Fincastle, Virginia, to Vesuvius, Virginia -- 62 miles

We woke at 6:30 am and started riding at 7:45 am. The route wound along misty, rolling hills. We stopped in Buchanan for breakfast at Burger King. The route had several turns but paralleled the interstate highway for several miles. We stopped in Lexington and walked around Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery. We saw Stonewall Jackson’s burial monument as well as the monuments of many other confederate soldiers and officers. We spoke to Randolph Harrison – he said that this town is the center of adoration of Confederate heroes such as Jackson and Lee. His dad wanted him to go to Virginia Military Institute, but his friend said he wouldn’t have lasted an hour there! The freshmen of VMI all wear red shorts and experience a week of insults and being yelled at. 

We stopped at a convenience store, and on our way out, we saw a bat hanging on the brick front in broad daylight. We hoped no one would bother him. We rode up the wrong road by mistake – it turned hilly, windy and gravel-covered, then abruptly ended at someone’s house. We turned around and got directions from DOT workers to get back on route. In the town of Vesuvius, we stopped at Gertie’s Store – when we walked in, the owner said, “Want something to eat? You’ve come to the right place!” We had great turkey subs, chips, and home fries. We talked to some locals about directions for tomorrow. When we were leaving the store, the owner said enthusiastically, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll fill you up again!” We began the very steep climb up the mountain to the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was at least a 10% grade. Lorraine was screaming because it was the steepest climb of the whole trip. After about two miles of climbing, we arrived at the Tye River Gap Campground. It was a beautiful setting. We did some laundry before calling it a night.