Breaks, VA to Hindman, KY

We woke up excited knowing that we would finally be entering a new state and be putting Virginia behind us.  We packed up our stuff and ate breakfast in the hotel room.

The most miles we have ridden in a day so far was 60 on the first day and the terrain was mostly flat.  And now we were attempting a 68 mile day with very mountainous terrain!

After the second very long and steep climb of the day Phil was feeling very fatigued.  We stopped to rest at a gas station just prior to the third mountain climb.  We started a conversation with a man named Pat.  Phil had mentioned how fatigued he was feeling and Pat offered to drive us over the mountain in his SUV.  So we loaded the bikes in his vehicle and got a ride.

Pat was very interested in learning about our adventure and had lots of questions.  In fact, Pat was so interested in talking about our adventure that he wanted to take us further all the way to our planned stop for the day.  However, Pat had to get back to pick up his daughters from school.  He wouldn’t take any money from us!  Pat, thank you soooooo much!!!

So after getting a ride over the 3rd major climb, we attempted the 4th mountain and made it half way before Phil was exhausted and had to stop.  Phil rolled out the tarp on the side of the road to lay on and rest.  He rested for a while and then one of the ACA cyclists came up on us and offered Phil an energy gel pack to help him along the way.

Slowly we made it up the final mountain, however we still had 20 miles to go to Hindman where everyone else was camping for the night.  Phil went as far as he could and then pulled over and said he could not go any further.

Linda was very tired too but wanted to press forward anyway.  Linda was not very patient or sympathetic.  She realized Phil wasn’t biking any further.  The owners of the lawn Phil was sitting on were outside sitting on their porch.  We saw a pickup truck at the top of the driveway so Linda walked up to them and asked for a ride offering a fee.  He saw how tired Phil looked and agreed to take us to Hindman in his small pick-up truck.

Phil rode in the back with the tailgate down clinging on for dear life!  Linda sat in the passenger seat of the small cab with our new friend John.  He seemed quiet and reserved but held good conversation the entire way.  John asked Linda the basic questions: “Where are ya’ll from?  Where ya going?  How long have you been on the road?” and commented on the number of cyclists he’s seen going by his house all summer long.  It was comforting when he told Linda that most of the locals and coal truck drivers that travel the route know to watch for cyclists and tend to be very careful.  We had not been in Kentucky for long, but that had so far seemed to be the case.  He also spoke of the numerous amount of Elk that live in the area which took Linda by surprise.

John dropped us off at the Historical Society in Hindman.  We were glad we did not have to bike up the driveway which happened to be the steepest climb of the day!  According to the Bike Hostel host, David, only a handful of cyclists make it all the way up the hill without walking.

When we arrived, John and the other cyclists we had met Friday were already there.  We set up our tent and then got to experience David’s hospitality with a nice glass of sweet tea and ice water.  We got in line for showers and ordered food for delivery.  Before bed, David came out with delicious banana splits that were delicious!

Rosedale, Va to Breaks, Va

We had breakfast in the morning and then loaded up to get on the road heading for Breaks Interstate Park, one of the few parks that border two states.

Beautiful scenery along the way:

Entering Breaks Interstate Park:

The park offers a variety of accommodations including camping, cottages, and a lodge.  When we arrived at the lobby to check in we met a very nice man who is bicycling the TransAm with the Adventure Cycling group that had previously passed us.  We learned from him that the group had a rest day in Damascus and that is why we caught up with them.  He offered for us to join the group for dinner at the park restaurant.  We met a few more folks from the group before checking in and heading to our room to get ready for dinner.

This is our view of the beautiful gorge from our room (the porch):

Meeting up with the Adventure Cycling group for Dinner.

We got to meet everyone else in the group along with their awesome leader, David.  All the folks are great people and we enjoyed getting to know them.

After dinner we went back to our room and got ready for bed.

Troutdale, VA to Rosedale, VA

Pretty sunrise in the morning

We all woke up to frost on our bikes!  Brrrr.

Melinda and Lisa left first intending to find a diner for breakfast.  The diner turned out to be in town in the opposite direction we all were going.

Too bad because the Pastor’s wife showed up with freshly scrambled eggs in the morning after Melinda, Lisa, and John had already left.

On the way to Damascus:

Annual “Trail Days” in Damascus:  http://traildays.us/index.php?id=1    Way cool event!

Later we came to a Cafe in the town of Meadowview.  Phil was feeling very overtired and there was still a very huge mountain to climb along the remaining twenty miles or so.

A man approached Linda while Phil was using the restroom.  He mentioned that he has a nice loft for cyclists to stay in for a nominal fee.  He also asked the usual questions; “where are you heading?, how far did you ride?, etc.  Phil came out and met the man.  During the conversation Phil offered to pay him for a ride to the Church in Rosedale where we planned to stay for the night.    (Sorry, forgot your name?)

The man accepted the offer but first had to drive home with his tractor and get his pickup truck!  Too funny!

He came back fifteen minutes later as promised and drove us to the Church twenty or so miles away.

Wytheville VA to Troutdale VA

Friday morning we all packed up and got on the road.

We stopped at the Dutch Pantry and got some delicious food including gluten-free pasta for Linda and high quality deli sandwiches for Phil.  We also met fellow cross-country touring cyclist John there as well.  Melinda and Lisa were not far behind and stopped as well.

We stopped for a break at a Post Office along the route.  While we were there, we met four more fellow cross-country touring cyclists whom pulled over to say hi.  After Phil gave them each one of our cards, one of them replied “Oh, your the Surlybiketour” and mentioned that he had seen our cards along the way in the guest books that we signed (and left cards in).

Shortly before we arrived at our stop for the night at a Church Hostel, we got caught in a brief hail storm!  We pulled over for some cover and to call for directions under a building entrance awning.  We did not have any cellular signal and we were not sure which way to go, however, we did see a Church up on a hill down the road into town but off our route.  We biked toward it and saw a sign with an arrow pointing up a stone driveway that read “Hiker/Biker Hostel.”  When we arrived, John and a hiker were already there.

Shortly after we arrived a pickup truck with two men in it pulled up to the hostel.  The driver asked us if his passenger could stay for the night.  The passenger did not appear to be a hiker or a biker but we were not sure what to say and just nodded.  So the man whom did not speak much got out and claimed a bed in the room with the hiker.

Later on Melinda and Lisa arrived and they settled in the room with this man and the hiker as well not being fully aware of the situation.

Then the Pastor and his wife visited with their two dogs which Linda took a liking to.  The Pastor was made aware of the situation and looked inside the room and recognized the man.  He had stayed before and is presumed homeless although harmless.

Being that Melinda is a Psychology Professor and has her own practice she was successful in speaking with and learning about him.

Lastly, we saw a rainbow later in the evening.

Wytheville, VA: Two full rest days

Wednesday:

We woke up Wednesday morning and had the complementary breakfast at the Comfort Suites.

After a mid-morning nap, we heard back from one of the Message therapists and scheduled our appointments for early afternoon.

Linda cooked Gluten-Free macaroni and cheese for lunch on a retaining wall next to the hotel parking lot.

We then spent some time deciding what items we could part with and send home just like many other touring cyclists end up doing to lighten the load.

Later we rode our bikes downtown to get our massages.  We each got an hour long deep-tissue massage and it was wonderful.

After our massages, Phil wanted to check out the park where cyclists are allowed to camp for free.  When we got to the park we met a couple from Europe who were camping for the night.  We found out that the self-supported Adventure Cycling group that left Yorktown one week after we did, was camping next door at the church.  They caught up with us and now we felt the pressure to pick up our pace if we were going to make it all the way to Florence Oregon by the beginning of August.  We were beginning to feel a bit discouraged about the low mileage we were biking.

We chatted with the other cyclists for a bit and then headed toward a shopping center.  We saw a frozen yogurt store and went there first before getting a few things at Walmart.  We then went back to the hotel to get another shower and got packed up and ready to ride the next day.

Thursday:

Thursday morning we ate breakfast at the hotel while we monitored the weather.  It was raining hard while we were eating.  We waited for the rain to lighten up before heading out.  We stopped by the park and met two sisters whom were touring across America together.  There was another young man who was taking a rest day there at the park as well.  The couple we had met on Wednesday was getting ready to start their day.

The weather was crummy and we were still tired so we decided to take one more rest day in Wytheville but this time at the park.

Linda took a walk down Main street and found the Birthplace and Museum for First lady Mrs. Edith Bollard Wilson, second wife of President Woodrow Wilson.  Linda found it quite interesting that her genealogy went back to Pocahontas!

Phil then met up with Linda  at the world famous “Skeeters,” in town.  Phil had a couple chili-cheese dogs and then took two to go.  Linda got a hot dog without a bun and a loaded baked potato that was huge!

We then went back to the park and took a nice afternoon nap.

After we woke up it had stopped raining.  We took a walk down to a dollar store and grocery store about 4 blocks away and got some food.  Linda also stopped at the liquor store on the way back to get a couple mini bottles of liquor, including one of Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey.  One of our fellow touring cyclists used it in their hot chocolate and Linda tried it and liked it!

Soon after we got back it started pouring hard.  The very small creek that runs through the park swelled over the high banks almost instantly!

We heated water for hot chocolate and then cooked dinner.  We worked on our blog and plotted our course for the next day.

Max Meadows, VA to Wytheville, VA

We slept in Tuesday morning and then ate the free breakfast at the hotel.  We left around 10am and it was already hot and humid.  We later regretted leaving due to the heat, but we both wanted to get some miles in.

Our ride between Max Meadows and Wytheville was very scenic and mostly uphill.

Just before coming into Wytheville we crossed over I-81 and I-77.

Once we got to Wytheville, we checked in at the community center, as they let you camp in the city park.  We were able to get a shower and by then it was very, very hot and the park we were supposed to camp in was still 2 miles away.  We kept cool for a while at the community center, before riding to the park to settle in for the night.

On our way to the park, we came across Mike, also riding across the country.  He was headed to the Comfort Suites.  Phil felt that was a good idea, so we turned around and went there as well.  We were very hot and tired and wanted a shower which the park accommodations did not have and we needed some quality rest.

After we had all checked in and got settled,  Phil emailed Mike to see if he wanted to go to dinner somewhere.  Phil then started calling around for massage therapists in the area.  No one seemed to have an opening.

We rested up a bit before heading out for dinner.  Just as we were about to head out, Mike called and suggested that we go to the historic “Log House” as he had read about it on other blogs.

We ordered drinks first and Mike kicked back with some of his favorite beer and Linda had a glass of organic Merlot.

The food was delicious.

Radford VA, to Max Meadows VA

Linda got a treat Monday morning.  Janet made gluten-full AND gluten-free pancakes!  We also had fresh fruit as well!  Yummy.

After breakfast we departed and Chuck rode with us for a few miles starting out.  We biked along a scenic path along the river and through some parks and parts of the University.

We eventually came to and stopped at a CVS to get some supplies.  Then we headed for Max Meadows.

On the way we passed a tiny house for sale!

We got to Draper, Va and Phil was feeling pretty overheated.  We stopped at a convenience store to cool off and we also found a protein drink that Linda approved.  We hung out for a while but there was not really anywhere to sit and relax so we went on our way.

Just about a mile down the road we came upon a multi-use trailhead along side our route.  There was a covered area with a picnic table and it was a nice place to lay in the shade and cool off so we rested there for a while as well.  Plus there was a country store across the street.

Around 5:00 pm the heat finally subsided and we headed down the trail a bit and came to this beautiful bridge over the river and we wanted to get a picture.  Phil went to grab his phone and realized that he left it at the BP station about a mile and a half up the road.  So we went back, got the phone, once again headed to the bridge, and then took the pictures.  The trail bridge is very high above the ground!

We arrived at Max Meadows late in the evening and decided to get a hotel instead of a warmshowers host.  We got to the Comfort Inn, unpacked, and then biked a half mile to the Denny’s at the Flying J Travel Center.

Then we headed back to our room and went to bed.

Blacksburg to Radford

We woke up to a delicious breakfast of steel-cut oatmeal and fresh fruit!  Thank you Matt and Lara!!!

Then we got a group photo before departing and starting a new day.

Sunday was a very short ride to Radford.  After leaving Matt & Lara’s we took a ride into Blacksburg to see the town.  While we were there we decided to stop in at Gillie’s, the popular restaurant in town, for brunch.

Then we headed to our stop for the night, warmshowers hosts in Radford VA.  A few miles before we got to Radford we stopped to get some ice-cream at a gas station/convenience store.  While we were there we met and talked to a few folks whom are now following our blog.

Upon arrival, Chuck and Janet were very welcoming as all of our hosts have been!  We put our bikes in their garage, chatted for a bit, and then got showers.  We then called our mom’s to wish them a happy Mother’s Day!

Later we had a delicious dinner and great conversation (sorry, forgot to take a pic of main dish).

After dinner, we had desert!!!

Before heading to bed for the night we relaxed on the swing that Chuck made.

Then we went to bed in our very nice room.

Catawba, VA to Blacksburg, Va

We woke up at the convenience store and packed up our things.  Then we went inside to get some breakfast sandwiches and hot chocolate.  Phil was slow to awake in the morning and still felt tired so he took a nap in the convenience store on stacks of large dog food bags!

It rained off and on all day and at times hard.  At one point we came upon a Church with a pavillion and took cover for a bit.  However, after a few hot and humid days, riding in the rain actually felt good.

The day so far was uneventful.  Then, shortly before reaching Blacksburg there was a long steep hill that we had to climb and we ended up walking for most of it.

Once we arrived in Blacksburg we searched for a place to eat lunch and found a place called “Our Daily Bread.”  This place is fantastic!!!  The food is amazing and the prices are reasonable.

After we ate lunch we headed down the road to our stop for the night to our warmshowers hosts Matt and Lara.  We unloaded our panniers and put our bikes in their shed.  We both got a shower before chatting with Matt and Lara for a while.  Matt and Lara are very nice.

Later on we had dinner.  Matt is a PhD student and teacher and was hosting a barbeque for his undergrad students.  So there was no shortage of food for dinner!

We all ate dinner together, talked some more for a while, and then went to bed.

Fincastle, Va to Catawba, VA

We woke up around 6:00 am and put some water on the stove for oatmeal.  We broke down camp while waiting for the water to boil.  We ate oatmeal and then were on the road around 7:00 am.  The temperature was refreshingly cool as we departed Camp Bethel.

We came upon the Virginian Markette about three miles down the road.  A food stop was not listed on the ACA map at this location.  As it turns out, this store was represented by a food icon on the map at a different location but that location had burned down, hence the new location.

We were able to eat a hearty breakfast of bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches (minus the bread for Linda) and bananas.  We stocked up on some Gatorade and continued on.

Our ride today was very hilly and the day was hot and humid.

When we reached Daleville, we saw our TranAm acquaintences bicycles (whom we had met the day before) standing outside the subway.  We went in to say hello, since we needed a short break.  Phil did not sleep well the night before, noises in the woods had got him a little spooked.  We debated staying at a hotel in Daleville for the night.

We were in search of a Pharmacy to get a multivitamin and some other things and found a CVS nearby using Google maps.  The CVS was only about a half mile up the road.  We said goodbye to our fellow TranAm’ers and then headed to CVS.  We were also looking for a place to get out of the heat for a bit.

So after getting supplies at CVS we noticed a coffee shop across the highway and off we went.

We walked in and immediately spotted a bike hanging on the wall.  Then Linda saw that they had Gluten Free treats in the case.  We loved this place instantly.

We were looking for a place to sit and a gentleman invited us to sit at the other end of the six place table where he was sitting.  He asked us the usual questions: “Where are you headed? How far have you come today? etc.”  He then introduced himself as Scott, the owner of  the coffee shop along with his wife Penny.

The Coffee Shop is called “Thousand Hills Coffee Shop” with the slogan “Drink Coffee, Do Good.”    We noticed the picture on the wall (below) and asked about it.  Scott told us that they visited the country in Africa where their coffee beans come from and participate in a child sponsorship program for children on an island there.

Scott told us that his son Kyle (pictured above and below) was hiking the Appalachian trail and was home for Mother’s Day weekend.  Kyle arrived at the coffee shop a while later so we got to meet him and learn about his adventure.  We talked with him about our adventure as well.

After all of the great conversation we were hungry for lunch and this was a great place to eat, especially for Linda!  Scott mentioned that his wife makes the chicken fresh daily for the wraps and that they even have gluten free wraps, Linda was in heaven.

As we were packing up to continue on, Linda received an email that she was waiting for regarding an Assistantship  at the University of Wyoming.  The email was an official offer letter for a Graduate Assistantship and she needed to sign it and fax it back.  Linda went back inside the coffee shop and asked Kyle if there was a place nearby where she could print out and fax the paperwork to UW.  Kyle told her there was a UPS store down the road and that he was willing to take her there.  Linda graciously accepted the ride.

Once Linda came back, we got back on the road.  It was about 1:30 in the afternoon.  The hills continued and the heat and humidity was very uncomfortable.

Later on in the day as we were still about six or seven miles from our planned stop for the night, Phil was out of energy and couldn’t go another mile.  There were some houses but not much else around.  Phil laid down on a lawn next to the road to rest.  Then it started to rain.  We put on our rain gear and stayed put because Phil was just too tired.  Linda said a small prayer and it wasn’t but a few minutes and her prayer was answered!  A school bus passed us and the driver had slowed as if planning to stop and see if we were ok.  The driver kept going but then stopped a bit down the road and started backing up.  The driver drove in reverse back to us, opened the door, and told us that there was a church with a pavilion only about a hundred yards down the road around the bend.  We thanked her and then headed for the Church.  Knowing that there was shelter very close by, Phil had energy to make it there.

We went under the Pavilion and then contemplated what to do.  We could have just stayed there for the night.  We were not there long when a man with a pick up truck came into the parking lot and then parked at the opposite end of where we were at.  Phil walked over to him to ask him if he could fill up our water bottles as we were low.  The man told him he’d meet him by the door near the Pavillion to fill up our water bottles.  He met us at the door and right inside was a sink.    He told us we were more then welcome to camp there for the night and that he was going to take some people to dinner with the Church van, but when he returned he would be willing to take us to Catawba, about 5 miles down the road.

When he left we cooked some dinner with our stove and realized just how hungry we were.  We wanted to camp at our planned stop which is a convenience store so that we could get food when we wake up.  So we accepted the ride to Catawba and camped behind the convenience store as planned.  We took our bags off the bikes and waited.  He came back and then drove over to us with the Church Bus!  He said that he needed to put gas in it anyway and the convenience store also had gas.  So we got a bus ride to the convenience store and there was already an AT hiker camped out back.  We got to bed before sunset and Phil took some Advil PM to ensure he slept well.