Lexington, VA to Fincastle, VA

Up to this point we had not yet seen any other touring cyclists on our travels.  Today we met two very nice women also touring across America.

We stopped to stock up on Gatorade at a Mobil gas station/convenience store and got a picture of the tiger!

Once we crossed the river into Buchanon, we made an immediate right turn and checked out Twin River Outfitters.  They offer canoe, kayak, and tube rentals and also sell gear and other stuff.  It was too hot to go floating down the river.

We then went across the street to the Copper Top Restaurant to get some lunch.  This place has excellent food, great service, and is a fun place too!

After lunch at the Copper Top we went up the street to the Burger King to upload photos and work on the blog.  The WiFi was extremely slooooooow!  Then we went back to the Copper Top to relax outside on their bench.  Shortly after, three women on motorcycles showed up and went inside.

A little while later, Phil went inside to use the restroom.  He was very tired and it showed.  As he came out of the restroom he heard the folks at the bar teasing and saying that we weren’t going to make it across America (it was all in good fun).  Phil engaged in conversation with ALL of the folks at the bar including the biker women.  Everyone had many questions about our trip so Phil got Linda from outside to help answer all the questions.

One of the questions asked was in reference to where we were heading next.  Linda said we were heading to Christiansburg.  Patty (next to Linda), one of the very nice biker women, lives in Christiansburg and offered us to stay with her for a night if we needed.  Thanks Patty!  We will let you know.

We left Buchanon and headed for our stop for the night at Camp Bethel.  Once we arrived we quickly set up our tent before dark.  This place is a very nice facility!!!  Our site was a decent sized grassy area with electricity.  After setting up our tent we both got a hot shower in a very nice and WARM bath house!!!

After waking up to a beautiful sunrise on the farm, we ate a hearty breakfast.  Lee offered to take us into town on his way to the office which we accepted.  Rebecca and Lee had encouraged us to stay another night and spend Wednesday touring the very historic town of Lexington.  They didn’t have to twist our arm too much.  They told us that every Wednesday morning at the Lexington Coffee Shop, a group of highly talented musicians play bluegrass music in the back for free.  They also let us know that all the historic sights are within walking distance.

So after breakfast we got a ride to the coffee shop.  There we enjoyed some great bluegrass music and accessed the WiFi to update our blog.  Actually, so far, trying to stay caught up with the blog and uploading photos and videos has been very time consuming and we spent a good part of the morning working on all of it.

After we left the coffee shop we went to the visitor’s center a few blocks away.  There we got a walking map and got to see “Stonewall” Jackson’s house and the Lee Chapel at Washington and Lee University.

We then ate lunch on William and Lee’s campus at the E Cafe.  Across the street was the Ice cream parlor and a Natural food store.  Linda went across the street and got a few things while Phil continued to work on the blog with the WiFi at the cafe.  We also made sure we got our ice cream treat in as well.

A little while later we got a ride back with Rebecca after she was done running errands.  After arriving back at the farm, Rebecca gave us a tour of their pottery shop and explained to us how the process of making the pottery works.  It was so amazing and fun to see all the equipment, especially the kiln where the pottery is fired.  Phil took many pictures.

After we ate dinner we took the rest of the evening to unwind from a long day of sightseeing.  Linda cleaned and re-greased the bicycle chains. We signed their bicycle tourist guest book and also read previous guests entries.  Some had sent post cards after finishing their cross-country trip, thanking once again, Rebecca and Lee for their amazing hospitality.  We felt blessed to get to know them and to have had the opportunity to spend time with such warm people.

We watched the sunset from their front porch and then started packing up our things to get ready for leaving in the morning.  Later we all had some ice cream together before saying goodnight.  They let us know that they would be up in the morning to send us off.

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

When we woke up at the Cookie Lady’s house, we contemplated what to do.  We wanted to go somewhere with a shower.  Phil was also in no condition to bike up the mountain.  Phil felt slight improvement but not enough to ride.  We had noticed a couple phone numbers on a cabinet in the kitchen of individuals offering shuttle rides in the area.  Linda called both numbers and left messages.  Mr. DuBose Egleston, Jr., the “Yellow Truck” guy, returned her call.  He provides shuttles to hikers and cyclists with bikes from anywhere between Harper’s Ferry, WV to Roanoke, VA. for a very reasonable fee!  If you need a ride, call DuBose at 540-943-2138 or his cell at 540-487-6388.

Linda made arrangements for DuBose to pick us up and take us to the Royal Oak Resort & Cabins in Love, VA where we made reservations for the night.

When he arrived we loaded our bikes and panniers into the truck and then headed to our cabin.  We arrived around noon and checked in plus got something to eat for lunch and for dinner and for breakfast the next morning.  They actually had uncured bacon from Trader Joe’s!!!  We also bought brown eggs and some cheese!

The stay at the cabin gave us both and especially Phil, energy to get back on the road Tuesday morning.

Sunday morning started out well.  We left Charlottesville and headed on down the road to White Hall, Va.  It was a magnificently beautiful ride.  We stopped to attend service at Mt. Moriah United Methodist Church.  Everyone was really friendly and welcoming. There sermon series was titled “We can!”  We stayed for some refreshments after service and then headed on our way.

Shortly after leaving the Church we came upon a nice country store called “Wyants Store.”  Many of the stops along the TransAm bicycle route have a book that touring cyclists sign when they visit.  We signed the book.  Phil got a coca-cola, we looked around, and then we left.  As you will learn when you keep reading, not getting some real food was a serious oversight with very bad consequences.

Across the street was the White Hall Community building that allows cyclists to camp behind it.

We headed down the road to Greenwood.  The terrain was hilly with a continuous uphill trend with more climbing than descending.  Phil was beginning to feel weak and tired as we continued to ride.  We came upon Chiles Peach Orchard  and Farm Market just outside of Greenwood. Upon arrival, Phil was dizzy, tired, weak, and felt like he was going to faint.  Phil ate some ice cream right away and rested on a table.  We stayed there for almost 3 hours as Phil attempted to refuel and regain energy.

We were 7 miles away from our destination in Afton: the world famous “Bike house” which was owned by the “Cookie Lady” until she passed a few years ago.  Thankfully, someone else continues to offer the service to cyclists to this day.

We tried to start out again and Phil’s clip on his shoe came lose, so his shoe was stuck on his pedal.  After a little struggle, we pulled the shoe off the pedal, only to realize we had lost one of the bolts to the shoe.  Linda asked the store clerk if they had seen a bolt on the floor when they were sweeping.  A man who was a customer noticed our need and offered us a bolt from his cycling shoes that he happened to have in his car.  As we were exchanging bolts, the store clerk emerged with the missing bolt.  We then gave the man a bolt back and thanked him again for his generosity.  He had actually mentioned that he would want someone to do the same for him.

Now we were ready to go.  We tried to continued our ascent into Afton.  However, Phil was beginning to feel worse and came to a point where he couldn’t ride or even walk another inch.  Phil laid down on someones lawn next to their driveway.

Very soon after we heard a person rolling what sounded like a trashcan on the driveway next door.  Whe saw through the trees between the two driveways that it was a woman.  When she came to the end of the driveway near the road, Linda asked her for help and if someone nearby had a pickup truck.  She did not have a pickup truck but she said that her neighbor next door (whose yard it was that Phil was laying down in) did.  Thelma walked back to her house and called her neighbor Scott.

After Thelma called her neighbor Scott she came back out to check on Phil.  As it turns out, Thelma is a nurse!  She took Phil’s pulse and it was low.  Phil continued to drink water and eat a little.***

Scott came down the driveway with his pickup truck and then Linda and Scott loaded our stuff in the back.   Ironically, Scott had actually passed us a few minutes earlier as we were walking up a hill less than a mile away from his house.  He told us that he had contemplated stopping to see if we were o.k. when he passed us (which we knew because we had seen his brake lights come on).

He drove us to “The Bike House” which had been owned by June Curry, the world famous “Cookie Lady”.  She passed away back in July 2012. She had been part of the TransAmerica trail since it’s inception in 1976.  Someone else now owns the Bike house and keeps it open for Cyclists. The “Bike House” is actually the entire first floor of the  two story structure and it has four large rooms plus a kitchen and bathroom.  The kitchen is stocked with food for the cyclists (which we took advantage of) and a bathroom.  They have an outdoor shower which had not yet been hooked up since it was too early in the season.

Cyclists have been leaving behind and/or sending cards and knicknacks as a thank you.  Every room is covered in them.  It was incredible reading everything on the walls at the Cookie Lady’s house.

What had happened to Phil is referred to using the term “bonk.”  Phil bonked and bonked hard.  If you do not know what “bonking” is then Google it.  The long story short is that Phil did not eat enough throughout the day and depleted his glycogen stores.  Once this happens, recovery can not happen immediately just by eating a candy bar.  True bonking will take at least couple days to recover from.

***In addition, we had both been drinking water when we should have been drinking a sports drink with electrolytes!  Linda does not like sports drinks but does like candy which is why we were only drinking water.  This was a big factor with regards to Phil bonking.  Either way, it is a best practice to drink a lot of sports drink at full strength throughout the day when bike touring!!!

After sleeping in a bit, we woke up trying to decide what to do.  We really wanted to look around Charlottesville but we also really wanted to get some miles in.  Phil also really needed to get his bike checked out as it was still not shifting right.  There had been some improvement when the bent derailleur hanger was adjusted at the last shop.

The techs trouble-shooted with switching to a new cassette, however, that did not seem to correct the problem. They checked the derailleur itself and determined that it was also slightly bent.  The bike tech was able to make some minor adjustments to it and it seemed to ride better after that.  For all of their efforts and time spent trouble-shooting, our bill was minimal.

After leaving the bike shop we biked through Charlottesville and the beautiful UVA Campus.  We made a stop at “Berry Berry” Frozen Yogurt to get a treat and cool off.

We were debating whether or not to get some miles in or stay another night since we had used up a lot of time at the bike shop.  We decided to stay another night in Charlottesville at the Budget Inn next to the campus.

After we checked in and got settled, Linda walked down to the Rebecca’s Natural foods and the local Harris Teeter.  There were a huge array of high end shops in that shopping center and it was very neat to walk around.  We thoroughly enjoyed Charlottesville.

Mineral, VA to Charlottesville, VA: approx 56 miles

We left Mineral knowing we had a long, hilly day ahead of us.  We left an hour later than the day before and biked 10 more miles than the previous day.

We went through a town called “Kents Store.”  It had a post office.  Yippy.  Then, around lunchtime we arrived in the town of Palmyra which had a grocery store and restaurant in the town.  The restaurant is shut down but the grocery store was open and has a deli that serves made-to-order and ready to eat food.

About 12 miles outside of Charlottesville, we found a great country store called “Woodbridge Market.”  It is a very nice and well stocked store with plenty of food options including a deli.

We saw this guy sitting in a hole in a tree along the road.

One of the EMT’s in Mineral had warned us that the route we were taking leading us into Charlottesville was a very windy and busy road and that we should be careful.  We did use caution riding the route and at times walked our bikes with the bikes closest to the road and ourselves further from the road in case we had to ditch and run.  Walking with the bikes to our left also allowed us to see the oncoming traffic better and make eye contact!

We were relieved of the bust road when we came upon the Saunders-Monticello trail.  This was a super fun trail to ride on!  It is boardwalk style and runs along the side of the mountain and was downhill for us the whole way!  After the trail ended we got on a busy arterial for about a half mile but it had a wide shoulder so we were fine.

Another half mile on a small road and we arrived at the Alexander House which provides both private rooms and shared space in their hostile on the property.  We checked into our private room, did some laundry, and then went to find something to eat.

We took our bikes and found a nice tapas restaurant just down the road with seating outside.  The place was packed.  Our world seems so small sometimes!  As we were waiting for a table (at this very packed restaurant), we struck up a conversation with a couple that were sitting at a table next to the sidewalk and fence where we leaned our bikes.  The couple, Pat and Jane happened to be friends with the woman who checked us in at the Alexander house.  Pat and Jane mentioned that they are well traveled and that of all of the places that they have been, they liked Charlottesville so much that they decided to settle here.

Pat and Jane advised us to bike a few more blocks to Charlottesville’s historic downtown pedestrian mall where we could get some really good food faster and cheaper and listen to a live band.  The event is called “Friday’s After Five” and it was PACKED.

Pat and Jane

Stage in Downtown Charlottesville

As we were walking through the mall looking for a place to eat we met a couple college students Katie and Heather.  This summer Katie and Heather will bicycle across America to raise funds for and awareness of affordable housing efforts.  Along the way they will stop in communities where they will meet with local residents, give presentations about housing issues, and build affordable homes with local housing groups.  (go to http://www.bikeandbuild.org if you would like to help support their efforts and/or get more information)  Go Katie and Heather!!!  Phil and Linda support affordable housing efforts!

After our conversation with the two women we found a nice place to eat.  After a very long day, we were ridiculously tired.  We biked back to the Inn and turned in for the night.

Ashland VA to Mineral VA, Hilly terrain, approx. 46 miles

After 3 days in captivity at the Sleep Inn and Suites in Ashland VA, we were back on the road.  We left around 7am.  It was initially raining when we woke up and the forecast called for intermittent rain so we had put our rain gear on to start.  We were not far out of Ashland when we started pulling off our rain gear.

The terrain definitely had become a lot hillier.  Early on in our day as we were riding down a hill, we came upon a creek that was seriously overflowing.  What was supposed to just be a little creek looked like a river with class 3 whitewater rapids.  The water was almost touching the bottom of the bridge!  We stopped to watch the spectacle ourselves and to get some pictures and video.  It really was cool to watch.  Phil struck up a conversation with a few locals that were standing by the bridge talking.  It turns out that one of the locals Phil was speaking with had biked across the country as well along with some other long tours under his belt.

We continued on our way and came to the town of Bumpass, Va.  We do not know how to pronounce the name but will leave that up to our readers to figure out!

Around lunchtime we stopped at B&L Country Store at 1205 Fredericks Hall Road in Bumpass VA and filled up our gas tanks (ate some beanie weenies)!  We met Ted the really nice owner and his daughter (Pictured below with Linda).  They serve hot and cold deli items, pizza, and groceries (Ph: 540-872-3844).  From all the wet weather there was overflow water flowing along side the road like a stream and the locals were finding “crawdads” in them!

Shortly after our lunch stop we came upon Lake Anna and saw a sign on the shoreline that said “Casual Waterfront Service.”  We pulled over to the entrance, leaned our bikes against the guardrail and walked to the lake to see the really cool outdoor worship area.

We arrived in Mineral VA at the Volunteer Fire Station where we set up our tent on their fair grounds area.  They allowed us to use their shower and the bathrooms are always accessible.

After we got our tent setup, we went to “Sabor A Mexico” only one block away from the Fire Station.  The food was absolutely amazing and the family that owns it/working there are very friendly.

As we were walking back from Sabor A Mexico we came upon an ice-cream shop that was still being renovated and not open yet.  Phil saw a man inside and knocked on the window.  The man opened the door and spoke to us for a while.  Mineral Shakes LLC plans to be open for business by Monday May 5th.  I believe he said they will have 32 flavors of Hershey’s ice-cream and shakes.  He told us that smoothies and also a coffee bar will be coming soon as well.  We were a little disappointed that the ice cream place was not open yet future Cyclists will be happy.  We got some ice-cream at the convenience store next to the fire house.

He also told us that a friend of his is soon opening up a restaurant across the street that will have many other options if you do not like Mexican.  Good things are happening in Mineral, Va.  We enjoyed our stay in Mineral.

Linda’s plan was to stay at the hotel in Ashland on Sunday night and then leave Monday morning.  However, Phil was very tired and needed a rest day so we stayed Monday night as well.  Then we checked the weather report and saw a very bad weather system heading east from the mid-west.  The bad weather, once it arrived, would last until Wednesday night.  The next hundred miles or so are very sparse with minimal services at best and we could not be guaranteed indoor accommodations.  Although the weather was suitable for riding on Tuesday morning, Phil didn’t think we should take a chance.  We realized we needed to stay at the hotel until Thursday morning and updated our reservation accordingly.

Phil has been having problems shifting including the chain slipping for a long time now even after making proper adjustments to the cable using the barrel adjuster.  Since we had time to kill we took Phil’s bike a few blocks from our hotel to the Olde Towne Bicycles bike shop at 605 England Street, Ashland, VA 23005, Ph: 804-798-1711.  The owner, Dave, diagnosed Phil’s bike.  One of the parameters that he checked was “derailleur alignment”.  It turns out that the derailleur hanger was bent so it makes sense that adjusting the cable stretch did nothing to stop the shifting problems.  We both recalled that the only time Phil dropped his bike happened almost a year ago!  Thank you Dave!!!

We then went across the street to get some groceries for the next couple of days.