Berea, KY to Christiansburg, VA

My dad woke up in heavy fog, so his tent was wet when packing. It lifted by 10:30 a.m. He rode through a town called Hazard, which was an appropriate name. My dad said it could have even been named Road Hazard. The roads had big potholes, lots of debris, and rumble strips that were had to see and all over the place. There were a lot of trucks and fast drivers going about 65 mph. On one road there were even rumble strips perpendicular to the lane, so there was no way to avoid them, which slowed my dad down. He stopped for the day in Hindman, Kentucky, at the Knott County Historical Society B&B Tent. This place was located on top of a really steep hill that my dad walked up since he had already rode 65 miles and didn't feel the need to ride anymore. When he got to the top, David, the guy who runs the place, had lemonade waiting for Dad. It was a sort of primitive place, but he was treated like a king. Bill ordered dinner from a restaurant in town. They brought it to him and David added a beer and baked potato topped with whipped cream and maple syrup, which my dad found delicious. They did his laundry, brought him a banana split for dessert, which was followed by brandy. He was even able to use their clothing line to dry all his stuff from the heavy fog the night before. He slept in a huge tent that he was able to stand in and slept 4 people on big air mattresses. It was the first time he slept in a tent like this.

In this case, what goes down, must go up.  Another climb coming.



The road to the lodging.


On Tuesday, my dad had a wonderful breakfast before heading out for the day. David told my dad how to avoid big hills by riding through a college campus, but that did not help him avoid a huge mile-long hill in the afternoon. My dad decided to just walk it. He took 50 steps and then rested. This area took forever to get through. The humidity and 90 degree heat in the afternoon didn't help. After 52 miles, he stopped at Lookout, Kentucky, and spent the night in a Baptist Center. He was a little anxious because he called ahead and none of the calls went through. The next place to sleep was far and it was getting late already. When he got there, the place was locked, but the locals said to just relax for a bit and the people running the place will be back. Sure enough, they returned and my dad slept on a tumbling mat placed on the basketball gym floor, another first for my dad. He had the place to himself and was able to cook dinner in their kitchen and had a comfortable night's sleep.

On the 22nd, Dad had set a personal record. He was chased by 5 dogs in 4 miles. There was lots of climbing in the mountains along the 45 miles to Council, Virginia, where he stayed at the William P. Harris Recreation Park. When he showed up, he didn't know what to do. The contact person didn't work there anymore, so the people who worked there just said he could camp wherever he wanted. He wanted to be out of the way and near a restroom, but it was closed. Luckily, they opened it up for him.


Entering Virginia.



Beautiful view.



Camping in a playground; how appropriate.

 On the 52-mile trek to Damascus, Virginia, there were 2 climbs greater than 1,000 feet high, which made for another tough day. At least it seemed hard. He can't remember if the Rockies were this hard, but he was struggling this day. My dad stayed at a hostel called The Place, run by Damascus United Methodist Church. It was a 2-story building where one just walks in and claims a bunk bed. No one is there to run the place. He logged into the guest book and paid his $5 fee in a secure box. These types of hostels are common along the trail, but this was another first for Dad to experience. It had a shower, kitchen, and signs on what to do. There were only two hikers there that night too, but the whole place could probably sleep 30 people.
On Friday, September 24th, Dad rode the first 11 miles along another rail-to-trail conversion called Virginia Creeper Trail, which was an easier way to ride another 1,000-foot pass because of the gentle slope, but the rough gravel and cinder surface made it tough in spots. In the afternoon, there were strong tailwinds, so instead of stopping at Rural Retreat like he originally planned, Dad rode on to Wytheville, Virginia, for a total of 62 miles. While in Rural Retreat, a man approached him while he was parking his bike by leaning it along the diner wall and debating on going to find ice cream in the diner or the gas station. The guy asked him about 2 Scottish cyclists my dad had seen. They chatted a bit and then my dad decided to go into the diner because the guy thought they had ice cream. Unfortunately, they didn't, so he headed over to the gas station. He got his ice cream, and as he was returning to his bike, the two Scottish guys were parking their bikes near my dad's bike. They talked for a few minutes before my dad headed out of the parking lot. It was kind of hard leaving because of the traffic and railroad tracks. By the time he got about a mile away, he realized that his computer that tracks his miles and speed was missing. He called the police officer listed on his map, but he wasn't working, so he called the Sheriff and they came to take a report before Dad went on his way.



The road less traveled.



The New River in Virginia.  Nobody will tell Dad where the Old River is.



Men working on the Virginia Creeper Trail.



The Virginia Creeper Trail is also part of major hiking trails.

On Saturday, Bill rode another 62 miles to Christiansburg, Virginia. Over the last several days, Dad has seen many Bicycle Route 76 signs. They actually use them in Virginia, so he doesn't need his maps as much, and it is much easier to navigate, which is helpful since he doesn't have his computer to help him out. Also, the leaves are falling, but they don't have the brilliant color one would find in the northeast. Still, he finds the leaf showers neat. During lunch, my dad got a call from the Sheriff to tell him his computer has been found. Dad was too far away for the computer to be brought to him, so it will be mailed home. In Radford, there are two bike shops, so Dad bought the same model computer as the one he had at one of the bike stores. He checked into a budget motel at the end of the day and will take a rest day on Sunday. He finds he loses about 20 psi of pressure every week, so one thing he will be doing is pumping up his tires, along with laundry and other rest day activities.