Day 14 Damascus to Rosedale

Last night we had torrential rain into the early hours of the morning and when we rose although it was not raing it was COLD VERY COLD like in the low fifties. So setting off in all my 'not expecting to ever have to wear' cold weather gear we had the relatively easy cycle of just 33 miles to Elk Garden Church hostel. However the sting in the tail was an effing great big 4 mile hill at the end which was on a par with anything you might find in the Alps! As usual Ellen demonstrated her 'Canadian Iron Lady' ascending prowess and glided off up said  mountain although she was hampered by cold hands for part of the day.

Miles Today 36
Total             608

Day 13 - layover day in Damuscus

After a lusciously deep and rejuvenating 11 hour sleep, I woke up at 9am to find that I was alone at the campsite - all my fellow cyclists had apparently risen early and had charged into town with the sort of morning energy that is necessary on a riding day, but difficult (for me) to muster up on a layover day.

I enjoyed a healthy breakfast at camp before taking a relaxed & leisurely ride into town, where I met a few of the other bikers at the local coffee shop.  The comfy and warm vibe there encouraged several of us to take over the place until early afternoon. Dolores treated me to a sugary iced cinnamon roll and Ellen, showing impressive patience and computer savvy, helped me post the blue flag thingies on the "track my progress" section of this blog (check it out!).  To thank Ellen for this (and to encourage her to help me out with other things, such as pretending to be me and writing this blog post) I treated her to lunch at the cafe that was recommended to me by Tequila Joe, the grizzled character who was sitting outside the coffeeshop.  Hubert joined us for lunch and we engaged in some lively conversation on several quite random topics.

After lunch I said bye to Hubert and Ellen and embarked on a mission to do some online ordering of supplies (cycling jersey, underpants, and less-hot Adidas hotpants to provide a replacement for the too-hot Adidas hotpants I'm currently carrying).  Once this mission was successfully completed, I rode off to the Tennessee border, a 15 minute ride from Damascus, to see Bareback Rock (photos below), which is an impressive natural landmark that is also known as the world's shortest tunnel. 

I cruised back to camp and ate a dinner of leftover goulash, secured my newly acquired American flag to my bike, refilled our stoves, drank a hot chocolate, and am now preparing to go to bed.  We have several really tough riding days ahead of us, so I am hoping to have morale-boosting dreams of things like having absolutely gargantuan muscles that make me able to cycle the Appalachians effortlessly. 

With luck this soggy and cold weather will have cleared up at least a bit by tomorrow.

Day 12 Wytheville to Damascus

Today was another challenging cycling day with lots of hills and NO RAIN but really COLD in the low fifties. Not what I expected at all. We had a great lunch at a little diner in Stockdale county where we chatted to the local Sheriff who not only allowed us to take photographs but escorted us out of town. Tonight we are staying on a campsite by the river at Damascus which is on the Appalachian trail and full of hikers. After tonights meal we had a surplus of Jill's spicy goulash so Ellen and I had this idea to walk around the campsite and offer it to any hikers we found eating tins of cold soup. I seem to be doing lots of crazy things like this but it sure is a great way to meet real American people. Only a couple of days now before we cross the State line into Kentucky and tomorrow we have a much needed rest day. And Ken you will be happy to know that I have found proper sausages and had a half decent cup of English tea today.

Miles today  61
Total             572

Day 11 Christiansburg to Wytheville

Todays ride was identical to yestetday except that instead of sleeping in a tent we are  sleeping on a tucted pile wilton carpet in the parlour of the Wytheville Presbyterian church. Unfortunately we will need to rise at  a stupidly early hour  as we dont think we're supposed to be here.
Bottom line is tbat after 3 tough days battling the hills and the elements I am absolutely knackered and too tired to blog today. Its only 9pm and most of us are already asleep!
Miles today 54
Total           509

Day 10 Vesuvias to Christiansburg Guest Blogger Ms Ellen Hadley

We rose, pleased to find that it was NOT raining, ate breakfast, and cruised away from the campsite at 8:00am.  Kelly and I entertained ourselves as we rode by composing cycle-touring related haikus... until our attention was drawn away from the poetry and towards Rob, who had stopped riding and was boldly removing his fancy waterproof trousers by the side of the road!  Yes, he had dropped his pants (claiming that they were too hot and uncomfy to ride in), revealing a pair of shiny black Adidas hotpants.  Apart from the haikus and hotpants, other notable happenings today included riding up and down and up and down through some quite challenging but beautiful terrain, sighting several varieties of roadkill, and consuming mass amounts of sugar (in the form of M & Ms, Starburst candies, and two-bite brownies).  Also, while stopped for a coffee break at the "Mama D's" store, Rob met a woman from Harrogate, which seemed like quite a neat coincidence!  Late in the afternoon it DID suddenly start to rain - hard.  At first we kept riding, but it soon became clear that cycling in such a wild downpour would be both really uncomfortable and actually a bit dangerous... so we stopped and sought shelter on the porch of an adandoned house.  When the rain let up a bit we sucked it up and got back on our bikes to ride the final 15 miles to Christiansburg.  Rob's words "we'll be continually refreshed by the rain!" rang in my head as we sloshed through ankle-deep puddles on our way into town.  The day ended with pizza at the church where we're staying, and a warm and tumbly outing to the laundromat, where we ate still more M & Ms and I wrote this blog post as we waited for our clothes to dry.  Forecast for tomorrow: MORE RAIN!!!

Miles today   55
Total             455

Day 9 Vesuvius to Bethnal Camp, Buchanan

Another hilly day and the first really humid day. Great campsite but cold showers. What Is could really do with right now is a long soak in a hot radox bath. Tomorrow is going to be a stinker as thunderstorms are forecast, even hillier and we are staying at a church with no showets. I might just go and knock on somebody's door!!!

Miles Today 45
Total             400

Day 8 The Blue Ridge Parkway from Afton to Vesuvias

43 miles of pretty tough riding today with rain in the afternoon so I opted for the 5star accomodation at 15 dollars as you can see in the photo. Conditions were misty and overcast today so great for the hill work but not for panoramic views and photos. The appalachians are beautiful but we really are in 'Deliverance' country here. Even the Americans are scared.

Miles Today 43
Total            355