Day 11: Meadowview to Breaks; It Just Keeps Getting Tougher

May 16, 2015

Meadowview, VA (Methodist Church pavilion) to Breaks, VA (Gateway Motel)

(Note to readers regarding the elevation profiles; the profile is calculated from Point "A" on the map to Point "B" on the map. Since I am traveling east to west on the first half of this transcontinental journey, my route of travel is usually shown on the map as being from right to left. However, the elevation profile is shown from left to right, so it must be "reversed" in your head to understand it.)

(Note added much later; today was the hardest climbing day I would experience between the Atlantic and the Rocky Mountains. It may be the hardest climbing day of the entire transcontinental crossing, but I don't know that yet; as of the time of this note I have only ridden a small portion of the eastern half of the continent.)

Climbing Today; 4934 ft -- Total So Far; 29,959 ft

Hayters Gap is a gap in the mountains that settlers passed through. But for me, it's the road up the mountain that captures my attention. This climb is tougher than the Blue Ridge ascent. It's 3.7 miles at a grade that averages 8 - 10%; it's a steep hill by anyone's measure, with a total elevation gain of about 1500 feet. My bike and gear weigh about 100 pounds, despite the fact that I have mailed home 2 packages totaling about 5 pounds. Oh, and I weigh about 225 pounds, bringing the total I have to cart uphill at around 325 pounds. So I'm anxious to get this bad boy done while the morn is still cool. Here's the view shortly after I set out:

And an ominous sign as I began the climb;

Yes, It Was a "Rough" Road but the Pavement was Fine

It was hard. But I simply stopped on occasion and rested a wee bit and continued. I made it!

If you are wondering how I can do a selfie with my DSLR, I simply set it up on a miniature tripod and use the 12-second delay feature to get in the picture after I press the shutter.

I moved on to Rosedale and had to get a shot of this cyclist hostel;

I had a honeybun in Rosedale. The ACA map noted a restaurant there, but it turned out to be a pizza shop that was closed. One quickly learns not to rely on the maps and to keep a backup supply of food and water - but sometimes you may consume your backup food/water and really be empty. I still had to climb Council hill later today, and it was just as steep as Hayters Gap but it was "only" a 1000 foot climb. As I headed up another hill, I tired and took a quick break and Wesley passed by.

There's a reason many touring cyclists fly a small U.S. flag on the rear. When you get into Kentucky and Missouri, the people there are, uh - different. The thought is that while they may not respect a cyclist, they will give reverence to the flag and treat that particular cyclist with care. Whether it's true or not, Wesley is the 2nd cyclist I have seen sporting a U.S. flag, and both were doing it for that reason.

Approaching the climb before Council, I came upon this sign of an Indian atrocity;

I kind of think that we eventually managed to out-atrocity the red man. We killed them, stole their land, and broke many treaties. But hey, that's just history. The road is always going up, and I have to still climb Council and cycle another 45 miles today.

"May the Road Rise up to Greet You." It Did Indeed.

Clearing Council Hill, I cycled on and lunched in Haysi at a convenience store with a subway and chicken place; I had a plate of chicken livers covered in onions, potatoes, and macaroni. This would be my "real meal" for the day. Then I struggled on towards Breaks, encountering several other steep but not as tall hills. Seeing Breaks Interstate Park meant that I was close to my destination for the night.

And here's an overlook I passed as I skirted the edge of the park in route to the Gateway Motel, my home for the night.

The Gateway Motel found me falling into a bit of a dark funk. The motel was clean, but the internet was non-operative. They used a satellite connection and it was "out." And the motel was situated between 2 ridges such that cell phones were intermittent at best - I managed to connect with my wife briefly by walking out to the edge of the parking lot, but each time I did the signal was dropped within a minute. And what drove me even lower into this funk was that I couldn't figure out where I was going to stay the next night; the hostel I was considering was a bad number when I called, and other options were simply too far for me. I was beat down from 3 hard days of hill climbing and camping itself takes a toll. For the first time since I started, I wondered if I had made a big mistake. I was really down...

Today's ride: 66 miles (106 km)
Total: 588 miles (946 km)

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