Wow....we have put in some tough miles the last three days. We have pushed fairly hard lately, wanting to get Kentucky finished and our last state started. The climbs have been pretty strenuous. Because we are all three in very good shape right now, we recover quickly, but the climbs could have been real tough had we started east to west. The roads are crazy through this stretch. Very steep hills, blind corners, no shoulders, and rough roads are the norm. Luckily, in the stretches that have had very heavy traffic, we have had a shoulder. The only problem with Kentucky, is that the highway department takes the area which cyclists can ride (the shoulder) and puts a rumble strip down the center of it. We have met cyclists going the other way that asked us if that is the norm in all states. So, evidently we won't have to worry about that in Virginia. Man, that sounds good......Virginia.
We should make Virginia tomorrow in the first 2 hours of riding or so. We are staying tonight in Pikeville and tomorrow in a church in Rosedale, Virginia. It sounds as if the church just keeps its doors unlocked and cyclists are free to come inside and throw a sleeping bag on the floor or camp outside. If it has air conditioning, I will be inside.
Doing a ride like this, you tend to pick out little points along the way that serve as small goals to break up the hugeness of the trip. In the west, there were some mountain passes that were a couple of days away that got you excited when you went up and over them. Getting to Pueblo was a big one because we finally starting east. We have all had the goal of getting Kentucky finished. But, personally, all I have thought about for the last three days is the climb up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. This is the last climb of any magnitude and, even though I would not call it 215 downhill miles to the ocean, it consists of only bumps on the route elevation profile. That climbs begins in around 340 miles....the countdown begins.
Nathan and Anna are still doing great. They have been awesome on this trip. For the last couple of weeks they have been sitting in a van for 6 hours a day, waiting to get to our lodging for the night. That would be tough for any kid.....not ours. Lately, our destinations have had pools, so they at least had something to do when we got to the hotel. That would not be the case tonight. But, it has dawned on Nathan that he has plans to run cross-country in the fall...and he needs to get into shape. So, he went with Kim and ran stairs in the hallway of the hotel for 30 minutes today. If he hangs with her for the rest of the trip, he should be ready to go when we get back.
Well....Papa Johns just showed up at our door. Gotta go. See you tomorrow in VIRGINIA!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
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