Day 11

Today's Route: GPS Tracks

I didn't really think I was going to die, but this admittedly far fetched thought did cross my mind today. First off, there were the dogs. I sprinted away from no fewer than three surely rabid mongrels. The Appalachia mountain people apparently aren't shooting at strangers any longer, or dropping stones on them from bridges, but a remarkable number of them leave their dogs untethered. Serendipitously, rear panniers turn out to be excellent protection against dogs trying to sink their teeth into one's leg. Dog ownership rates appear to be at least as high as in Hoboken - by this I mean seemingly every household has a dog - except that mountain people tend to have several dogs. Then there was the cold and the heavy rain. I'm prepared for rain. I'm prepared for cold. But for the sole reason my gloves aren't waterproof, I'm not prepared for both. I can ride w/ wet warm hands, but cold wet hands = fingers that don't work well. It got so bad I couldn't switch gears w/o using my entire hand, and when I finally found a place to stop for lunch (read: warm up and figure out how to get to my hotel), I literally couldn't hold my sandwich. In addition to the dogs, and the cold, and the rain, there was the unexpected three mile dirt road into unknown mountains, the GPS that indicated I was not on a road, the iphone with no reception when I needed it most, the unfamiliar rural poverty, and the general sense that green minded bicyclists pedaling from NYC to San Francisco are not embraced in the heart of coal country. All these factors contributed to a heightened level of anxiety.

Yet, when I did stop for lunch, I met and spoke with two very amicable coal miners. I even admitted to being in the renewable energy business. They politely and somewhat jokingly suggested I keep that info close to the chest. Coal drives this region. Hazard, where I stayed the night, has an annual Black Gold festival featuring prizes for best coal truck. The pizza place I went to for dinner had dozens of pictures on the wall, featuring generations of family and friends working in the mines. Mangled mountains, their tops sheered off to cheaply extract coal, are abundant. Coal dropped from overloaded trucks litters the streets, and falls from exposed seams alongside the road. Coal mining is not just a livelihood for people in this area, it's central to the region's culture.

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Day 10

Today's Route: GPS Tracks

Stayed in Marion, VA last night, an unremarkable town, at least what I saw of it. Ate at an unremarkable Mexican place across the street from my unremarkable hotel. Felt strong on the bike except for the last 10 or so miles, in part because the wind wasn't fighting me and in part because many of the grades were not too steep - kinda like riding out west - despite nearly 7,000' of elevation gain. It was a welcome change from yesterday. I also enjoyed coffee and a lunch break at Zazzy's, my kinda coffee shop, located in the historic town of Abingdon.

The day went well until the end, starting with a brutal climb in the rain, off of 58 Alt into Wise, where I snapped a few pics of UVA Wise. I thought the ride was over when I arrived at the Best Western and tried to book a room. No vacancy. Who would have figured? The hotel was filled with w/ construction workers. Turns out the area is thriving, in large part because of the *huge* (585 MW) coal fired power plant being built down the road. Interestingly, for me at least, this coal plant will be capable of using biomass (wood) for up to 20% of it's fuel. I booked a room over the phone at the Super 8 (this trip's lodging strategy: clean room + low rate), and got fantastically lost getting there. Google was about 5 miles off re: the hotel's location. Ended the day w/ a few beers and a pleasant conversation with the bartender at the otherwise deserted Inn at Norton bar. 

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Day 9

Today's Tracks: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/31276079

I knew there would be good and bad days; this was not one of the better ones. No major problems, just relentless 20+ MPH winds out of the south west, pushing against me all day. Between the wind and 4,000 (my Garmin) - 4,800 (Dan's Garmin) feet of vertical gain, I earned every mile. The sidewalks of the two towns possessing little storefronts along their main streets, Wytheville and Pulaski, were nearly completely devoid of people. Had a snack in a pleasant park in downtown Pulaski. Ate lunch on the lawn beside the Food Lion parking lot in Wytheville, thinking 'shouldn't I be biking through Europe instead'? I understand Obama was in the region giving a eulogy for the twenty nine miners recently killed in the Massey Energy mine, rightly honoring their contribution to our nation. 

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Day 8

Today's tracks: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/31125330?sms_ss=email 

Weird: there's a Ruby Tuesday's and Waffle House restaurant right next to my hotel, again. I ate at a Ruby Tuesdays last night for the first time, and ate at the one next to my hotel in Christiansburg on Saturday night. Waffle House this AM for breakfast (3 eggs, toast, grits: ~$4,00...I kid you not); and tomorrow too since there's one just next door. Today's ride: rode to Christiansburg, VA from Lexington, home of VMI and Washington & Lee, and a town graced by many blocks of lovely homes. The ride was interesting, dangerous, & tiring. I stumbled across a Civil War re-enactment in Buchanan, a cute town. I'm not sure who was dressed more strangely, the Rebels in Civil War regalia, or me in my spandex. The people were quite friendly to this Yankee. I figured eating regional cuisine should be part of the journey, so I ate corn fritters for the first and probably last time in my life. Can't say they tasted terrible, but I'm not much into fried food or creamed corn. Corn on the cob, adulterated only with a little butter and salt, cannot be improved upon. Encountered two asshole drivers today, one nearly asleep at the wheel and the other I swear was trying to get scare me for the sport of it. He succeeded only in arousing mild anger. My left Achilles tendon was sore for the first 1/2 of the ride, then mostly okay for the 2nd half. It seems to be getting better. :). Enjoyed speaking to Matt at Ruby Tuesday's, a real estate investor, and to a smart, strong army cryptographer who seems to seems to posses great emotional intelligence. Oh, and I scared a squirrel nearly out of its skin coming 'round a corner on my bike. This squirrel jumped vertically several feet into the air; never seen anything like it...

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Day 7

The Ride: The Blue Ridge Mountains kicked my ass, but I survived! Starting off with a completely inadequate breakfast and a sore Achilles didn't help. Did a little work in the AM, and left 'round 9:30. Getting lost for the first time (on this trip), added about 15 miles to my day's ride. The vistas from the Blue Ridge Parkway are among the most beautiful in the country, and the roadway was nearly devoid of cars. It was a memorable ride. Oh, and bikers outnumbered motorists by a seemingly substantial margin. I've never before encountered so many happy bikers, many of whom cheered me and my panniers on. :) This biker was happy - giddy, indeed - when he finally reached Rt 56, from which my descent into Lexington began.

Nutrition: Having eaten too little for breakfast, I was hoping to load up on lunch. No such luck. No restaurants, so I relied on the dried fruit and nuts I bought at The Farmer's Wife, plus Hammer and Gu liquid nutrients. I also had a mega dinner at Ruby Tuesday's - where I now sit, at the bar, writing this post. My typical food snobbery does me no good out here, and as much as I hate to admit it, Ruby's ain't bad. The salad bar is downright excellent. I had a burger & fries (gasp...I strayed from my vegetarian preference), two heaping plates of salad bar fare (beats, apple salad, cottage cheese w/ fruit, potatoes!), 30 oz of beer, and a blondie w/ ice cream. Normally I'm only into the beer & salad bar fare. The sacrifices I'll make to avoid shedding weight knows no bounds!

Health: The soreness in my Achilles tendon got worse yesterday, but didn't hurt much when I woke up this morning. Oddly, it hurt quite a bit walking "home" after yesterday's long lunch + beers. Seems to hurt when I use it, so I was *worried* about riding, especially since I had many thousands of feet of elevation gain to conquer. I did a little research the night before. I was afraid I might have a partial tear, which would be a huge problem. It seems I have tendinitis, though, which is far preferable to a tear. Within about ten miles I settled into a routine of pointing my left toe down, which relieved the pressure on my tendon. By the end of the ride I was using my left leg all but normally, with just slight pain. Though I have a noticeable bump about 1/2 up my Achilles, I'm somewhat confident after today's ride that it will not materially delay my progress to SF.

Today's Tracks: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/31008368?sms_ss=email

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Day 6

Many friends keep telling me not to rush to SF...to smell the roses along the way. I guess they know I can be goal orientated to a fault, and might might end up exhausting myself if the only trip objective is to complete it. Charlottesville seemed like a great place to take their sage advice to heart. Lovely town and home of UVA, Thomas Jefferson's university. I managed to find a balance between alleviating my anxiety about making a dent in the work, emails, etc that were piling up all week, and enjoying the town. I strolled The Lawn, then did a typical work thing: went to a coffee shop and fired up my laptop. Had an enjoyable lunch at the 12th St Tap House. Was happy to meet two good dudes, John - who recently moved to C'ville w/ his wife, and Emmanuel, a triathlete and excellent bartender. Also took my bike to the shop to tweak the skipping chain, get a new rear tire, etc. Ended the day at a crummy Mexican restaurant that morphed into a karaoke bar before I called it a night.

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Day 5

I started off Tuesday worried about getting started early, going the distance from DC to Charlottesville, and the weather. Started pedaling 'round 8:30, later than I'd hoped. It began raining almost immediately, heavily much of the morning before tapering off 'round 1ish. My waterproof Ortlieb panniers performed flawlessly, as did my Gore-Tex clothing. Rain will no longer worry me! :) Wind is the real enemy, though I haven't had to fight strong headwinds yet. I had a pleasant lunch at The Farmer's Wife in Remington, VA. Nice shop. Lots of 'whole foods' - dried fruit, nuts & the like. Welcome serendipity as I'd all but exhausted the supply of pecans & raisins my mother gave me. Fixed my first flat of the trip shortly before arriving in C'ville 'round 7, excited about eating, and chillin' in town on Thurs. Given almost all my training was limited to 30 mile rides, I'm relieved that my body's holding up. Aside from a slightly sore left Achilles - must have pulled too hard accelerating from one of my *many* navigation stops yesterday - and some still minor chafing, I feel like I can ride 100 miles / day no problem. That will make keeping up w/ work, email, etc, a challenge, though. Oh, and I had an enjoyable night and a few good beers at Mellow Mushroom, though I was wishing for the company of friends!


Day 5's Garmin tracks:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/30867261?sms_ss=email

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