Rain, Hayter’s Gap, and Bike Church Hostel

It’s not goodbye, it’s see you later Damascus

I didn’t sleep well last night, I kept thinking about the hill we were warned about when leaving Damascus. I wish the caretaker of the hostel hadn’t told us the minute we got there on Wednesday about Hayters’s Gap, but I was just excited to get on the bike to take it down. We packed up early and headed to Mojo’s cafe as a slight rain fell upon us. We arrived before they opened, and were gracious when the doors opened by 7AM. We sat down and began journaling in wifi before we lost connection in the countryside. I was able to video chat with Liz again, which easily started my day off strong, along with a cup-o-joe. I secrectly snuck another donut into my bag for this morning, so I had something sweet to dunk into my coffee this morning. We reconnected with Trail Mix and Check-it one last time for a group photo. I sure will miss this gang.

The road out of Damascus wasn’t too bad, and suprisingly the rain was holding off for us. We popped on some music and were on our way. Eventually we made it to the beginning of Hayter’s Gap, which ended up being around 3 to 4 miles of steep climbing. We decided to tackle it separately so I could zone in with music. I kept telling myself, “okay, don’t expect the next bend to be the end” and tried to focus on a solid pedal stroke. About halfway through, the rain started. I threw on some rain gear, and got soaked up the rest of the hill. The down hill was generous to us, but I braked most of the time due to wet conditions. The view was stunning though, the geography reminded me of pictures of New Zealand, where large rocks are mixed into fields of green. The cows had more rolling pasture land than I’ve ever seen, and I noticed how lean their bodies were, for obvious reasons. The scenery was beautiful, it could have been some of the finest on this rainy day. We stumbled upon a biker hostel at a local church. We weren’t going to stop, but we noticed bikes hidden under the pavilion, so we pulled in to check out the party. Turns out we caught back up with Judy and Eric, Mike and Bill, and two new friends, Ecaterina and Frederick (sorry if I butchered the names). We decided a break would be perfect, especially with stocked shelves and free coffee. After chatting for a bit, I decided to stay here for the night and spend some time inside during the rain. Brian has a package about 50 miles away, so he pushed on another 20 miles to be closer for pick-up tomorrow.

Elk Methodist Church

I started drying off all my clothes in the heated vents. Sat down with a coffee, and talked for hours with the other cyclists. We shared a lovely meal and soon we were cleaning up and preparing for the next day. I was planning for an early start to catch up with Brian, so I wore all my biking gear to bed and made overnight oats again. It’s all about setting yourself up for success. I’m looking forward to crossing into Kentucky tomorrow, and crossing Virginia off the list. I hope to see my cyclist friends again!

Stats

Start: Damascus, VA End: Elk Garden United Methodist Church

Today’s mileage: 32ish Total: 530ish

Donuts: 9

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