We started the day off with a large breakfast of bacon, eggs & cheese, and orange juice.  We had packed up the night before so we were ready to go.  We left the cabin and started our ride onto the Blue Ridge Parkway.  The Parkway was beautiful.  We were almost to the top of our last incline when we were stopped by a construction worker.  We had to wait for a pilot car to lead us through the construction.

After we came out of the construction zone, we started our steep, 4 mile descent into Vesuvius.  The ride down was about 10 minutes of wind in our face as we coasted down to Vesuvius at a decent rate of speed.  The ride down was a blast!  Once in Vesuvius we stopped at Gertie’s Country Store where we ate some  very delicious burgers and fries!  FYI to cyclists: Gertie’s no longer has outside bathrooms but the owner said you can still camp there.  However, there is a Church just before getting to Gertie’s (if traveling west) that offers accommodations to cyclists (Inquire at or call Gertie’s for info).

After eating lunch and loading up on supplies, we continued down the road to Lexington.  The route followed a beautiful creek with scenic whitewater almost the whole ride to Lexington.  The traffic was light as well.  We stopped quite a bit for pictures and even dipped our feet into the ice-cold, mountain-water fed creek.  The water felt refreshing on our feet once they got used to the temperature.  We later arrived at the South River Market about 5 miles from Lexington and stopped for a rest and some candy.  Linda called and left messages with a few warmshowers hosts to see if they could host us for the night.  The requests were on short notice for sure.

We left the market after too long of a stay and Phil felt very lethargic as a result.  Lexington was only another 5 miles but they were 5 very hilly and tiring miles.  After what seemed like forever, we arrived in Lexington.  As we were pedaling past the Virginia Military Institute, a man on a road bike approached us from behind and introduced himself as John. He asked if we were biking the TransAmerica trail and gave us some tips about what to see in Lexington.

Soon after coming into town, Linda received a call back from Rebecca, one of the warmshowers hosts she had called earlier.  Rebecca informed Linda that they could host us for the night at their farm house.  She gave Linda directions which were a little hard to hear with the traffic wizzing by.  The ride to their farmhouse was another few miles out of town and then three more off route.  Phil was very tired and ready to get there ASAP.  It was a hilly 3 miles but it was well worth it. When we arrived, Rebecca welcomed us as if we knew her well and hadn’t seen her for a while.  Her husband Lee arrived shortly after.  We enjoyed some great conversation with this wonderful couple and then ate a super delicious dinner.  We then relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful scenery and peaceful quietness of the surrounding farmland before turning in for the night. gift card