Today (well technically yesterday) was by far the most fun day of riding yet, and the whole group agrees. Mom and dad, sorry, but you probably won’t like the reason why. The day started out fine, nice and chilly with some wind. Towards the middle of the day we hit some gradual inclines, which I have grown to love. I have accepted that this is my life and uphills are an inevitable part of it. I better learn to just grin and bear it! We were in the trees which provided shelter from the wind. After the 5 or so miles of uphill we were blessed with 15 miles of pure downhill bliss. We were cruising down the mountains at 25+ MPH down windy roads. We didn’t have to worry about cars behind us because we were going faster than the speed limit. It was a lot of fun and definitely an adrenaline rush
We started out leaving the church early and when riding on the main road a man came running out of his house and cheering us on. “Woo hoo! Go on to Oregon!” he shouted. It’s nice to know we have adoring fans throughout our ride. We also had an older gentleman stop on the side of the road and tell us, “you are the first smart riders I saw who are wearing bright colors. The lot of you are gonna get yourselves killed.” It’s nice to know he was concerned about our well being.
We had lunch in a pretty spot by a river on a bridge in a driveway. The owners came out and talked with us and were very hospitable. They invited us to wade in the river, but it was too chilly to partake. Jake and Catherine joined us for lunch and we had a very entertaining conversation. Some more bike racers passed us during lunch and gave us a thumbs up.
We are camping in Damasus tonight in a hostel. There is a dog here named Buster that looks slightly like Addie and I have been able to get in my dog fix. Because Damascus is a cross through town for the Appalachain Trail, we are camping with a lot of thru hikers. They are very entertaining with funny stories. We have a layover day in Damascus, there isn’t too much to do here, but it’s nice being off the bike and relaxing.
Sheena’s corner: Yesterday restored my desire for this trip. The climb went great and the long descents were, by far, the best time I’ve had yet. I finally hit over 40mph! Next goal is 45mph.
Total miles: 62.2
Hours on bike: 5:12
Max MPH: 38.1
Avg MPH: 11.9
Emilie Bikes and Hikes 