July 26 - Jeff

Odds and ends.  Last night, I made my world famous Penne Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes.  We had vanilla yogurt and peaches for dessert which was Sue’s concoction.  We then added chocolate chip cookies to the mixture to make it more healthy.   I mentioned the Portolet we had.  It was actually level.  We had one in a [previous city that rocked and rolled when you got in there.  We have been shimmying portopotties and picnic tables all over the country.  Shower we had last night actually had a roof over top.  Earlier in the week at Elk Garden, we had an outdoor shower with no roof.  Saw our first Rebel Flag in Virginia today.  Kentucky had several along the route.  Last night we got into a horseshoe match.  Jack won  two and Jerry won one.  I scored a total of 2 points in my two matches.  We only played to 5, win by 2.  Pits were bad and  we seem to have no upper body strength anymore.  Maybe we should have played soccer.

We all left Troutdale this morning around 6:00.  Jerry left first followed by Jeff and then Jack.  Ride went through Sugar Grove, pop 792, Cedar Springs, Rural Retreat, pop 1,396, Wytheville, pop 7,762, Max Meadows, pop 532, Draper, pop 2,363, and Newbern.  We ended up in Clayton Lake State Park putting up tents for the first time since Monday.

The ride consisted of some great scenery through the Shenandoah Valley with the Mountains on both sides.  Virginia is as pretty a state as we have been through.  Pictures just don’t capture the scene sometimes.  We are at a point in the trip where sometimes I just want it to end.  Tired of riding, but today was rolling hills and little traffic and just great scenery.  Didn’t want it to end.  I wonder if I might feel that way at the end of the trip.  The riding is just hard to put into words.  Relaxing and mind clearing.

For anyone interested, there is a beautiful golf course on Route 11 on the way into Wytheville on the right had side coming from the west.  Had our pancake and coffee in Wytheville at the Virginia Heights Restaurant. People who ran the show there were very nice and we talked to them about how pretty their state was.  They had been to KY recently and said he same about our state.   We all agreed that we take  out states for granted.   Service was great and pancakes get an A.  Jack got his coffee at a coffee shop in the same city. 

On our way to Draper, we got stopped by a guy with a bike strapped to his roof.  He was trying to map a bike route to Bristol and needed some help from or maps.  Talking to him further, he and his wife were a relay participant in the Race Across America.  It is bike race that people do.  He and his wife did it in 8 days and 14 hours.  They ride day and night and get about an hour sleep at a time.

Mailbox award for today goes to the Riggins, outside of Wytheville for their mailbox that was a lighthouse.  About 6 feet tall, red and white striped like a candy cane.

Had lunch outside of Draper at a stop on the bike trail that goes through the woods for 57 miles.  They seem to have way more of that stuff out west and in Virginia than they have in KY.  Virginia is a very friendly bicycle state.  Jerry stopped and picked some wine and blackberries today

We saw a lunar moth today which is unusual because they usually only come out at night.

We rode about 70 miles today.  We are positioning ourselves for the climb over the Big V.

Went by a baseball field in the city of Max Meadows with a poem- like story on the dugout about sportsmanship.  I took a picture of it on my phone, but I can’t read the words until I hook it up to a computer.  I’ll try to publish that later.  It was very insightful about adult behavior at little kid’s sporting events.  Saw a house with shtuff growing in their gutters.  Interesting idea.  Never have to  clean out   your gutters.  Rode along a road that paralleled the expressway I- 81 today.  Those people sure drive fast.

Tomorrow’s ride looks a lot like today as far as the topography goes.  Then we get Vesuvious  on Monday.   And then it is smooth sailing into Yorktown, hopefully.  The “76” signs are still guiding us along the route.  Wish all the states had these signs.

Jeff, Jerry, Jack, and Sue