The Cookie Lady

Breakfast of Champions

I woke up from what felt like eternity of rest. I didn’t wake up once, and I probably could have slept for the whole day being in a bed. Fortunately, Brian was waking up around 6AM, which gave us an hour of getting situated before breakfast. Linda offered to prepare breakfast, and breakfast preparation she did. Scrambled eggs, local sausage patties, coffee, and coffee cake. I realized halfway in that my hands were shaking from being too caffeinated, but I couldn’t resist its warmth only this rainy morning. Our plans weren’t to leave until 9 AMish until the rain passed, which ended up being perfect for more conversation with Linda and bag work. Eventually, we said our goodbyes with a couple picture and hugs, and we were on our way to Charlottesville in cloudy, humid conditions.

Late afternoon

After a breakfast like that, I was feeling good. We rolled some vast fields of bright green land, vineyards, cattle, and ranches. When you’re lucky enough to have back roads, you can rely on the paper map. The GPS route is super helpful in cities or when several turns occur, but luckily in Virginia the trail is directed by 76 signs and a bike. The 76 indicates the year the route was officially created, and last year commemorates 40 years of thousands of bikers riding the route. Really wonderful history here.

Charlottesville

The ride into Cville was pretty miserable, especially right as you enter the major city. A nice, steep hill on a busy road was the final stretch until we reached our lunch spot, Wegman’s. That’s right, I’m always finding my way back to Wegman’s. But who wouldn’t with free wifi, A/C, comfy couches, water refill, and some old coworkers. The best part of all, it briefly rained the minute we were settled in. Just like any other day, I housed food. I would take a bite of two tortillas and then a heaping spoonful of peanut butter. Of course, then came the donut. I wish Wegman’s was everywhere; it was hard to leave this comfort behind.

Here come the mountains

The hills are a bit more frequent now being only 1 day away from climbing Shenandoah. I felt strong on the hills, but the real test will be tomorrow. Brian pointed out something interested about riding, and that’s if you notice a stream at the end of a downhill, you know you’re going right back up. Yeah, now I don’t ever like seeing streams unless in the streamers on Ken Hales bike. The land was outright gorgeous. Everything is green. The humidity died down a bit once we approached the mountains, but I was just too excited seeing mountains in the distance. We apparently stopped at a small town convenience store that many cyclists frequent. A friendly stranger took interest in our quest, and told us her own stories of seeing bikers over the years.

Cookie Lady House

Our end goal was Afton, home of the Cookie Lady House. I would recommend googling June Curry, and reading how amazing she was, and in many ways still is to cyclists. For decades, June took in cyclists and provided shelter and care. Most notably, she prepared fresh home-made cookies for her guests, hence the name. Unfortanely, June has since passed, but her memory will forever remain. Her home is literally filled with THOUSANDS of postcards and memorabilia, and has been guessed that we’ll over 10,000 riders have stayed here. It’s awe inspiring. Brian sent a card back in ’97, which we found hanging on the wall. The pictures don’t even do it justice, just look it up online. It’s worth your time.

Stats

Start: Palmyra, VA Finish: Afton, VA

Day 4’s mileage: 58ish Total mileage: 235ish

Donut Tracker:3

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