We took a 7-day bicycle trip in celebration of our 10th wedding anniversary. We began our trip on the New River Trail, a Rails-to-Trails in southwestern Virginia. We then traveled to Christiansburg, where we picked up the TransAmerica Trail, a route documented by Adventure Cycling. We followed that northeast to Rockfish Gap, then continued north on the Skyline Drive to Big Meadows. Mark’s parents picked us up there, and they, us and the kids did some sightseeing and family history wanderings in the Luray area.
Bicycling is really a wonderful way to travel! Not so slow as to be boring, not so fast as to miss everything. We could hear the birds, smell the flowers, feel the breeze. I summarize our trip this way: it was everything I dreamed and nothing I dreaded.
Those of you interested in planning a similar trip might be interested in this section. Click here.
| Fairly early in the morning, Mark’s father drove us to Galax with the bikes on a bike rack. Once in Galax, we got on the bikes and rode about four miles a very roundabout way to the Cliffview information center. |
The rangers there were reluctant to give us any information about how to get around the closed section of the trail, it was "too dangerous." Once we got through to them that our B&B was on the other side, that we had to get around whether they gave us the information or not, they pointed out the best route, saying "you’re adults, you’ll have to decide for yourselves." (We found later that the detour was not dangerous, in our opinion, for people accustomed to riding on roads. There wasn’t much room to ride, but there were hardly any cars, and the drivers were courteous.) We also got a map that had a lot of interesting historical facts about the area. It’s a good thing we got to the information center that afternoon, since it wasn’t open the next morning when we came through.
We ate dinner at a uninspired Chinese restaurant, looking forward to the culinary delights awaiting us later in the week. We loaded up on snack foods at a local convenience store for the bike trip. I was quickly discovering that Appalachian country isn’t known for its healthy food.
6.9 miles in 37 minutes, 11.1 mph average, 34.9 mph maximum
The New River Trail is wonderful! The surface is cinder, like an old-fashioned running track, with occasional rocky spots. The terrain is almost completely level, except for a slight uphill grade near the north end. The views of the river were best on the Fries branch, although it added eleven miles round-trip. Most of the trail is shaded, with trees branching all the way over the top. The wildflowers, butterflies, and birds were everywhere. We saw a turtle that had climbed all the way up the steep bank to lay her eggs. Mark ran over the tail end of a long black snake that was camouflaged perfectly on the black cinder, but it seemed unhurt as it slithered away. Mark took an entire roll of pictures during the day.
Click on each picture for an enlargement and complete caption.
We stopped at Shot Tower and actually climbed the steps to the top, although I regretted it later that evening. We were still another hour from a place to buy lunch, so we ate our snack crackers until some picnickers took pity and offered us some of their extra burgers and hotdogs. Bingo, we were rejuvenated! Mark paid for the heavy burger over the next hour, though.
The detour around the closed part of the trail between Lone Ash and Allisonia was hilly and it was getting pretty hot. No more shade out on the roads! I lagged way behind, the long day was getting to me. After getting back on the trail, we hit the only uphill grade, argh! I stopped and snacked and felt a lot better, but still tired. When we got off the trail at Draper to go to our B&B, I nearly cried at the sight of the big hill.
| At the Claytor Lake Homestead Inn B&B, we learned that the owners had left on a family emergency, leaving the woman in charge with no knowledge that we were supposed to have dinner there. She rolled with the punches wonderfully and went off to buy the necessary ingredients while we showered. The meal was huge and tasty, just what we needed. |
I was beginning to panic. I was exhausted, and this day’s route was flat! Sure, it was one of our longest days because of the extra miles to Fries, but how was I going to do the hills? We agreed that we would switch loads so that Mark would carry the heavier panniers the next day.
59.8 miles in 5:52, 10.2 mph average, 32.5 mph maximum
I awoke refreshed and amazed. My faith in the recuperative powers of the human body was restored on this trip. Although my legs were often slightly sore if I massaged them, I never lacked the energy to climb a hill in the morning. I think the mass quantities of food and copious sleep did the trick.
The required portion of today’s route was short--only 25-30 miles to Christiansburg, although the route was the most iffy. I just looked at my maps and picked the most promising back road route, hoping it wasn’t dirt or really busy. We went a few miles out of our way to Pulaski, so that we could say we rode every inch of the New River Trail (engineers are such goal-oriented people), then came back to our route to Christiansburg.
While filling our tires at a gas station, a truck driver told us that our chosen route was the best, although it was hard to tell if we were talking about the same road, since he kept calling it the wrong number. Beware of directions from locals unless they can show you on your maps! Also beware of filling your tires at gas stations, the compressors often won’t fill to 100 lbs. If you aren’t sure and are desperate, experiment with the front tire first. Find a service station or body shop, with air-powered tools.
This day we learned the power of drafting on short, steep, up and down hills. After a screamin’ descent, the back person would be coasting 20 yards up the next hill, while the front person was peddling like mad. All the way to Christiansburg, we traded off. The road was great, very little traffic. We saw a woodchuck or groundhog; we don’t know the difference, or are they the same? We desert people are out of our league.
Once we got to our B&B in Christiansburg, we left our panniers and went to lunch. We planned a side trip to Blacksburg, where Mark lived as a child while his father completed his doctorate at VPI, now called Virginia Tech. The proprietor of the B&B came and found us at lunch, having thought of another route to Blacksburg since we asked him his recommendation earlier. That’s service!
We took his recommendation to find the Huckleberry Trail, another Rails-to-Trails that eventually will link Christiansburg and Blacksburg. It was nasty getting out to it, traffic-wise, but wonderful on the trail. We found Mark’s childhood home and took some pictures. We logged over fifty miles, but some of it was unloaded. Still, I felt tremendously better that I had the day before, and was optimistic about being able to do the rest of the trip. I’m sure the Jacuzzi in our bathtub and the hot tub on the patio helped my attitude (and my tired back). |
Our initial exposure to the TransAmerica Trail was rather intimidating. I had to get off and push my bike up the hill coming back into Christiansburg, which was ridiculously steep. It was probably good to get that first push out the way, so that I wouldn’t feel obligated to avoid it the rest of the trip.
53.7 miles in 4:43, 11.4 mph average, 37.4 mph maximum
The first impression of the TransAmerica Trail was oh so wrong, the roads are perfect! The surface is great, traffic is minimal, and the terrain is as gradual as it could be on back roads. It was so quiet on these roads that you could hear your shoe laces hit your shoes as you pedaled.
We followed one river, then another as we made our way to Catawba, where we crossed the Appalachian Trail for the first of many times on this trip. We had lunch and bought our dinner ingredients at a little grocery store, the only place to get food we saw after leaving Christiansburg.
Both of us had one knee start to "twinge" that day, Mark’s left, my right. I say "twinge" because neither of us would have called it pain, but it was clearly not good.
The Wood’s Edge Guest Cottage was yet another incarnation of the Bed and Breakfast theme. Each B&B was different, much to our delight. Wood’s Edge is a detached guest house with a kitchen in a very secluded location. The breakfast was do-it-yourself, but all possible preparations were made ahead We just had to serve ourselves and bake the egg/sausage dish. This afforded us wonderful privacy as a change of pace. Sometimes its nice to have the proprietors or other guests to chat with, sometimes it gets old answering the same questions about bicycle travel. |
44.2 miles in 3:32, 12.5 mph average, 37.5 mph maximum
| After a quiet morning ride, we got off the TransAmerica Trail briefly to see Natural Bridge near Lexington. Highway 11 actually crosses the stone arch of Natural Bridge, so we rode over the bridge on the way there without even realizing it. The bridge itself is very impressive, but we found the tourist trap surrounding it to be nauseating. |
| In Lexington, we discovered the real folly of my not asking for in-town B&Bs. The Brierley Hill B&B was beautiful, had great views and wonderful proprietors, but it was out of town, all uphill. Our knees were really bothering us by then, and the hill was very steep. More pushing the bike. The proprietors drove us into town for dinner and later came to pick us up, but it might be too much to ask on a busier night. |
48 miles in 3:45, 12.4 mph average
This was our "day off", or primarily so. We did some sightseeing in Lexington until 2PM, then rode 20 miles to Steeles Tavern. This short jaunt allowed us to start the following day with the horrendous climb up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and ride only another 30 miles that day.
We saw Stonewall Jackson’s tomb, toured the Washington and Lee University’s Lee Chapel Museum (during commencement exercises), and the museum at Virginia Military Institute. All were well worth the time. The route to Steeles Tavern was a study in contrasts. Ten miles in the middle were as flat as a pancake, following a rippling river. The other ten miles were very hilly. The last 2 miles were very steep uphill, setting the stage for tomorrow. We babied our knees the whole ride, just riding along slowly. We met a large group of riders going towards Lexington, all dressed alike, spread out over the flat ten miles. We had heard a group from Yale was coming through, it must have been them.
25 miles in 2:48, 8.9 mph average, 34.5 mph maximum.
This day started with the climb I had been not-so-secretly dreading for several months. Near Vesuvius, the road climbs 2000 feet to the Blue Ridge Parkway at more than 12% grade in some places. We talked about it with several couples at breakfast (whined, perchance?), and Bland Franklin offered to drive us up, if it didn’t “defeat the whole purpose.” We waited until after breakfast to talk it over and agreed to accept on behalf of our knees. He took us up with the bikes in the trunk of his Crown Victoria. It took about 15 minutes, and saved us about 3 hours of pushing our bikes.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is an incredible bike road. We had it almost to ourselves, it is absolutely beautiful, and the hills were the perfect grade, at least in this section. Development is limited to very few National Park concessions, overlooks, and rest stops. Everyone there is a relaxed tourist, and the speed limit is 45 MPH (strictly enforced, from what I hear). I finally saw my first bluebird of the trip. Mountain laurel covered the hills, the smell of honeysuckle drifted on the breeze. The views were great, and would have been incredible without the cloud cover reducing visibility somewhat.
Our spirits were soaring all day, after we avoided the nastiest climb of the trip and spent the day in such lovely surroundings. As we descended steeply to our B&B in Afton, however, our spirits sank as fast as our elevation. The next day, our last of the trip, was a tough one. To start that day with an essentially unnecessary six mile climb was a blow to our collective psyche. It was a doable climb, but uphill all the same, and our knees were still bothering us. We asked the proprietor of the Looking Glass House B&B if we could get a ride up to the Skyline Drive the next morning, and she set up a ride with her daughter. Whew! It may be cheating, but we’re not overly macho, and it seemed like the best way to enjoy the last day of the trip.
On the descent to our B&B, we saw a bobcat run across the road. Having just had a close encounter with a bobcat in Tucson (see picture at the bottom of the 5/98 photos), we were very sure of what it was.
34.1 miles in 2:56, 11.6 mph average, 36.1 mph maximum
Even with a lift up to the Skyline Drive at Rockfish Gap, we climbed most of the morning to Loft Mountain. The grades were fine, easy peddling in low gear. It was cool and cloudy, threatening rain all morning, but we only got a light misting right before lunch. Again, it was bicycle heaven, with an even lower speed limit of 35 MPH and a not-to-scoff-at entrance fee. With the views reduced by the clouds, most tourists were staying away. I finally used all the cool weather and rain gear I had been dragging along the whole trip, but we were plenty comfortable. We saw lots of deer and frightened off an owl (sorry to wake you, but maybe you should sleep away from the road a ways!).
After lunch at Loft Mountain Wayside, we called Mark’s parents at the hotel in Luray to arrange pickup at Big Meadows. The weather was not the best, and it was supposed to get considerably worse in the afternoon.
| We made it to Lewis Mountain, only six miles from Big Meadows, before it started to rain. We started to be able to see our breath, not a good sign. It was getting cooler and the dew point was very high. Rain fell steadily for the rest of the trip. Fifteen minutes after arriving at Big Meadows, thick fog formed as the temperature fell below dew point. We could hardly see the parking lot, and we were relieved to make it to the end of our trip without having to contend with dangerous weather. |
54.1 miles in 5:29. 9.8 mph average, 33.7 mph maximum (almost broke the speed limit!)
Totals for trip: 325.8 miles in 29:05, 11.2 mph average
Click here.
Starting out
Turtle
Chestnut Creek trestle
New River
Tunnel
Iron Forge
Liberty Hall Ruins
Jackson's Grave
VMI Dormitory
Blue Ridge Parkway Overlook
Mountain Laurel
Appalachian Trail
Another AT crossing
Skyline Drive Overlook
Deer
Descent
Mark's view
Lewis Mountain
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