Day 61 – Awestruck!

By Mark Heggestad
Today may have been one of the most physically demanding days so far.  And today may have been one of the most gratifying days so far.  I biked 66.1 miles today from the Kentucky/Virginia border to Meadowview, VA.  I had planned to bike further but the mountains of Appalachia were physically exhausting.  I’m not calling them hills anymore – they challenge me more than the mountains of the western states so I’m calling them mountains.

Within the first hour of biking today, I climbed over 1,500 feet.  Total elevation climbed today was 6,480 feet today, marking the second time I have exceeded 6,000 feet (first time was two days ago).  This also marks the sixth day in a row I have climbed more than 5,000 feet.  When we started this journey I thought the western mountains were challenging.  Back then some of the climbs would be in the range of 500 to 2,500 feet.    But the steepness was mild compared to now (usually in the 4% to 7% range and rarely above 8%).  Also, once we topped the summit it was usually a long ride down with a plateau at the bottom.  Now the climbs are not as long, but they come fast and furious.  The elevations today ranged up to over 1,400 feet.  And the steepness has increased significantly.  The 1,400 foot climb rarely dropped below 7% and got as highs at 14%.  I had to stop for a breather several times on my way up that one.

So what made today one of the most gratifying days so far?  One, I love the challenge of climbing.  Two, the scenery is extraordinary.  Three, there was no stress.

There was no stress today.  I was on the same road most of the day, so navigation was easy.  No encounters with dogs.  Most of the time the road had light traffic, and Virginia drivers are very courteous.  The one thing that could have been stressful was the weather.  Rain and thunderstorms were forecasted and some pretty dark clouds followed me around most of the day.  Jill took all the stress out of that situation by always being within ten miles of me.  So I knew that if I got stuck in bad weather she would be there to bail me out.  Also, because she stuck close it was great to be constantly refueled and see a friendly face frequently over the course of the day.

And finally, the beauty of this area!

This bike route takes me on roads I would never consider driving if I were touring the area.  For example, today I traveled state highway 80 almost all day.  Most of it is a narrow two lane with no shoulder, and lightly traveled.  It is way off the beaten path.  All of today’s drive was beautiful, but there was one segment just east of Rosedale, VA that may have been the most stunning segment of this journey.  It was the longest climb of the day.  It is a narrow road, full of hairpin turns.  Few drivers are on the road – just a couple locals.  They can’t drive much over twenty miles per hour due to the narrowness of the road, the hairpin curves, the steep and long drop-off on the side of the road, and the heavy foliage that comes right up to the road.  But the views are stunning.  The foliage is so lush and green it is hard to see very deep into the woods.  When there is an opening one can see for miles across beautiful tree covered hills.  Because Jill stuck close to me all day, she drove this segment of the road.  Although she had to white knuckle through some of the driving, she describes it as breathtaking.  She was awestruck!  I agree completely.  If you took away everything else about this journey, the beauty of today’s ride alone would make it all worthwhile.

Typical scenery from today and roads biked today.









Comments

  1. UnknownJune 30, 2017 at 9:36 PM

    No dogs today but I did see a bear! I was driving a couple miles ahead of Mark and a black bear ran across the road in front of me. I texted Mark but fortunately it was gone by the time he rode past.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownJuly 4, 2017 at 1:03 PM

      Holy Hannah! I'd say fortunately it was gone by the time he rode past in case it acted like the wild dogs!!

      Delete

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