June 9, 2024
Three Big Hills and Two Nasty Dog - Elk Garden to Breaks Interstate Park
Lights went out at 9 last night. Before turning in I raided the fridge for a small frozen Salisbury steak dinner. This was after I ate a bowl of beef soup and downed an Italian sub. Gimme protein or gimme death.
In the morning, after eating some prefab oatmeal, I hit the road, headed north to Honaker by way of Rosedale on rolling roads.
I saw some trash along the roadside after Rosedale. I counted five syringes. I’m in Demon Copperhead country where the despairs of daily life are eased by a shot of death.
In Honaker, I stopped at a GSCS for second breakfast: a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit, a day old banana, and some chocolate milk. It was a good thing too because I had the lame idea that today would be flat-ish until the finish.
After Honaker, I encountered a 1,000-foot crusher of a hill. No worries. I biked what I could and walked the steep part in the middle. Peter from LA caught and passed me. After the hill I enjoyed a fun downhill, followed by a good 16 miles of relative flat roads.
I saw a fairly large ranch house down the hill to the left of the road. Two boxers sensed my approach and started barking. Then they started running. No way they are going to run up a 100-foot hill on a 1,000-foot driveway.
Way.
They came after me barking up a storm, one on each side. I tried to use my air horn but had trouble getting it to work. The alpha dog was at my left, a foot from my pedal. The beta dog was just off my right rear pannier. I sped up and started yelling maniacally, think Fay Wray in King Kong.
Alpha dog backed off momentarily, then came after me again. I swerved at him trying to hit him with my front left pannier while accelerating up a mild grade.
Thankfully the dogs lost interest after the longest 30 seconds of my life. I don’t think that they would have bit me, but you never know.
I resolved to stay more vigilant in the future. I’m also going to put some stones in the concave dent in the top of my handlebar bag.
In Davenport I stopped at a grocery store. There was Peter having a nosh and having his ear bent by a local man. As soon as he was finished with his sandwich, he took off. Can't blame him. I followed with neither the intention nor the physical capability of catching him. He’s way too fast.
Ahead await today’s main event: three short, steep hills in rapid succession.
Hill number 1 was just outside Haysi. It was well over 10 percent in spots. I rode about 3/4ths of it, pushing The Mule for the rest. After an entertaining descent came hill number 2. I climbed it without stopping. Dang. Hill number 3 put the hurt in me. I walked the steep bits.
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I was expecting the entrance to Breaks Interstate Park to be a few miles beyond the summit but it was to my left just before the peak, a couple of miles early. Happy face. The road to the lodge where I am staying was laughably steep. I hoofed it.
I arrived at 1. My room wasn’t ready so I had me some all-you-can eat Sunday buffet. One man with an enormous belly demonstrated amazing skill at balancing fried chicken on a plate. His gluttony kind of turned me off of the chicken so I had pot roast instead. And green beans. And a roll with butter, and a big salad on a separate plate. There was fruit salad and ice cream for desert. So good!
After lunch my room was ready. It’s huge. It has a balcony in the trees. It has a hot shower, my first since Whytheville. Life is good.
Tomorrow will be brutal. With no places to stay, I have to ride 70 miles to Hindman. (There used to be a bike hostel in Pippa Passes but it is now closed.) Five climbs. Easily the most challenging day yet.
Today's ride: 43 miles (69 km)
Total: 742 miles (1,194 km)
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