Day 1 -- Charlottesville to Harrisonburg -- 65 miles -- It's in the Books

Everything we expected and more.  

The ride out of Charlottesville was uneventful.  Early Sunday morning, not much traffic or activity.  Breakfast was at the hotel.  We loaded at 7:00 (6:00 for most of you).  

Once out of town, the countryside was beautiful.  Homes are, generally, large.  Not many farms on today's route but did see a few corn fields, smaller than Midwest fields.  The greenness of the area really strikes me too.  Given that it's August I expected everything to be brown from the heat.

It was warmer and more humid than yesterday, so we were able to start out in sleeves and shorts this morning.  It was raining within 30 minutes and rained off and on for about 20 miles. But temps stayed in the 80's, so was comfortable all day.

The roads are quiet and tree lined.  Pavement is good.  The secondary roads are narrow. Support vans aren't always able to follow, so they go around and come in to meet us.  Photo opportunities aren't frequently available as there's no shoulder and no where to stop.  Maybe they call that motivation to keep moving!

Roads are so narrow, we actually had a hairpin climb today.  I have no idea how any car would make the turn.  Yes, we have been rural at times, but then you ride under the interstate!

30 miles to the sag stop.  In the Quad Cities that would take a little over two hours.  Well, today was a little different -- three hours!

The last four miles was the epic climb of the day.  It was full of switchbacks.  I have no idea on the grade, but you know when you have to stand up in granny gear to keep from falling over that it was steep.

I had to confess to the ride leader that I broke one of the cardinal rules to stop at all stop signs because I was going so slow when I got to the top and had a t-intersection there was no way I'd get out of the pedals. 

There was a small church at that corner occupying what had previously been a post office.  A couple of riders made a short stop in the parking lot and one of the church ladies came out asking all the normal questions about where they'd ridden from and whether they were going to the "Skyline Highway."  When they affirmed, her response was that they would be having services shortly and that she would pray for them.  Yes, it was that kind of climb.  Today's only photo is below with the folks involved telling the story at the sag stop.  God bless that lady at the church.  She knew we were going to need that kind of help!

Larry, Denise, Deb, Jan and Barb in the background

Tomorrow's ride has two options -- 47 and 74.  Climbing promises to be the same.  Weather could become an issue.

Did You Know --
The Parkway is one of the most ecologically diverse areas in the world with about 100 varieties of trees; 1,600 plant species; 54 mammals; and 159 species of birds.

Today's bike joke by Linda Wilson --
What do you get if you cross a bike and a flower?

A.  Bicycle pedals