’ve pedaled over 500 miles. And we’ve changed maps. Because we are traveling east to west, we started with Map #12. We’ve now made it to Map #11. Each map is broken into 15 smaller sections. We’re still a long way from Seattle.
4/4 We cycled 30.8 miles to Claytor Lake State Park. Paul promised me a Trader Joe’s right at the entrance to the park, and there was a TJ’s there. I got out my grocery bag to go shopping, entered the door, and found Tammy Jo’s restaurant was serving a prime rib special. Oops.
2023-04-06 4/4 Our campground hostess dubbed us her new heroes. She told two of her friends about our adventure, and they said just hearing about it made them tired. But she was fired up and promised to follow the blog. Unfortunately we didn’t get pictures of them, and all Paul can remember is the dog is “Toby.”
4/5 We’ve decided to take it a little easier for a few days before we start climbing the next big mountains. Today we biked 21.8 miles through the town of Draper. One man owns the town and is making it a tourist destination. Stig loved the coffee menu.
4/5 It took us three tries to find a motel that was open for travelers. Finally we found Sukhi Mehta, who owns the Fox Mountain Inn and gives a discount to “76ers” (bicyclists on the TransAm). He welcomed us warmly and recommended the Mexican restaurant next door. 👍 to both!
4/6 Woke up today with a spot on my nose just like Stig’s. Must be the sunburn. We cycled 19.3 miles to Wytheville. Lots to see on the way there.
4/7 Spent an extra day in Wytheville to let a rainstorm system pass through. It rained all day. Our Ramada Inn was outside town a bit with two steep hills in between. So we lolled in the room watching HBO movies and eating at the Caribbean/Mexican fusion restaurant here. 😋
4/8 Went to the Post Office to send home some dead weight items. Our rest day yesterday really gave our legs a boost today. We rode through Jefferson National Forest past almost-bursting Rhododendron bushes, following a beautiful creek. Have no idea what “Mouth of Wilson” is.
4/8 We ate lunch on the grounds of a local church that had a Dogwood tree in bloom. Just in time for Easter!
4/8 When we finally arrived in Troutdale, we could not find the B&B where we had reserved a room. Several people tried to help. After an hour-long frantic and cold search, we found it! Should have heeded that warning to “set your GPS before hitting the mountains.”
4/8 Finished the evening with the longest game of gin rummy ever, which Rhe won in epic fashion with a gin!
2023-04-09 4/9 Happy Easter! We woke up in Sufi Lodge this morning. I thought I would share some Sufi monk wisdom.
4/9 Today was a fantastic ride. We started with a good uphill following the Appalachian Trail. Then a long downhill to the Virginia Creeper Trail. We passed a Lutheran church with a flying buttress architecture!
4/9 The Virginia Creeper Trail is a railroad track turned recreational trail. Lots of families cycling on a beautiful Easter afternoon.
4/9 We got off the trail at Damascus. Just 3 miles from the Tennessee border. But we had to get going to find a place to sleep for the night. They hang weird stuff in trees here, including kudzu. And, as usual, they misspelled my name….
