Aug 28-29 on the TransAm

Wesley dropped us off near Natural Bridge, VA. It was a quick ride on the interstate and it saved us a lot of hills, but it left us plenty to climb. In fact, you’re not going to believe it, but we set a new record for accumulated elevation gain in one day: 5610 ft! Our previous record was around 4700 in Missouri, but Monday took the cake. If Wesley had not driven us to Natural Bridge I believe we would’ve easily reached 6500 ft. 

Needless to say the 70 mile ride was tough. The hills were relentless both before and after the big climb out of Vesuvius up onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. The 4 mile climb up to the Parkway was so bad that one lady who wrote a book on cycling the TransAm said it was the longest climb at that steep a grade on the entire route! I think I believe her… 

Once we got up onto it we rode 28 miles along the iconic Blue Ridge Parkway. It was very pretty we enjoyed some great views overlooking the lower landscapes. When we got to the top of the big climb, around 3300 ft, we stopped and I high-fived the boys for reaching the last of our high elevations. Once we descended off the Parkway into Afton, the mountains and passes of the TransAm were officially all behind us. A good number of hills remained, but the there were no more big climbs to deal with. It’s hard to believe we’ve come this far. 

We reached Afton by 5:00 and ended up passing the Cookie Lady’s house. I’d seen pictures of it on others’ blogs and we passed some houses that looked like it, but, not seeing a sign of any sort, we rode on. We were on a steep downhill and we were just about to turn onto another, so I stopped at a church/post office. The last thing we wanted to do is go back up that hill if we’d passed it. I knocked on the church door hoping to find someone there who could direct us. No answer. Suddenly a postal worker came out of the post office attached to the church. “Are you guys all set or do you need anything? Water? Bathroom?” “Water would be great. Thank you. And can you tell me where the Cookie Lady’s house is?” “Yes, it’s right there. You just passed it.” I was so glad we didn’t turn down onto the next long hill. 

The Cookie Lady was named June Curry. She opened her home to the thousands of cyclists who rode the TransAm in 1976 and offered them cookies and water. If you were westbound, her house sat near the bottom of the long climb up to the Parkway. If you were eastbound, like us, she was the welcome respite after an even more brutal climb up from Vesuvius. June passed away in 2012 but the lady who purchased the home and rents out the upper level has left the basement apartment as it is and leaves it open as an unmanned bike hostel. The walls are literally covered with all sorts of cycling and TransAm memorabilia that have been pinned up since 1976. It’s like a museum in there. 

We got to the house by 5:00 and started looking for dinner. The nearest restaurants were in Waynesboro, over 6 miles away–uphill. Not an option. So we ordered pizza from Waynesboro and they delivered it to us. Just before we settled down for the night I heard from Charlie Brown. We’d been playing phone tag since Saturday, though we did get a chance to chat Sunday night. I’d called Charlie’s church in Mineral, VA (Laurel Hill Baptist Church) asking for lodging for Tuesday night. His pastor had passed the request on to him and he’d called me Saturday. When we finally spoke on Sunday he said he couldn’t authorize us to stay in the church but would make some calls and see what he could come up with. He called Monday night to say that we’d be staying at his house. The only catch is he lived in Bumpass, about 14 miles further than Mineral. That meant turning an expected 82 mile day into a 96 mile day. Ninety-six long miles of hills after a tough day coming into Afton. It would not be easy. 

Aug 29

I woke up at 6:00 and could hear the pounding of rain outside. Tony had told me rain was coming our way. Guess this was it. I checked the weather forecast and it looked like it might let up by mid-morning. After breakfast (leftover pizza) we put on our raingear and hit the trail by 7:15. The rain was heavy, making our ride precarious. Not having any shoulders, we’re directly in the traffic and the downhills are tricky with all the potholes, cracks in the road, and even leaves. The ride was long and wet. We rode 96 miles to Charlie’s house and it rained the whole way. We were soaked through and through. The only respite we had was a stop for lunch in Palmyra at First Run Cafe. The service was nice and the food was excellent, which made for a nice break. We had over 40 miles to go afterwards but it was nice to dry out a little. 

Charlie’s house was 2 miles off route and we arrived at 5:45. He lives with his wife in a beautiful home on Lake Anna. They welcomed us with big hugs and showed us to our quarters downstairs. We enjoyed blessed fellowship around the table as we broke great together both for dinner and breakfast. Once again, we felt like family. We invited the Browns up to visit the Cape and they invited us back home to Bumpass, VA. This will be another hard place to leave… 

Today we ride 80 or so miles to Glendale, a little farther than originally planned, to stay at the United Methodist Church there. 

Thanks for praying and thanks for following. 

Until next time… 🙂