Charlottesville, Virginia, to Ruckersville, Virginia -- 17 miles

We woke at 6:30 am and were out by 7:15 am. We biked out to Route 734, the road we were taking north to Ruckersville. The route would have been fine except that it was rush hour and there was a procession of cars that kept us on guard. After a certain point, the traffic trailed off to almost nothing and we could once again relax and take in the beautiful scenery. The hills were rolling, and the landscape alternated between pasture and farm to wooded forest. 

We were going off route today to see Lenny’s godfather and his wife. Lorraine had asked Lenny a few days before if he knew where in Virginia his godfather (Tony Zarillo) lived. He said he didn’t know but would find out and called his dad. His dad was delighted, as Tony is his closest and dearest friend. Lenny told Tony if we arrived on Friday, we would only be able to visit for a couple hours as our schedule was tight. We came to a home where the owner was outside and asked where Cordelia Drive was. He told us and we arrived at 9:30 am on their doorstep! 

Tony and his wife thought we were coming on motorcycles, not bicycles, and were amazed that we made it across the country. We had breakfast of eggs, toast, fries, bacon and ham. We talked for some time and then Tony convinced us to stay overnight. We could tell it meant a lot to them, so we agreed. Besides, it was nice to get a break from pedaling! We asked them to take us down Route 33 tomorrow to get us back to the route. We would miss about 35 miles of the TransAm and pick up the route in Mineral. Tony is 87 years old, and his wife Louise is 71. Tony has known Lenny’s dad for more than 75 years. He affectionately calls Lenny’s dad “Lenny-boy” and started calling Lenny the same. Louise has two daughters by a previous marriage, Dale and Karen. They also have a daughter, Roseanne, who was born just about 6 months after Lenny. She came by the previous day to meet us, as there was confusion as to when we would be there. Tony and Louise have been married for 47 years. 

Tony took a nap in the middle of the day, so we took the opportunity to rest, catch up on the journal and watch TV. Their kitty Lara was very upset by our presence, and when Lorraine tried to pet her, she scratched and hissed at us! We had a delicious dinner of ravioli and meatballs. Later, we sat on the back porch and talked. To our surprise, Tony ordered Domino’s Pizza at 9 pm, then we listened to some Jewish and Italian comedians on their record player. We went off to bed at about 10:30 pm.

Vesuvius, Virginia, to Charlottesville, Virginia -- 61 miles

We woke at 7 am and began biking at 8:15 am. We climbed the remaining very steep 2 miles to reach the Blue Ridge Parkway. The terrain on the Blue Ridge Parkway consisted of long, slow uphill climbs and long, gradual downhill coasting. Surprisingly, there was very little traffic, which made the riding more enjoyable. We stopped at several scenic overlooks to take in the views and to take photos. We met Kevin Yates from Atlanta who was biking the Northern Tier route to New York City and then continuing from Washington DC down to Atlanta. He was trying to catch up with some bikers who had a Winnebago sag wagon; he said they shared great food with him, so he wanted to continue feeding on the gravy train!

As we got off the Parkway, we stopped at a regional visitors’ center to get a Charlottesville-area map and directions to Ruckersville. Lenny’s godfather, who he hasn’t seen in more than 30 years, lives there, about 20 miles north of Charlottesville, so we were planning to take a detour and visit him. We stopped in Afton to visit June Curry, the legendary “cookie lady,” but she had gone out for groceries, so we missed her! We went off the route to take a more direct road, and spoke to Dave in the town of Crozet. Lenny told him more about straight chiropractic and about our trip.

When we began riding on US 250, we decided it was too busy with cars, so we turned back onto a smaller road. At an intersection, we met Jim and the boys, who told us which back roads to take to get into town. The roads were still busy with commuter traffic. We stopped at Vinny’s Italian Restaurant for dinner. The food was mediocre and expensive. Lenny picked up a FedEx package with more brochures, which Karen had sent to a local motel. We checked in and relaxed for the evening.

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.

Christianburg, Virginia, to Fincastle, Virginia -- 59 miles

We woke at 6:15 am and packed up camp. We spoke to Leonard Keegan and Michael Washburn, men in the military who were taking a 4-day trip on their Harleys. They rode from Alabama to Pennsylvania in 2 days, which they said is called hard riding. They laughed and said it doesn’t seem so hard compared to what you two are doing!

We began biking at 7:45 am. After we left town, the route turned to winding country roads. We stopped in the town of Ellet to get food and use the phone. Lenny was taking lots of pictures of the scenery. The rolling hills were steep in some spots, but fun to ride past the countryside. We ate lunch in Catawba, and Lorraine had ice cream. Lenny called and made arrangements to meet his godfather on either Thursday evening or Friday morning. We stopped in Troutville to buy groceries, and ate dinner at Greenwoods Restaurant. Lenny had roasted 1/2 chicken and Lorraine had crab cakes. We camped at Camp Bethel, a beautiful secluded spot for kids and groups that also accommodates individual campers. We heard a strange noise outside our tent, like an irate duck, and when Lenny looked outside, it turned out to be a squirrel in the tree above. We guessed that he was protesting our presence! There was a group of developmentally disabled campers in one of the nearby buildings. They were outside enjoying a campfire, and we could hear them carrying on until way after dark!

Wytheville, Virginia, to Christianburg, Virginia -- 57 miles

We woke at 7 am and began biking at 8 am. We had gone off the route to get to the Motel 6, so now we had to figure out how to get back. The locals directed us to a service road that ran beside the highway. As we rode down a hill on the service road, the shoulder changed from asphalt to gravel. As Lorraine rode over the gravel, the bike fishtailed and then slid to the ground. Lorraine grabbed the guardrail and managed to avoid falling. She was upset by the near fall and wasn’t sure we were heading in the right direction. We spoke to a couple of men in an auto garage and they pointed us in the right direction. The road we were looking for had no name on our map, and it turned out that it was called Lovers Lane. We were tickled by that! It was a hilly back road that headed north and put us back on the route. We stopped at McDonald’s for breakfast. 

The roads ahead were mostly rolling hills, with some steep climbs like we’ve been warned about! Lenny stopped at post offices along the way to send back more film. Just past the town of Newburn, a 12-year-old boy shouted to us, “Where are you coming from?” and when we told him, he said, “Oregon!!!” then asked “Where are you going to?” and when we answered, he said, “New Jersey!!! Jeeez!!!” We stopped in Christianburg to get groceries, then had a buffet dinner at the Country Cooking restaurant. We camped at the Interstate RV Park and listened to the sounds of the highway all night long. The cool, breezy weather in the evening was wonderful for a change!

Rosedale, Virginia, to Wytheville, Virginia -- 70 miles

We woke at 6 am and started biking at 7:15 am. We said goodbye to Rich and prepared for the ascent of Clinch Mountain. It turned out to be 2 miles up and 4 miles down – we were expecting a longer climb! We took the recommended shortcut on Route 11 North to bypass the hills around Damascus and cut about 25 miles off the trip (today’s route was actually 95 miles). We stopped in Chilhowie and ate our lunch on benches in front of a store. The road varied between 2- and 4-lanes, with local traffic and gently rolling hills.

We stopped at Williams Orchards to buy fruit and talked to the owners about our trip. We crossed the 4,000 mile mark today – less than 1,000 miles to get home! In Wytheville, we stayed at the Motel 6 and had dinner at Bob Evans restaurant. We considered buying a whole pie for dessert tonight and breakfast tomorrow but controlled ourselves and just had one slice each of raspberry and coconut custard pie. Around 8 pm, the wind was blowing like crazy and rain was coming down in sheets. Lorraine was glad that we didn’t camp tonight!

Elkhorn City, Kentucky, to Rosedale, Virginia -- 49 miles

We woke at 5:45 am and began biking at 7:00 am. We started the day with two steep climbs around Breaks Interstate Park. This park is called “the Grand Canyon of the South” – we stopped at a few scenic lookouts to see the river gorge below and take photos. 

In Haysi, at the service station at the bottom of the hill, we met Rich Jirsa again. He told us about a shortcut that would save us about 30 miles tomorrow, and much mountain climbing. The locals warned us about one more steep climb ahead called “Big A Mountain.” In Birchleaf, Lenny stopped to go to the post office, and in Davenport, we rested and ate our lunch. Past Council, we went over Big A Mountain – about 3 miles of steep climbing. From the top, there were beautiful views of the valley below. Past Honaker, the shoulder turned to gravel and traffic increased. 

We reached Rosedale and ate dinner at the Oaks Restaurant. Lenny and Lorraine both had pork chops. The portions were too small for our big appetites. Afterwards, we continued on to the Elk Garden United Methodist Church hostel, which was another 2 miles down the road. The shoulder narrowed to 6 inches and traffic was whizzing past at 70 mph – we walked our bikes on the grass for 1.5 miles. The church is always left unlocked – bikers can stay for free and use the kitchen as well. There is a log book, where bikers can write messages, tips, and shortcuts for other cross-country riders! We left a donation for the church. Rich Jirsa was also staying there. We chatted about our experiences and the people we had met on the trip. We slept on the plush carpet in the sanctuary.