May 17, 2006
Day 7: Mallard to Troutville: Joy gets fed up with marketing
The ride to Lexington in the morning was a nice warm up to the day. I didn't rush because I needed the library and figured it wouldn't open until 9. I spent an hour doing email and putting up the cookie lady day--I may need to figure out a better system. This typing and picture uploading is taking a lot of time, but I really didn't like Pocketmail (couldn't type on it), so I'm writing my entries and typing them at libraries. It wouldn't be so bad except that I tend to write quite a bit. Oh well--I'll figure something out.
Stayed in Lexington until after 11 doing the library thing and getting a sandwich and looking at some of the history of the place, then I headed off route on 11 toward Natural bridge, which I had heard was cool. I wasn't going to go because it seems overmarketed (brochures everywhere I stop), but it's so close to the route and so highly recommended by former TransAm-er Mike Riscica that I thought I'd detour that way. Stopped at a cute little market on the way and picked up some fruit for the road, bypassing the pork brains and country hams and wishing I could strap a watermelon on my bike for later.
On 11, I started passing some tourist-y things that had warned me that this was probably just an over-developed area lining someone's pockets with the money of tourists. When I got to the natural bridge area, I was a little bitter about how much $ they wanted just to go see this "natural wonder", but I hadn't ridden all that way NOT to see it, so I coughed up my dough and went in. It was totally not worth the $--no secure bike parking area and a condescending girl selling tickets. The bus loads of children leaving the area probably didn't help my attitude.
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However, the detour was worth it for one monumental piece of Americana...FoamHenge. Yes, Foamhenge. A life-sized replica of Stonehenge in 400 pound blocks of styrofoam. It was one of those places you are inexplicably drawn to but ashamed to be seen at.
So you can understand why Natural Bridge was such a let-down after Foamhenge. After leaving the bridge, I got back on the route and headed to Buchanan, where Cristey had been hours before me. I'd told her I was trying to reach Troutville for the night, and they have free camping, so I knew C. would be down for that, but by Buchanan, I was getting tired and it was headed toward late afternoon. I stopped at a soda fountain/pharmacy there and got a coke float (no pepsi--sigh). The pharmacist offered to give me a ride so I could catch up with Cristey and Dave (a rider riding to raise $ for MS who had passed me earlier), but I said that wouldn't be RIDING across America. He said he'd never tell, and I'm sure he's the type who would have dropped me off a mile from town just to make it look like I rode in. I thanked him for the offer, but pedaled on my way.
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It took a dose of my sweet Pepsi to get to Troutville, but I pulled in sometime after 6 and about 2 minutes before a downpour. I guess the guys who help at the Park had gone out looking for me in their truck after Cristey and Dave told them I wasn't in for the night yet. They were trying to save me from the rain, I guess. But I'm water resistant--I'd have been ok. Wet, but ok.
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So I'm sleeping on a table in a pavilion tonight, trying out my tyvek as a bivy of sorts. There's a train track that runs right on the other side of the fence in the park, so we're expecting to be waken up a couple of times. That's one thing I'll remember about Virginia--the trains.
Off to Radford tomorrow to stay with a family that hosts bikers in their home.
5:45:06, 8.8 avg, 50.75 mi
Today's ride: 51 miles (82 km)
Total: 312 miles (502 km)
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