Warwick in Virginia, Mountain Mamas, and an Interrupted Booty Call

Day: 5 (Charlottesville, VA to Reeds Gap, VA)
Average Speed: 7.7 MPH (mountain)
Miles Cycled Today: 34.4
Miles Cycled Total: 237
Mood: Confident

Cool Little Windmill on the Lawn of Last Night's Host

For those of you watching my miles per day (as well as my average speed) go down and down, hold off before collecting your winnings on betting against me. Today is the most confident I've been yet. There are a couple reasons I didn't get that far today:

Beautiful Downtown Charlottesville

1) My congenial hosts for last night, Carolyn and her husband, Rob Lowe (I swear this guy looked just like Rob Lowe... I'm a straight male and I had difficulty looking away), warned me that I'd never want to leave Charlottesville once I'd seen it. They were right. My favorite local town near me is Warwick, NY, and Charlottesville is Warwick on crack. I meandered through the town this morning, had breakfast, and did a load of laundry at the local laundromat. Today's plan was only to make it to Afton, which is a short trip, so that I'd be fresh for hitting the Blue Ridge tomorrow. So, in other words, I purposely got a late start. 

2) I reached Afton before 3 PM (way too early to stop), and just decided to keep on going. This is my first major climb of this journey, and knowing I was already past my destination for the day, I was in no hurry and took lots of breaks. Here's something I never thought I'd say though: The climb felt GREAT. Sure I might have been moving anywhere from 3-5 mph for long stretches, but there was nothing miserable about it. I had been fearing this leg of Virginia since I started. Ain't no big thang!

The Arrow Represents What I Biked Today

The climb to the town of Afton itself, however, is extremely steep, and when I got to the top, I nearly fell off the bike into the Post Office parking lot. And this is how I met Kay- one of Afton's post masters. She was headed toward her truck to stock some mail, saw me, and shouted "WE GOTTA A CODE 76 HERE... I REPEAT CODE 76!" (The bike route I'm on is 76). Kay outwitted me at every turn. "Y'all get on in to the post office, honey, and get y'self some A/C. I'll get these here water bottles and I'd hug ya' but ya' look disgusting." She continued to pontificate as she filled up my water bottles: "I think y'all are crazy bikin' this mountain in this heat. Does your mother know about this? I couldn't bike 40 feet in this kinda weather." I told her that most people consider it mind over matter and she zinged me with "It's menopause over matter for me!" Her goodbye line as she got back in her truck was "Yer gonna weigh all of 5 pounds by the time you get out there!"

 I told her I'd be happy if I just lost my man-boobs. 

Scenic Overlook #1... A Far Cry from the Top

Here's a tip for anyone who's passing a scenic overlook and is hungry or thirsty: put on a bright orange shirt and a biking helmet, and wait. Every car that stopped wanted to either feed me or fill up my water bottles. One tourist asked if I would like a fresh peach that she picked earlier in the day. My eyes lit up. Food tastes so good to me now. All of it. Even dusty granola bars, but this peach... this damn peach... I will never forget it. When cycling uphill, I go into "uphill mode" where nothing really hurts and I can keep at it no problem as long as I think about only one thing. Usually the thing I think about is "ONE... MORE... PEDAL..." which I say over and over again sort of rhythmically. But after this rest stop, I replayed myself eating that peach. It made me smile. This one thought carried me through to the next scenic overlook. That lady will never know how important that peach was. 

Scenic Overlook #2... Where the Freeloading Continued

But more ladies were willing to play pseudo-mom ahead. 

One pulled into the next overlook solely for the purpose of giving me an ice cold bottle of water. I accepted. Another offered me a granola bar. I accepted. Yet another offered me a ride to the top. I declined. 

If you ever doubt such thing as kindness in strangers... hop on a bike. The occasional honks from cars are few and far between. Generosity and hospitality, on the other hand, are abundant. 

Everyone is your momma on the mountain. (Even Frank, the guy who offered me a soda and great conversation about traveling). 

BUT... there is one problem on the Blue Ridge: there ain't no place to really stay. Knowing I had no host tonight is both liberating and nerve-wracking. Liberating because I had no deadline to meet, but nerve-wracking because I have no idea where I'm going to wind up.

I found this cool little picnic area around 6 PM. There was a sign that clearly said, "No Camping in the Picnic Area" and a Park Ranger car nearby. But I wasn't sure if I was technically in the no-no area or not, so I decided to wait by the ranger car to ask. I still had plenty of time to forge ahead if I wasn't allowed.

 Waiting to Sweet Talk the Ranger

But I waited. And waited. And waited.  And while I was waiting, I watched the sun going down. Uh oh. If this guy says no... I'm in trouble. 

Renee and Mike

While waiting, I met Renee and Mike. Renee is a very free spirit indeed, and claims to be the great niece of the legendary Cookie Lady of Afton. She gave me sound advice: "Get out of that bright orange shirt and sneak a camp away from that car!" No sooner had she said that when the ranger finally appeared. And I asked him. And he shook his head. NO. But then he pulled me to the other side of his car, and spoke in hushed tones lest Renee and Mike heard something:

Creepy Service Road that is the Basis for Horror Stories

 (looking nervously from side to side and speaking out of the corner of his mouth) "There's a service road just outside the gate that leads up to a meadow where we have a utility shed. Promise me you won't touch anything and you won't leave anything behind... no one will bother you there."

Scouts honor.

Just before driving away, he very casually added, "By the way, a grown adult male was attacked by a bobcat around here yesterday. That's where I've been for the last two hours. Looking for it."

Sweet Dreams!

My "Stealth" Campsite Tonight... Hosted by Mosquitoes

Renee asked if I would like to join her and Mike for dinner. While I was tempted, I wanted to set up camp before the sun went down for good. Also, Mike was silent. He clearly was looking to get some action, and I wasn't part of the plan. 

I have no food sans a granola bar or two. One more bottle of water. No shower.

And I couldn't feel better. 

Re-think those bets, folks. I'm doing this. 

P.S.

Jesus uses a flip phone...

...And does his laundry just like the rest of us.