Category: Touring

Leaving the gracious host, John Roberts of the Llewelyn Lodge, I began making my way through the Appalachians to the Four Pines hostel to spend the night. The route led me along the ridge paralleling the Appalachian Trail on very steep grades on roads that continued with a day of straight up, straight down. Seventy two miles later I arrived at my destination tired with little time left before sunset.

I cooked dinner and visited with the six hikers that were there resting for a few days after their hike of between 20 and 30 miles. I also discovered that most cyclists only cover 40 to 50 miles per day through here so this lifted my tired spirit.

I woke at 6:30, packed up and left, planning to eat along the route. Stores are not plentiful here so breakfast turned into lunch while chatting with a few friendly locals, Virginia hospitality is a wonderful thing.

I tried to put on as many miles as I could to end the day as close as possible to Nancy’s campsite at Stoney Fork Campground. After traveling 65 miles, tired with another 30 miles to go I set up camp off the roadside with barely enough daylight to set up my tent. Tomorrow is another day, hopefully fresh legs to continue the Appalachian terrain.

The sleep was just what I needed, and my legs felt fresh as I rode to the campsite. I arrived mid day as Nancy and a few fellow campers were walking on the park road. They were expecting me and were coming to greet my arrival. A shower and restful afternoon gave way to a delicious cooked meal. Very nice to be here!

Leaning the Cookie Lady on a steep climb heading to the Blue Ridge Parkway after a restful sleep I was sure the days would go smoothly until the gpx files sent me off my route. I realized it six miles later so after finding my way back and switching the route files I was on route with a twelve mile warm up and extra hill climbing. Now on the parkway, enjoying the fantastic views I settled into a rhythm and climbed most of the day. The descent off the range is fast and steep and even with a fully loaded bike I was able to enjoy cutting the curves to the valley below.

I am tired from the workout of the day and heading to Lexington, VA for a place to sleep. I found a nice B&B, the Llewelyn Lodge that is right on my route. I was graciously welcomed and offered a ride to pick up dinner.

I left the cozy cyclist room at the Methodist Church in Palmyra,VA to head west. Once on the roads out of town I rolled on nice country roads that led me to Charlottesville where I passed through the city on nice side streets that were filled with shops, bistros, and many college students. Once out onto the country roads again I got a call from Nancy, she was nearby so we connected and I was able to pick up the next section of maps I had forgotten because I will not meet up with her until Kentucky where she will be camping.

I stopped in White Hall for lunch at a small local market with so many options it was a difficult decision until I saw their BBQ pulled pork with coleslaw sandwich. It was every bit as good as I hoped, I also bought their home baked cherry turnover for after dinner.

I had been riding on rollers, short and steep, most of the day. Now they are getting steep and long, the Blue Ridge Parkway will be tomorrow’s ride. Right now I am at the Cookie Lady’s Bike House, I think I remember her offering this as a place for cyclists to sleep while on the TransAmerica route back as far as 1976. It is now filled with memorabilia from cyclists passing through.

After a nice hearty breakfast followed by coffee I packed and set off for Palmyra, VA. It is much cooler today and the 47 mile to my sleep stop was comfortable.

Rest time!

It was nice to see the sun and dry skies. After breakfast I strung a line to hang all my wet gear. The sun, warmth, and wind dried everything while Nancy and I took the doggies on a walk to Lake Anna and did some birding. I used this day to clean and make minor adjustments to my fenders.

Today I rode through some Civil War battlefields while enjoying perfect riding weather on low traffic roads with history of the past. It feels like June and it’s superb.

I rode into Richmond by mistake and ended up at the Robert E. Lee headquarters so the extra miles were a bonus that I would not have had.

It began misting early on and before reaching Nancy and the Teapot the rain came pouring down and soaking me. Feeling the cold it was good to be through riding and inside.

I left camp in Newport News and rode to the Victory Monument in Yorktown, VA. This added seven miles, but the ride was a good warmup. After taking a few photos, I followed the route west. The parkways are great to ride, with low traffic. I rode through the streets of Williamsburg and headed to Christiansburg. This is when I started thinking about food and a place to pitch a tent for the night.

At the only convenience store in town, I ate a meal of corn dogs and ice cream. I also bought chili and peach cobbler for dinner at camp. While I was there, a man asked where I was going, and this started a long, pleasant conversation and an offer to stay the night at his place. He is in the process of opening an Airbnb. We swapped contact information, but I missed the turn, and when I realized my mistake I decided to continue to a wilderness campsite instead of turning back.

Camp is set up, I’ve eaten, and now it’s time to wind down for the night, as I need to be out of camp by eight AM.

Waking up in Kiptopeke State Park, I began with breakfast and coffee, then moved supplies around so my bike, Ms. Eve R. Green, could fit into the car for the drive across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to Newport News for the last night before heading west.

Our campsite is very nice and quiet within a small loop surrounded by woods. Nancy took the dogs for a walk as I rearranged my bags to more easily find items and to lighten and balance the load. Determining necessary items and finding the best arrangement for my bags will continue to be a learning curve as the days go by.

Today was my last day riding with CK. He is now home and tomorrow I will cross the bay and head to Yorktown, VA to start my journey west. We slept in a motel the night before: it had been a long day riding 76 miles, and there were no camping options. Sleeping inside is not close to the peaceful deep rest and the cool fresh air of a night in a tent.

The low traffic, rolling country roads were quiet and scenic. We carried our lunch to eat in a field midway through the day. We stopped at the edge of a field to heat up beef stew, and this fueled us to our meeting with Nancy at Kiptopeke State Park and to CK’s end of his tour. Those first five days were precious and I’ll carry the memories with me for all of my tour.

On Friday morning we packed up and left Cape Henlopen for Assateague Island. The day started cold with some wind, but not as severe as the day before. It warmed up nicely, and we arrived at Nancy’s campsite in time to set up tents before enjoying a great home cooked meal in the Teapot.

Friday night was cold, but with less wind than the previous night, and we had some shelter in the brush. Saturday morning I warmed my hands by the cook stove while waiting for the water to boil for coffee—a comforting feeling on a cold morning. The route to Onley, VA was nice; cinder trails and quiet country roads that meandered through trees and along fields. This was a long day—76miles. CK and I are now relaxing in a comfy motel room waiting for dinner delivery. The luxury of comfort!