Today I'm riding about 60 miles from Damascus to Wytheville. I've got about 12 miles left in my trip, but I've done almost all of the elevation change. I was disappointed. I expected some brutal climbs out of Damascus, the kind where you swear and sweat and almost fall over from going so slow. Instead, I rode basically a railroad grade for the majority of the climbs. I think my max elevation was about 2000 ft higher than where I started in Damascus. The reason I feel disappointed is because this is the second to last big climb of this entire trip. I wanted it to be epic. Instead, it was a long, easy spin. On the plus side, I got to ride a rail trail for the first 12 miles of my ride. The Virginia Creeper trail is only about 35 miles long and it happens to run parallel to the TransAm for a little bit. As always, it was nice to get out of traffic, and to indulge in a different tire sound (that of crunching gravel). I'm now entering the region in between the two ranges in the Appalachian mountains. In about two days time, I'll be doing the climb out of Vesuvius, VA, which promises to be awesome.
Last night I stayed at Crazy Larry's hostel in Damascus. I originally intended on staying at "The Place" but after I biked around town looking for a laundromat, I discovered that Crazy Larry's is about the only place in town that does laundry. I walked in, took one look at the bed in the front room, and decided I was going to stay there. It was a little bit more than I wanted to spend -- $27.50 for a bed and laundry, but I think it was worth it. Larry fed me dinner and breakfast (dinner was pork and beans and cooked spinach, and breakfast was chocolate chip pancakes) and chatted me up all afternoon. It was great to sit and listen to someone talk about some of their adventures. I learned a little bit about the Appalachian Trail in the process. Perhaps one of the most interesting things about the people who hike the AT and the people who tour on bikes is the way they sign guest books. Bikers usually say something along to lines of "Thanks for letting me stay here. [Optional: Insert something about being good Christians] It was rainy outside and it was nice to not be wet. -- [name, starting point, ending point]". Hikers sometimes write page long messages, explaining their rationale for doing the trip, the thing they've learned about themselves, and some other information about themselves and their life story. Other times they draw pictures, or write poems. Some don't even address the host. I like the hiker approach a little bit better. Maybe I'll try to employ it for the remainder of my trip. At the end of the day, I have no desire to hike the Appalachian Trail. Hiking seems too slow. A long day for a hiker is 35 miles. A long day for me is 120 miles. In other words, it takes forever to go from point A to point B.
Tomorrow I start the last of my maps. Exciting times in Virginia.
Last night I stayed at Crazy Larry's hostel in Damascus. I originally intended on staying at "The Place" but after I biked around town looking for a laundromat, I discovered that Crazy Larry's is about the only place in town that does laundry. I walked in, took one look at the bed in the front room, and decided I was going to stay there. It was a little bit more than I wanted to spend -- $27.50 for a bed and laundry, but I think it was worth it. Larry fed me dinner and breakfast (dinner was pork and beans and cooked spinach, and breakfast was chocolate chip pancakes) and chatted me up all afternoon. It was great to sit and listen to someone talk about some of their adventures. I learned a little bit about the Appalachian Trail in the process. Perhaps one of the most interesting things about the people who hike the AT and the people who tour on bikes is the way they sign guest books. Bikers usually say something along to lines of "Thanks for letting me stay here. [Optional: Insert something about being good Christians] It was rainy outside and it was nice to not be wet. -- [name, starting point, ending point]". Hikers sometimes write page long messages, explaining their rationale for doing the trip, the thing they've learned about themselves, and some other information about themselves and their life story. Other times they draw pictures, or write poems. Some don't even address the host. I like the hiker approach a little bit better. Maybe I'll try to employ it for the remainder of my trip. At the end of the day, I have no desire to hike the Appalachian Trail. Hiking seems too slow. A long day for a hiker is 35 miles. A long day for me is 120 miles. In other words, it takes forever to go from point A to point B.
Tomorrow I start the last of my maps. Exciting times in Virginia.
It's been great following along, Dean!
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