Blog update Aug 9, 2008

> August 8, 2008 Rode 60 miles to Charlottesville, Virginia
>
> After a hearty breakfast at Gertie's Store in Vesuvius, VA I faced
> the four mile climb up onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. As with most
> of the challenges of the trip, I imagined the climb to be nearly
> vertical and impossible, so the reality was not nearly as bad as I
> had pictured. Unlike most of the climbs in the Ozarks, this one was
> well worth the effort. The weather was the best I could have asked
> for, clear, cool and low humidity. That is a rarity on a Virginia
> morning in August, There were many beautiful views of the
> Shenandoah valley from the Parkway. Then came an exciting two mile
> downhill ride to Afton, VA. The fear going downhill is riding the
> brakes so much that the wheel rim heats up and blows the tire. None
> of that happened and I made it down safely. Along the way in the
> morning, fellow cyclist, Jim from Cinncinati caught up with me and
> then another young fellow from Illinois, Cody, joined us. The route
> ftom Afton to Charlottesville was meandering through winding
> picturesque back roads over many streams, each of which was yet
> another up hill and down hill.
>
> That night we "camped" in the Youth Lounge at St. Mark Lutheran
> Church. Many thanks to the good folks at St. Mark for their
> generous hospitality. We went into "The Corner" at the heart of
> the U. of Virginia campus for a sub at Little Johnn 's Deli. This
> was one of Peter's favorite eateries when he was a student at UVa
> and he recommended the "Sampson Sub". I ordered the 12" Sampson,
> and as the name would imply this was NOT a sub of modest size, but
> it did not faze this hungry cyclist. It gave me fuel for another
> day.
>
> August 9, 2008 Rode 85 miles to Rocketts, our home in Doswell,
> Virginia
>
> This was the day that I was going to reach home and could sleep in
> my own bed for the first time in 9 weeks.
>
> It was another beautiful morning for a ride through Virginia
> countryside, past Monticello, Ash Lawn and the Kluge estate. Near
> Palmyra I stopped for a second breakfast of B & G and met a retired
> C-ville policeman who now raises cattle. His name was D L junior
> (he said the D L stood for dumb and lazy). He invited me to share
> the picnic table with him outside the Mom and Pops general store and
> I learned about the cattle business in Virginia.
>
> Nancy drove on to meet me midway in the morning and then drove
> home. When I reached Hanover County I called her so she and Don
> Schubert, who rode at the beginning of the ride in Oregon, could
> ride out on their bikes to meet me. We rode together the last 5
> miles and as we approached the home of our neighbors, Hugh and Sally
> Campbell's, there was a group waving flags and welcoming me home.
> What a great neighborhood we have.
>
> At the end of the ride it seemed very strange to be back in familiar
> territory rather than searching for yet another place to spend the
> night. The reality of having cycled all across the country has not
> really set in yet. There are so many images to process from the
> past 9 weeks of places, generous people and experiences. Nearly
> everyone I talked to along the way about the fund we are trying to
> establish had stories to tell about their own battle with cancer or
> the loss of a loved one to cancer.
>
> It was really a privlidge to have been able to do such a ride and
> see this grand country up close at 10 miles an hour from a bike, and
> to meet the common everyday people who meet for breakfast at the
> diner each morning and go off to do their jobs each day.
>
> We began the ride June 9 and I reached home on August 9. In total I
> have ridden 3911 miles in 56 days of acual riding, for an average of
> almost 70 miles a day. The journey lasted 61 days of which I took 5
> rest days. Once I reach Yorktown I will have covered very close to
> 4000 miles.
>
> So now I have one more day to ride from Richmond to Yorktown,
> Virginia. Two college friends of Jim Popp's, David Jenkins and Doug
> Gardner have been planning the final event. We hope to have a
> party on Friday evening, August 22, the Ride for Jim Finale Rally,
> for everyone who will be riding to Yorktown or anyone interested in
> the event. Then on Saturday, August 23 the group will meet at the
> Medical College of Virginia campus and ride as a group the 70 miles
> to Yorktown. The plans for this final event are still being made
> so please visit the web site in the days ahead for more details.
>
> I will post another entry after the ride on August 23rd.
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