Day 28 - Elkins, WV to Harrisonburg, VA

Virginia... the last state on the itinerary! It wasn't easy getting here though. We climbed over ridge after ridge of the Appalachian Mountains to get here... 106 miles and just about 10,000 feet of climbing. The weather was great, albeit cool and foggy in the morning. Relatively low humidity and winds that weren't an influence on the ride either way. The last and perhaps most onerous climb was to the Virginia border at mile 82. The descent from there was fantastic as we flew down the twisting, turning highway before a more gradual descent through the George Washington National Forest.

We started out this morning in cool morning air with fog that made the temperatures uncomfortable during the first couple descents. I was glad that I chose to put on a base layer and some arm warmers. We went down the road from our motel about a quarter mile, took a right turn and started climbing. Not the most knee-friendly way to start the day after yesterday's effort. I made good time on the first climb. Towards the top I decided to get off the shoulder, which was crumbling in places and had some loose gravel. Unfortunately, one of the other riders noted the same thing, but crashed when his wheel slipped on the lip between the shoulder and the concrete surface of the highway. I was ahead of him at the time, but others stopped to help and make sure he was fit to ride. I think he was lucky that he fell so quickly, because he didn't have time to put his hand out, which is the way most collarbones get broken. He got some scrapes and bruises on his face, arm, and hip, but he finished the day and is in good spirits. We've come too far not to finish now, so I'm sure he'll be back on the bike tomorrow.

We saw a lot of caution signs for trucks regarding the climbs and especially the descents. I think the steep grade warning signs are perhaps the most welcome signs for cyclists, since it means we've completed the climb and are ready for some fun and the descent. The roads today, except for the shoulder mentioned earlier and a few stretches of the one lane road, were smooth and clean, which meant we could open it up a bit on the downhills. The twists and turns were enough to keep my top speed 42 mph, but it was fun to coast for 3 to 5 miles at a stretch. Lon told us the other night that during his cross country tandem record run with his friend Pete, the rider in back could actually catch a small nap on the descents in West Virginia. I'm not sure I'd be able to nap even if I trusted the guy in front!


One of the best parts of the day was a diversion off the main road onto a small one lane rural blacktop. It took us up and around a number of farms on the way to the small town of Riverton, where I realized I had a slow leak from my rear tube. I should have changed the tire last night, but I was intent on getting through the trip on the same pair or tires. Well... I pumped it up twice, but eventually had to change the tube. A small wire had penetrated the tire and had pin pricked the tube. With the climb out of the German Valley, most of the weight was on the rear tire, so I had to change it. I changed the tire at the sag stop at the top of the climb. the picture to the right is off Paul and Stan climbing up one of the hills on the one lane blacktop.

I took a picture of the farmhouse in the first picture below because the scene looked interesting. I didn't realize at the time that I'd see the same farmhouse from a different vantage point at the German Valley Overlook. After changing the tire... I had someone take my picture. When I saw the photos tonight in the motel, I realized that the picture of me with the valley below shows the same farmhouse in the other picture. Look towards the upper right hand corner... I think that's pretty cool.
The climb to the Virginia border would have been hard any day, but after 27 days or riding and numerous climbs already today (and a belly full of lunch) it was a challenge. The road surface was good and drivers were, for the most part, courteous. Switchbacks are fun on a descent because they provide an opportunity to hone your bike handling skills. On a climb, switchbacks are cruel, because they give you the opportunity to look up and see how far you have to go, at least until the next turn. The first picture is the view of the road above as I approached one of the switchbacks on the climb to the border. The next picture is a view of the mountains to the west as I stopped along the climb for a photo and a breather. Then, there's me at the welcome to Virginia sign, and finally a picture of the road as it straightened out after the twisting descent and took us gradually down through the George Washington National Forest.