Fog Delay! I am thankful the ride was not excessive today. Even after the delay, it was another very pleasant day with long gradual downhill runs. The roads were very lightly travelled and wound through the countryside. Temperatures were very mild beginning at 58 degrees and rising to about 75 degrees. At 20 miles, I detoured a couple miles to visit the Natural Bridge, billed as one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. Well, after arriving at the entrance to the “Wonder”, I refused to pay the $18 to see the rock formation. What a racket! I picked up the brochure and looked at the picture for free. As Kim was planning to swing by later and see the Wonder, I called to warn her of the situation. To add insult to my injury, I now had to make a substantive climb back to the ACA route.
We stayed at the Mallard Duck Campground and Hostel about 6 miles southeast of Lexington. The campground was acceptable, but the guy running the place was very odd. First he was hard to understand (mush mouth), then he hassled the SAG team about where to park and made jokes about our camper (calling it a little outhouse). Glad we were only staying here one night.
As I arrived at camp at lunch time, we dined on bologna sandwiches and decided to venture into Historic Lexington, Virginia. We discovered it was the home to the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), which is the first military school in the United States. It was a very impressive looking campus setting with many large cream colored buildings, a large football stadium, and nice housing for the military officers’ (professors’) families. Lexington’s visitors center provided a map to tour the town and enjoy the architecture from the 1700’s and 1800’s. General Stonewall Jackson is buried here and the church that General Lee attended is close to the VMI. We enjoyed the visit and spent the rest of the day back at camp enjoying each other’s company. But, we are all counting down the days until we get home.
Tomorrow looks like the last big climb of the trip where I have to climb a two mile steep grade to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Oh Goodie!! NOT!
Some nice houses outside of Lexington
Stonewall Jackson's grave in Lexington
A waterfall along the road that lead to our campgroung.
Some of the buildings at the Virginia Military Institute.
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