May 22, 2013
To Waynesboro
The closest we'll get to a rest day
Thinking back on the previous day's steep 2000' drop down busy highway 60, we decided it didn't make too much sense to retrace our route seven miles back and up to the parkway just to drop off it again at Waynesboro. Instead, we improvised a lowland alternative and treated ourselves to a bit of a rest day. The route we chose proved to be delightful: we first backtracked a mile or so to the turnoff to route 608 and then followed it north along the banks of the South River.
The South River calls for a brief geography lesson. This South River is a tiny affair (20 miles long in all) that rises below the Blue Ridge Parkway and merges into the Maury River near Buena Vista, bound eventually for the James River and Chesapeake Bay. When we arrived in Waynesboro at the end of the day, Jim (our host at the terrific Speckled Trout Inn) surprised us when he spoke of fly fishing on the South River that flows through Waynesboro. That would be a different South River though. The Waynesboro version flows northward, empties into the Shenandoah, then the Potomac, and eventually emptying surprisingly enough also in Chesapeake Bay.
I have no idea why Virginia has two South Rivers originating within about 10 miles of each other, one flowing north, one flowing south, both eventually emptying into Chesapeake Bay. But it's interesting.
This morning's South River makes a lovely setting for a bike ride; and in fact we were surprised to find out that it is on the TransAmerica Trail. Along its few short miles we saw more cycle tourists heading for Oregon than cars. The commercial highlight for the day was our lunch stop at Gertie's Country Store in Vesuvius. Gertie's little establishment has a great deli but what really distinguishes it is its walls and ceiling. The entire interior is densely covered with appreciative guest comments and signatures. It looks like nearly every cyclist passing through here for the last 30 years must have left a mark. If it ever shuts down, Adventure Cycling Association should buy it up and convert it into a cycle touring museum.
After Vesuvius we parted ways with the South River and headed north for the South River and Waynesboro. We were slowed down a bit by a brief but significant rainstorm, waiting it out huddled beneath a line of conifer trees beside the road. This was just a vanguard for the real action though, and later in the evening we barely made it back to the inn after dinner before an impressive thunderstorm arrived, soaked the town and rumbled into the night.
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Today's ride: 45 miles (72 km)
Total: 325 miles (523 km)
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