There was need for a fog delay before starting today. I left at 7:30am and started out with, you guessed it, climbing. There were more tough climbs, plus tough downhill with lots of switchbacks. I stopped once on a big downhill to check the temperature of the rim due to braking. It was pretty hot, so I let it cool a bit before proceeding. I rarely used my brakes on downhills in the West, so it was a new concept to have to think about heating up the brakes.
After the largest climb, I was about a mile or so from the end of the downhill, when a power line repair truck passed me. Around the next bend in the road, there sat the power truck in a parking lot next to the road and the driver was standing in front of the truck holding out an iced bottle of water. I wonder if Curtis, the power line repairman, was an angel? He asked if I had just climbed over the mountain. I told him that I had. He said that will be the worst you will have to do today. He was a cyclist also and was obviously sympathetic to the climb. I enjoyed the water and he had to get back to work. Wow, how cool is that!!
About a mile further, I encountered a dreaded orange sign that said Route 80 Road Closed Ahead. Oh Great!! I did not see any alternate routes on my map, so I once again decided to ride to the construction and see what situation might present itself. As I approached the cement barricades on the winding mountain road, I saw two construction workers and decided to go talk to them. They were very friendly and sympathetic to my situation. “Yeah, just go on up to the big power shovel equipment and make sure the operator sees you. He will let you go by. What a wonderful break! I did just as they said and the equipment operator moved his equipment over a bit and waived for me to go by. Otherwise, I don’t know what I would have done. Another Blessing!!
All day the temperature was great. Which helped the climbing considerably, but it still was a long day. The total climbing elevation gain for the entire day totaled 6,465 feet. No, that number is not typed wrong. You might guess that a couple times during the day, I was wondering, if I had bit off more than I could chew today. It was a huge relief once I arrived at the campground outside Damascus at about 4:00PM.
Wild Animal Sightings for today: young deer standing in the middle of the road as I rounded a curve and ground hog (not too exciting).
As I got into camp later than usual, we decided to try a local establishment for dinner. We ventured into Damascus and found they were big into bicycle rentals. As we had witnessed with the rafting a while back, Damascus would shuttle folks along with their bikes to points along a Rails to Trails small stone bike path (Virginia Creeper Trail), so they could pedal back into town. The Creeper Trail is 34 miles long. After I picked up a spare tube for my bike at a local shop, we ate at the Old Mill Restaurant in Damascus. It was a converted mill, and we sat by the window to enjoy the water falling over the dam.
Scenery along the road.
If you cannot find a local dairy stand, one has to resort to a Klondike bar from Family Dollar.
Winding roads, but scenic.
One of the many houses that will soon be consumed by weeds.
Oh Boy, you mean I have to deal with these guys again. Truthfully I did not see too many and I was thankful!
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