Scenes from todays ride outside of Radford virginia
Tuesday, 28 August 2012
The ride itself was easy enough but the extra weight of breakfast stopped me getting my rythym ..that and several short sharp hills. The first part ofbthe ride was nice...then I filled the interstate into Radford...I can really tell now I am in the east. Radford presented a navigational nightmare as the bike route signs are wrong, the map is right and the GPS still hasn't made up its mind.
I finally found a tunnel that led me through a park and around the back of town. Here two girls in a car pulled up and the passenger asked me if I was from England...I have a union Jack on the back of Shinto which is a big clue...I said yes and she giggled and the driver shouted...'allo mate I'm from crouch end init!....I dropped a gear and cruised away pdq.
Throughout the day the sky became gteyer and I sensed rain. I knew the park at christuansburg was a no go for camping so I decided is get a motel as it is the end of the map section ...its a treat think for me.
Although I have time on my side something in me just wants to get the job done now and get to the coast...then decide what next. I can see why the mountains are called the blue ridge mountains...they have a blue hue over them..almost prehistoric...and very beautiful.
I have aquired an Arizona tea addiction. It's only green tea with honey and ginseng but its served ice cold and a huge tin costs just 90c ...Gatorade costs $2 ...my guess is tea is just as good for me.
Tomorror I start the last map section...wow...the last of twelve from the pacific to the Atlantic....I'm secretly pretty proud of what I have done so far...but I still want to just get there and finish what I started. Then I will relax.
Tonight on fox news channel is some kind of election crap...Mic Romney ...yawn..zzzzz...
Lol!....hey and what the hell is martin Bashir doing o. American tv....wondered where he had gone Lol!
The lady in the dollar store was talking to me and thought I was Australian...when I told her I was from London she said...oh I.just love the London accent it'd so.cute...do you live in christiansburg.....luckily I.don't lol!
Monday, 27 August 2012
Damascus....in the event I cruised up them and was over them thinking they were just foothills before the real climbs came...erm...but they didn't!
Instead I was speeding along good roads, mostly flat or downhill with a nice tailwind. I.had thought is just stop at the next hostel but I was there so quickly that I had ridden a few miles past it before I noticed!
So I headed to wytheville a mere 58 miles away to the city park. Along the way I got a subway for lunch and just sat back in the saddle and enjoyed the ride...one of the few this trip with the wind behind me.
At this pace I am only a week tops from the coast...I have to decide what to do next...as I can't re book my flight like I had hoped.
I'm so tempted to just uturn around and ride back again....I feel free and happy here...but unfortunatly bank accounts I'm my name arnt bottomless pits of cash. I will have a word with god in a church along the way and see if he can fix that for me.
I seem to attract Insects on this trip...mosquitos and chiggers...bloody things..
The morning rides are a lot colder now...buy it hearts up to perfect riding conditions for the rest of the day.
It won't be long before I start map section 12 of the transam...the last map!!
So many people on this trip have told me they wish they could do what I am doing...with the exception of one guy who was disabled I couldn't see a single reason why any of them can't do it...I think it'd a mental battle much more than a physical battle. There are moments when I just have to push on through anything that comes my way...the best way to do that is to simply accept what has to be done and get the hell on with doing it....just keep peddalling no matter what happens....through all kinds of weather, mountains, poor drivers.....and above all else...stop for nothing except ice cream.
On a tour like this there is always something to do..
Something new to see, people to talk to, I never get bored. I wonder about life again without touring....it has its plus points for sure...but living on the bike like this beats it hands down...especially here in the USA.
....the policeman just came to open the restrooms for me and wished me a pleasant nights rest in the park here..how cool is that...bet plod back home wouldn't do that.
Sunday, 26 August 2012
The horrible thing about chiggers is chiggers just ain't much fun. They're lumpy bumpy and make you grumpy...but the most horrible thing about chiggers is...there's always more than one!
.....these horrid little creatures live in the grass here...and I think my lower legs got bitten in Kentucky the other evening. They arnt dangerous, just itch a hell of a lot...oh well..lol!
Today is Sunday...I'm in a church hostel and reminded that god once mentioned that Sunday is a rest day. So today I have decided to agree with him and take a day.off.from the bike and the hills. The hostel here has all I need for $6 and it is a mice town...so I'm resting today...just in case I get struck down by thunder and lightening on the Sabbath you understand...not because I am lazy and there is a good ice cream parlour in town.
Actually there is a fair chance of catching a lot of rain in the next few days regardless of my actions on the Sabbath...as the storm from the gulf heads this way...well that is what the weather expert on a Harley on his way to church just told me lol!
There is a small alternate route here called the creeper trail...I won't ride it as it had loose shingle as a surface...so I will stick on the transam route. Scott and Anna are going that way today so ill go my own way agin from here. It was great riding with these guys for a couple of days..I wish you both good luck and tailwinds all the way to your destinations!
...ok..time get up and cycle the 100m to the ice cream shop lol!
Saturday, 25 August 2012
Strange feeling to actually be here in the final state of my tour. But what a wonderful state it is so far. The mountains here are a joy to ride in...lots of steep climbs through dense forest. It is very humid but strangely not to hot. The trees are alive with birds ands all kinds of insects...it sounds like a tropical rain forest!
The downhills are fast and have sharp switchback turns...my brakes are wearing thin...time to change pads.
They have sheep here...mostly all I've seen across America is cows. Some of the trees are dropping their leaves..I wonder if this is the first sign of fall here?
As I rode today I felt mixed feelings...happy that I am riding in such beautiful surroundings, sad that my trip.is almost done, thinking of life back in the UK...some good..some not...but there are people I want to hug.
Damascus is a lovely small town in the hills here. The church has a biker hostel and I have a bed for the night. Around the corner is the bar where tonight I can recommend the special..pasta..bolognaise sauce...salad...yummy!
People in the town are welcoming...within two minutes of riding into town I had an offer of a free bed in somebodies house...then two guys on motorbikes stopped to say hi and recommended this bar to eat in...I followed their advice and it was good.
Once again..good things are happening on this ride...I make my own luck..take may own decisions and live with them...they have always been the right ones for me.
I try to catch the essence of the rides with the pictures and videos on facebook. But really it'd about the wind in my face, the smells, the people, the freedom and the feel of the bike under me. I can't catch that on camera.
I just don't want this ride to end. But I'm young enough to do this again or a similar ride. But its not over yet...I still have some big climbs and a state to cross....and a lot more smiling to do!
Virginia..wow..I actually made it to the tenth and final state I'm riding across! I crossed the state line this morning after several more climbs here in the mountains. The views from the top of the climbs were pretty amazing and the downhill runs were great fun...steep fast and sharp bends .
Tonight I'm in a small town called council in the park. After a short 45 miles mostly climbing I got to the park and was warned about bears having been in the park in the last few days..also cayottees.
Hmmm...now I know why I carried the bear spray all the way from Yellowstone lol!
Earlier in the day is had breakfast at a diner and the lady who served breakfast had such a good sense of fun ...$150...no way...ha ha! Mickey mouse pancakes for breakfast...cool!
Although today was the shortest ride of the tour so far I think, it was beautiful and although the climbs here are steep I'm loving doing them.
I have a feeling Virginia will be another good state for me...as they all have been.
Friday, 24 August 2012
...but...then came the really steep climbs...three of them...in a row...but I got up and over each of them without to much agony and the downhills were fun!
The mountains here are covered in trees and they restrict the view almost totally. But trust me, its a long way down at the side of the road!
Along the way I had a major ice cream relapse and stopped twice to sample the local soft ice!
My legs felt great and I could have kept on for another 20 or so miles but decided to stop at the baptist church centre to sleep. The only problem being it was locked and the guy with the key gone on holiday. So...I asked the neighbours and the girls in the gas station store and soon the village was all involved...but to no avail the keys were still on holiday lol!
So u just put up my tent anyway and ate gas station pizza ans green tea until Anne and Scott arrived. I knew they were a way behind me and were relying on the hostel being open. I could have gone over the next mountain to the campground at the state park lake but decided to wait for them here and called back to let them know about the food drill here etc.
The accent here is really hard for me to follow...and tonight I had a real laugh with the pizza people about it as they were also clueless as to what I was saying..great fun!
This part of Kentucky is very poor. The people are friendly but have little compared to those in the previous parts of this state I have ridden through.
The dogs here try to take food from cyclists panniers I was told even though I had no trouble with dogs today.
Ah...here us a lady with a key...gotta go!
...well..as always on this trip when I need a lucky break something good always happens. The neighbour I asked earlier tracked down a key...so tonight I'm sleeping in the gym here. It has a full shower washroom set up, a basketball court, and enough food to feed an army!
Also I'm protected from the free running pitbulls outside tonight.
Ann and Scott showed up to so we are all sleeping on the basketball court!
I had a good day...a great ride and have a safe place to sleep tonight. Tomorrow I cross the state line into Virginia!
The climbs here are steep switchbacks that look ominous at the bottom but once into my stride they were actually not to bad. Lowest gear all the way up and real dig in and let's get this done mind set did the trick.
It reminded me of the climb up McKenzie pass at the begging of this tour...steep sharp switchbacks.
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