Heading into our last full week of the trip, we entered the Appalachia. The first day of the week we faced some pretty heavy elevation but watching the trees starting to turn in Autumn made if worth it. We got to our campsite – a park run by army corps – around 5 pm and grabbed some food at the local diner. The campsite had nice, hot showers that we much appreciated after a chilly day.
On our next day to Hindman, we encountered more challenging climbs and got the worst of the dogs. We got chased by at least two german shepherds and a couple other big dogs, which I had to spray. I mostly tried to spray in front of them, so they would just smell it and run away, but one dog today was still being so aggressive afterwards I had to lightly spray it.
We got to the church hostel for the night and were lucky enough to stay inside the youth center. We grabbed some food at the Italian restaurant across the street and tried to do some laundry. Unfortunately, the church had no detergent and all we had was a Fels Naptha detergent bar so I grated it with a knife! I definitely felt like I was doing the most for clean clothes but hey, everyone needs some clean socks and shirts.
The next day we headed out to Lookout, Kentucky. The elevation wasn’t too bad until we hit right before our destination where we did about 900 ft in less than 2 miles. For those who cant picture it, it was practically vertical and definitely brutal. But we did it, and had a glorious descent. Once in Lookout, we met up with my dad who had driven down for the night. Lookout had no places to stay and he had time on his schedule so he rescued us to a hotel and drove us back to Lookout in the morning.
We started the ride in very cold weather, but were motivated to keep going because we were about to cross our last state line! At 15 miles, we took a break at a coffee shop to regain some feeling in our fingers and toes.
We officially entered Virginia in Breaks Interstate Park — the “Grand Canyon of the South” according to many — and rode through some breathtaking scenery. We had three steep climbs, so when we arrived at Council City Park and Pool we were glad to set up our tent and relax.
We left a little later in the morning because it was 37 degrees until 9 AM. As we rode to Meadowview, we had two hills that were long and steep but nothing we couldn’t handle. We were rewarded with beautiful Virginia Countryside. You could look into the clear forests and just imagine a family picnicking there or frolicking about. This image was cemented by some large manors hidden away as we rode.
We stayed at the Meadowview church and although they didn’t have bathrooms, we were very grateful for the awning to sleep under and the outlets.
The next day was a shortcut from the route and we did about 60 miles on a smaller road that ran along the interstate. We still saw a lot of beautiful Virginia and just had more options for coffee breaks! We finished the day at a warmshowers with our amazing host, Tony. Tony was also a cyclist and understood our need for showers, a real bed, laundry, and delicious pizza.
The next morning, Tony rode out with us for a few miles and then we parted ways. Our ride to Catawba was a lot. We had put too much faith in google maps taking us on Route 76 (the TransAmerica Route) as we planned and had to adjust so as to not go on huge highways. We went about 64 miles and 4,500 ft and were exhausted when we arrived at the hostel.
We were very grateful for the place to stay and the showers, but our overall experience at the hostel was not the greatest. As we walked in, the entire place reeked of Marijuana. This might not be super uncommon but was still unpleasant. Additionally, the “host” was blasting the horror movie, “It: Chapter 2” through a speaker and hearing people scream for two hours was quite unsettling. It was also strange for him to do this because the magnitude if the audio completely overcompensated for the two people watching it on his cellphone. We tried to go to bed as soon as possible to just not have to deal with it, but neither of us were getting a great night’s sleep.
Either way, we were excited to end the week because it meant just one step closer to the finish of an amazing journey. Yorktown was so close, and we could almost smell it.
A Funny Moment of the Week: As we rode the day after our Airbnb, I left a good review for the host and hoped to get one back as it was my first time booking on my own. I got an email from Airbnb that my host’s review was posted! I eagerly opened it to see that, alas, the host thought I was a man. I have no idea how, my profile picture is very clear and he met me in person, but it was so embarrassing to see “Chloe was a great guest. We would welcome him back any time. He was very clean and polite.” Cringe!
What We’ve Learned: Check google. Yes, using your phone makes it easier but it will not take you the right way and it will try to take you on some dangerous roads. It was fine in Wyoming because there are practically no other options but once you get to reliable civilization it will not work. We are learning the hard way and can’t adjust too much because our families have planned tickets and hotel stays. So, learn from us.