DAY 62: Rosedale to Damascus (and a bit of Tennessee): "This place is a veritable middle-schooler's paradise"

July 30, 2016

DAILY STATS

Mileage: 42.58

Average Speed: 11.8 mph

Maximum Speed: 28.8 mph

Over the past couple of days, I've passed by the following towns and geographic formations: Big A Mountain, Knob Lick, and Elkbutt Knob, to name just a few. Well today, after pedaling to Damascus, I took a little jaunt south into Tennessee just to bike around Butt Mountain. Yes, that's right. Here I am, a 22 year old biking across the country, and still I find names like Butt Mountain capable of inducing laughter.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. It was a wonderful day to be biking. In fact, today may have been my favorite day on the road. I left around 8:30, and the clouds were low in the mountain valleys, slowly weaving their way through and around hills and farmland. It was also beautifully cool out, and every few minutes the rain would start to fall ever-so lightly. I was loving it.

I climbed Hayters Gap, a climb that is oft-spoken of by cyclists. I loved it. That's not to say I didn't work to get up it. By the summit I was sweating buckets, in spite of the lovely tenperatures.

I exist now in only two forms: pleasantly moist, or disgustingly, devastatingly drenched in sweat, grime, and sunscreen. Sometimes I have to laugh at how much liquid my body is pumping out...

The descent was an absolute blast, with hairpin turns, fleeting passes of fog, and no traffic. The rest of the day's ride was starkly different, with gently rolling hills through rural countryside. I was in Damascus by 12pm.

After settling in at Crazy Larry's Hostel, I packed a quick lunch and my rain jacket and headed south into Tennessee.

I only went a few miles into the state, but I enjoyed my snacks besides a beautiful river and saw an awesome natural rock arch, through which the local road passed.

I turned back after a few miles and spent the rest of the afternoon in town. I'm getting stir-crazy with these short riding days, but because my end date is set, I can't get too far ahead. So, I read, blog, go on walks, and look ahead at what is coming up. Tomorrow I'll take the Virginia Creeper Trail out of town (instead of the main route), largely to avoid three dogs I've been warned of. I'll then hop back onto the route and make my way to Troutville, a (ridiculous) 20 mile ride. I guess it's better to have this problem than the opposite!

Today's ride: 43 miles (69 km)
Total: 4,028 miles (6,482 km)

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