Well today was brutal. One of those days where you definitely question yourself “why did I think this was a good idea again?”. But rolling into camp after a hard ride is definitely gratifying and accomplishing. Truly like no other feeling. Today we ran into major hills, as we are entering the foothills of the Appalachians. They were rolling and definitely steep. And going downhill, though easy and extremely fast, was discouraging because I knew I had to make up that distance plus some with an uphill. But I had music playing to distract me. The hills today make me extremely wary of what’s to come. But that’s another day and something to worry about later! All that matters is another day down.
So far my kickstand and bike computer broke completely. Kickstand was heavy and basically useless so no loss there, but the computer was my lifeline. Now I won’t know exact mileage or MPH which is annoying but I’ll fix it later.
We saw a couple near accidents where cars were avoiding us but almost ran into oncoming traffic. Definitely terrifying for all parties involved. Also, yesterday I forgot to mention that we experienced our first dog chase. A dog came running from a yard, and I thought he had an electric fence that would stop him. He didn’t. He ran top speed right at us. Realized he wasn’t going to stop, I let out a scream and reached for my pepper spray. Likely terrified by my high pitched squeal, he stopped and returned back home.
We ran into a few locals who were extremely nice and receptive towards us and our trip. Of note was Jodi, who flagged us down right before a turn. She said she passed us on the road and decided to greet us with gifts of water, apples, oranges, and soda. It was right after a few treacherous climbs and was definitely a spirit and morale boost. Her son is currently hiking the Appalachian Trail so she can relate to our struggles in a motherly way. Thanks Jodi! We also had a stranger at a gas station buy us a few bottles of ice water. Talk about southern hospitality!
I was on cooking duty tonight with my “long lost cousin”, Katherine. We decided to do Memorial Day a day late with burgers, fries, and salad/chips. We are staying at a farm just outside of Mineral, VA whose owner was kind enough to let us stay for the night with use of his house. He hosts TransAm cyclists frequently and is extremely generous. He has two dogs so I got my dog fix for the day. And the stars are incredible. I have never seen so many so so bright and clear before!.
Today was extremely hot and sunny, so sunscreen was used abundantly, though the sweat made it run right off. The rain from the past few days was greatly missed. We passed by the beautiful Lake Anna and jumped in, in full bike gear, to cool off. It definitely did the trick, though I left my sunglasses there. But they were all scratched so the lake can claim them. Tomorrow is a lighter day (mileage) however, longer steeper hills are to be expected. How delightful!
Sheena’s corner: Made a wrong turn. Ended up with an 80.5 mile day. (She rocked it)
Total mileage: 62.3/80.5
Max speed: 31.3 MPH
Emilie Bikes and Hikes 