Michael
Today started out with a fabulous breakfast at the Lazy Fox Inn. Jenny and her helper prepared a superb breakfast that included scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, fresh fruit (including kiwi, bananas, strawberries, peaches, and cantaloupe), biscuits and gravy, a potato and cheese dish, and more. What was really incredible was that Jenny and her helper are both over 90 years old and they had no other help.
The Virginia Creeper Trail is only a few blocks from the Lazy Fox Inn. Based on inside scoop from the bicycle shop we visited yesterday, we decided to take the trail for the first 11 miles of our trip today. The scenery was beautiful and it was nice to once again be pedaling along a beautiful river. The trail itself wasn't as smooth as pavement but it was pretty good. And we were absolutely delighted that for the first 11 miles we only had about a 2% incline.
The only bad part about the trail was that when we had to get off the trail we had to travel for at least half a mile on a pretty gravelly road all uphill. Our bikes are just not as good on gravel going uphill.
Today's ride was over 62 miles long and we climbed a total of 3500 plus feet. So there were a lot of hills. However, for most of the uphills, the incline was not all that steep. We were very pleased with that. The traffic wasn't too bad for most of the trip so it really was a rather enjoyable day except for that little part about the rain. It seems that if we wear rain jackets we get soaked with sweat. And if we don't wear rain jackets, it rains harder. However several of us have decided that we prefer the threat of rain along with a little rain to 100 degree heat.
The rain did cause an accident, but luckily none of us were involved. We came upon an older couple whose car had gone off the road and was face down on the side of the hill about 15 ft below the road. The car was definitely totaled. Like most people we have met on this trip, the couple were both as nice as could be. They were willing to give us their names and number in case we needed anything on our trip. It was incredible that even as their car was in the ditch, they were willing to give us any assistance we needed.
When we arrived at our hotel we met up with Pam Moon and Jennifer Ballew, who will be sagging with us the next several days. We had a great dinner at a nearby Chinese restaurant and made plans for tomorrow. To be truthful I've been thinking about Pam and Jennifer all day. The reason I was thinking about them was because we were carrying all of our own bags for the first time in over a week. Bags are heavy. And the hillier the roads and the steeper the hills, the heavier the bags get. So we were absolutely delighted that Pam and Jennifer will be with us this week. All day long we realized just how much we appreciated all of our previous SAGgers. Thank you all very, very much!
For those of you not familiar with this part of the country, the Interstate 81 corridor which we are going through is absolutely beautiful. There are many 2000 to 4000 foot hills. And while we really don't like climbing up steep hills, the steeper the hills, the better the views.
Today was another great day. I can't believe there are only 10 more days left in our trip!
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