Day 17...Footprints

There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself.  ~John Gregory Brown

The past few weeks my heart has been heavy waiting to hear each day from my dear friend Ali about how her father was doing. Mr. McJunkin (Ali's dad) has been battling with cancer for over 18 months and had, time after time, beaten the odds to live another day, another week, another month, another year, beyond what the doctor's expected. The last time I saw Mr. McJunkin was at Ali's wedding last July. He wasn't supposed to have lived that long and that was over 14 months ago. He walked his daughter down the isle and danced the night away with his wife and family. I can still see him smiling. 

I met Mr. McJunkin in the fall of 1992, when Ali and I both began our sophomore year at The Lawrenceville prep school. I remember Mr. McJunkin's enchanting enthusiasm, humble wisdom and contagious spirit. Mr. McJunkin became an integral part of my time at Lawrenceville and, for as long as I've known Ali (20 years), he has been more than a father to Ali, he has been her best friend. 

Today, 50 miles into the ride, I received a message from Ali saying her father had passed. It took my breath away and I was overwhelmed with grief. I pulled over on the side of the road with a heavy chest and took a moment of silence for the loss of a great man.  

Mr. McJunkin + Ali in the late 1970's

It is with deepest respect and indescribable sorrow that I write this blog today in honor of Mr. Thomas McJunkin and his amazing family.  Love to you all. 

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Route 11, TN

Today we rode 64 miles from Mooresburg, TN to Karns, TN. 

Day 16...1,000 miles and goin'

This morning was warm and dry. We headed out eager to finally get out of Virginia and break the 1,000 mile mark! With the help of google maps + a road atlas, we changed our bike route slightly to bypass Kentucky and, instead, we passed into Tennessee.

State: Tennessee
Capital: Nashville
Nickname: Volunteer State
Population 5.6 million.

Cherokee Lake
Mooresburg, TN

About 20 miles into our ride and just shy of the 1,000 mile mark....BAM, my front wheel popped and I got my fist flat of the ride. Hey, no big deal. I would be thrilled if I only got a flat every 1,000 miles! After a quick inner tube change and tire check we were back on the road. It was warm today and, by mile 60, the sun and heat had definitely fatigued me.

Jim greeted us on his bike at mile 65 and, together, we all road into Mooresburg, TN. After a good stretch and a shower (in the RV) we had a nice meal at a local restaurant called The Country Corner.

Dinner with a view in Mooresburg, TN

83 miles in the saddle today. 1,060 miles down! Tomorrow we will pass through Knoxville, home to The University of Tennessee. Another hot + sunny day is expected. Time to hydrate!

Day 15...Let it Roll

Foggy Morning in Damascus, VA

I never thought I’d say this, but today’s 60 mile ride was a breeze. I woke up sore and very apprehensive about how I would perform today after feeling so beat up yesterday.  The day started off quite cool with a dense fog hovering over Wytheville.  We took off up Route 11 and shivered our way for the next 60 minutes until the sun finally burned her way through the fog. Arm warmers off then shortly leg warmers came off.  Surprisingly, we both felt great.

We made a quick stop for lunch and took off again and, before we knew it, rolled into Damascus, VA. We took our bikes directly to a local bike shop for a tune up. We met some great characters in the store who were kind, funny and generous. Jim met us there. He had found a campground a few miles out of town and brought the jeep, a change of clothes and the laundry.

We ate a fantastic meal at the Whistle Pig Café, got the laundry done and shot back to the RV at  Mount Rogers camp ground for a shower and a look at the maps.  977 miles down. Tomorrow, we will leave the state of VA and enter Tennessee! Yee Haw!

Close up of 1 brick

Brick side walk in Damascus
Part of the Appalachian Trail!

Bike Store in Damascus

Post delay. We are fine just no gps service in Damascus!!

Day 14...Just keep pedaling

Start of Day 14

Today was supposed to be an easy day with an estimated cycling distance of 50 miles and no tough climbs. HA!!! Well, we ended up riding 60 miles and faced more than a few steep, steep climbs. I'm not going to lie, today was tough. I was very fatigued. So was Kevin. We grunted our way through each mile and focused on keeping the pedals and odometer movin'.  At least it was another dry, sunny day, 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. We rode from Christiansburg, VA to Wytheville, VA. Along the way we passed a stray cow that escaped from a paddock, an array of barking dogs, Virginia Tech, many halloween-themed houses and an endless stretch of mountains hugging us on either side.  We met up with Jim and the RV at around 3:30pm. We found a wonderful community center in Wytheville and went for a swim, soaked in the hot tub then took a long hot shower before a yummy lentil soup meal. I'm tired and will sleep well for sure.

Cow on the loose!

Halloween House

Cruising by VTech

DAY 13...Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

We woke a little late this morning...7:15am! Must have been fatigued from the climbing yesterday. I rose from bed gingerly and, as expected, felt the sting of soreness radiate through my quads. Desperately my muscles were trying to tell my brain to STAY IN BED... and do NOT RIDE. Ha ha. Fat chance!

The morning was brisk. 38 degrees! We layered up but knew it was likely we would be stripping some layers once we warmed up and the outside temperature rose. Despite my soreness, once I started pedaling I actually felt pretty good, much better than I did yesterday morning! We cruised through the first 30 miles of rolling hills although hit a few "walls" of wind whipping in our face at about 20 mph. Something I think will become a theme once we starting heading due west.

We were hoping to come across another little restaurant for lunch but had no such luck. Chips, banana and soda for lunch. The temperature certainly did climb. Over 70 degrees. We tore off our leg/arm warmers and base layers, wrapped them around our waist, jammed them into jersey pockets and pedaled on. Tomorrow we must remember to bring a saddle bag to put clothes in! The afternoon was sunny and hot and the landscape was beautiful. We passed many farms and the roads were quiet (although the pavement was old and bumpy) and we hit some steep climbs. Finally, after mile 66 the roads became smooth and the hills were less abrupt, more rolling. We flew through the final 14 miles averaging about 18 mph. What a nice way to end the ride!

Today we rode 80 miles from Lexington, VA to Christianburg, VA. 860 miles in 13 days. Tomorrow Chip leaves us to head back to Long Island. We are sad to see him go. He was a great help and fun to be around. Thanks Chip!

Day 12.. The Grind...AKA The Blue Ridge Mountains! Ridin' to the sky!

Climbing up Blue Ridge!

Finally, the sun came out today! I woke up feeling sore and a bit apprehensive about what was ahead of us today...miles and miles of climbing UP The Blue Ridge Mountains. After a cup of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal, we hit the road. Slow and steady was our mantra today...and that's exactly what we did!

It took about 30 minutes of riding to warm up...which is how long it took us to get from the camp ground to the base of the mountains. Shift, shift, shift....big chain to small chain, shift, shift, shift. As any cyclist knows, sometimes the most tragic moment when riding up a steep climb is when you try to shift but find out that you are already in the easiest gear!

We climbed up about 5 miles to Skyline drive and began our journey mostly up (and sometimes down and across) The Blue Ridge Parkway for another 30 miles. 5,700 feet of climbing en total today. Shock to the system, although at least we had some "warm-up" hills in NJ and PA last week. After 35 miles of climbing and 5 miles of fast descent, we exited the Parkway and scooped down into the quaint town of Vesuvius, VA. We stumbled upon a great spot for lunch called Gertie's Country Store. What a cool place! Full of friendly people, including some cowboys, and good 'ol fashioned cookin'.

Gertie's

We filled our bellies and spent the next 20 post-prandial miles soft pedaling down South River Road and into Lexington, VA, home to two wonderful Universities (VMI + Washington+Lee).

Cruisin' down S. River Rd.
Along the railway

The sun shone on us all day and, although quite cool on top of the mountain, we were fully warmed up by the time we pulled up to the RV, 60 miles and 5+ hrs later. A good stretch in the warm sun (thanks Kev + Jim) followed by a hot shower and a yummy meal (thanks Chip!). Good night!