Day 5: Daleville to Claytor State Park, VA
distance: 70 mi
total distance: 333 mi

Day 6: rest day, Claytor State Park

Much of today was spent off the bike and in the water. After another day of hills we decided to give our legs a break. Setting camp inside the state park, we rented a couple of canoes and happily plunged ourselves into the lake. A nice change.

Day 4: Lexington to Daleville, VA
distance: 52 mi
total distance: 263 mi

The best way to test the waterproofness of your gear is to actually use it in water, duh... After lunch in Buchanon, we could already see dark clouds drawing in from the distance. I pulled out the rain covers for the panniers and placed my rain jacket handy to use. None of the other dudes seemed as prepared as me for what was about to hit us. It started as a pleasantly refreshing drizzle. Minutes later, we found ourselves in a torrential down pour. By the time I got my jacket on, I was already drenched. Stupid useless gortex! My body got cold immediately and I had difficulty clearing my face from the water that was continuously blinding my vision. Patiently we waited for the rain to calm down. Upon inspection of my bags, I noticed that a pool of water, collected by my rain covers, was flooding my stuff. Lovely.

Them Mountains Are Blue

Day 3: Culpeper to Lexington, VA
distance: 69 mi
total distance: 211 mi

Waking up after a night of rainfall, I opened my eyes as the sun was about to rise. The target was standing tall and waiting for us- the Blue Ridge Mountains. At 3200 feet elevation, today's ride was going to be tough, I knew. But in reality, I didn't really know. It took nearly 5 hours to cover 20 miles of ground.  When moving at 3 to 4 mph up a mountain, you continuously contemplate getting off the bike and just pushing the darn thing. I bet i can push a bike at 3 mph and not feel like my legs are going to pop off (slightly exaggerated, I admit.) But alas, I rode up and down, up and down, repeatedly for hours at a time. It was strenuous. I never got off to push my bike once and every so often, we were rewarded by an amazing view of the mountains in the distance.

What goes up must come down... something along those lines, no? It took 5 hours for us to go up, and a mere 5 minutes to descend. Have you ever smelt burned rubber while riding a bicycle? I did today, and it made me wonder how well my brakes are designed. Speeding down the hill at a good 37 mph, I was pushing down hard to slow down for curves and oncoming traffic. It was exhilarating and scary at the same time.

After surpassing the mountains, we slowly made our way toward Vesivius, a small town at the edge of the Blue Ridges. It was so small in fact, that we overshot it and had to travel another 18 miles (2 hours of up and down, up and down) to the next city of Lexington. I is pooped. Seriously.

None of us had lunch today. All that was keeping us going was a small breakfast and a couple of Cliff Bars. We did stop at a farmer's stand where juicy tomatoes looked too appealing to pass off on. I bit right into mine. If you look carefully, you'll see that the farmer is wearing five finger shoes! Who would have thought those can be found so far outside the city. Wasn't me who sold them to him... 

Cows go Moo

Day 2: Culpeper, VA to White Hall, VA
distance: 65 mi
total distance: 142 mi

Taking back country roads is definitely the prefered route over any highway, no matter what the difference in miles. The view today was beautiful. Long stetches of open field, vinyards, and the occasional corn field. We stopped in Charlottesville for some great subs at 'Take It Away', a popular lunch place among UVA college students. The city and the campus itself carries plenty history, which is reflected in the architecture of vintage style buildings. Today we set camp 15 mi west of Charlottesville in a small city called White Hall. There, I bought my first ice cream of the trip and devoured a couple of hot dogs. Yes, since on this trip I have been eating well, not healthy, but well. We are camped at a backyard of a desolated community center. Don, a nearby neighbor has been keeping us company for the past hour, telling us stories of his town. He raises a couple of cows in his backyard. Apparently they make a good steak. Never before have I come across someone who owns livestock for private consumption. All 14 of them cows!

Lakehouse

 We came across a guy who was admiring our bikes parked outside the restaurant. Turns out that he was running across America! Daaaang! Talk about crazy people out there. This man started his race back in February from sunny Santa Monica, Ca. With only three more days to go, he was headed straight toward Washington D.C.

Our second set of friends followed shortly after... Sue and Doug, a lovely couple with active lifestyles. We met them when riding around farm houses trying to find a place to pitch our tents. Sue and Doug kindly offered for us to set camp on their property right by the lake. With a gorgeous view of the sun set by the lake I set up my tent smiling. I am a happy camper.

Day 1

Day 1: Washington DC to Culpepper
distance: 77 miles
After leaving my apartment at around 9:30 am, we were off to a somewhat rough start, trying to navigate our way toward route 29 heading south. The first section of our trip had us cycle on a very busy road. I did not enjoy the the frequent back wind of trucks passing by me. Yet, for most of the ride there was a pretty decent emergency lane. Today's scenery was very non-spectacular and the fact that I was huffing and puffing on upgrades (no matter how steep) even further distracted me from taking in my surroundings.

After nearly 9 hours of which 6.5 were actual riding, we made it to Culpepper, Virginia. I had chopped steak this evening! And it was delicious. A filled stomach after a long day makes you forget about all the hills you have just suffered through (gotta say I am frightened by what lies ahead... Today's road was flat compared to the next few days ahead).

Heading out

Only minutes before heading out of my home. The last few days have been quite hectic and stressful, to say the least. Among selling furniture, moving my stuff into "storage", and finding housing in Pittsburgh, the most strenuous task of all has been to say bye to all my friends, who in many ways have become family to me over the last two years.

Moving away from a place never gets easier, no matter how many times you have been through it. It's quite heartbreaking actually... but the way I like to think about it is that a "goodbye" is really just temporary and that both you (my friend) and I will have a new place to crash every time we visit one another. So come find me in Pittsburgh in 2 months, or if you wish sooner, find me along the TransAmerican Trail!

From now on I will try to semi-update this blog as I go. Yes, I figured out how to do this via text message. Technology is amazing(ly scary). Don't expect this to be a daily thing. I don't want homework. I just wish to share some of the things I come across whenever they occur and not worry about making this a travel log. No for that stuff I got a tiny moleskine notebook to keep me company.

Aufwiedersehen.

Por que?

I suppose somewhere I should quickly mention the grandiose reason for this trip. Perhaps, I should first name  what I am not doing this for.

I am not trying to make a statement, nor am I trying to prove anything to... anyone.
This is not a ride for charity (although those are very admirable), nor am I trying to set a personal record (although this will likely be one.) It is not because I am a masochist (seriously not), nor an avid cyclist (training? say whaaa?)

It is mostly for myself. Yea, selfish little me. I wanted to see a new environment, have a little bit of adventure (or a lot) and some time on my own (or a lot). I wanted it to be relatively affordable and yet rewarding. Also, on some level this trip all ties in with me starting a future career in public health - to effectively help different populations around the world, you ought to know the places and communities you are trying to serve. And I think traveling slow motion through the country might do that to some extent.

Brace yourself

Most people are dumbstruck by the idea of a little girl traveling the country on a bike. Face to face, they stare in disbelief and doubt. Over the phone, an uncomfortable silence forms that seems to linger throughout the rest of the conversation. No, I am not crazy. And yes, I know what I am getting myself into.

Ironically, neither the physical stamina needed to travel the full distance of 3800 miles in no more than 55 days, nor the mental strain of being on the road day after day, for hours at a time, with a high likelihood of butt pain and nothing but cornfields in sight, is the primary concern of those who question. Few have even asked me if the roads I'm taking are safe to ride. No, apparently those aren't the issues I should be worried about, since the real danger is that I will likely get shot, jumped, kidnapped, stabbed, pepper sprayed and kidnapped again. Trust no one, they say.


I find this mentality somewhat disturbing. To be clear, I know the risks and dangers that could potentially face me out on the road. They do exist, I am aware.  But let me also put into perspective that the above mentioned dangers are not more likely to occur while I'm touring by bike than they are when I am walking home in the evening, or when I get up to go for a run. Not everyone is out to get you (only some are.) And to think otherwise greatly limits the potential of one's interaction and relationship with one's peers.

Every place I have thus far lived in or traveled to, is defined by the people that I interacted with and the things I observed and learned from them. So I say, stop this pessimism and this overly cautious way of living, you are missing out. You are missing out on gaining insight into the minds and worlds of others, into understanding why Joe voted for Obama and Jack for Palin (why, oh why?) But mostly you are missing out on forming new friendships and discovering things you didn't know about yourself.

Sitting in the comfort of my apartment, I already know that the experiences of this upcoming trip will only be as good as the things I will get to see (the Rockies, yo!), the things I will do off-road (explore, play the banjo and read, read, read) and the people I will meet. I will be on the road, always on the guard for speeding cars, horrendous weather conditions, and other unforeseen obstacles, but I will never miss the opportunity to take a break to chat with other folks along the road. Kidnappers and mass murderers, brace yourself, I'm on my way.