after having the satisfying exchange with rick williams of roanoke, i felt ready to move on to other places. still, it took some effort to get going and i was not out the door of moona's lovely apartment until about 3:30. after running a couple errands i took the green way over to where i would climb up to the parkway.
at walnut street there is a little icecream shop where i was able to fill my water bottles. a friendly cyclist told me there may not be a chance to fill water for the next 40 miles after getting on the parkway, so i filled an extra liter in addition to my primary two. riding up the steep and curvy road to the parkway i was passed by dozens of cyclists in racing gear who were out for a casual training ride. or maybe it was just a meet-up for fun. james, the mechanic i had met at the shop in roanoke, was part of this group. we talked for a while and then he sped off ahead to make it to the meet-up on time.
when i got to the top i started noticing dead cicadas on the road. they were starting to die off and fall out of the trees i guess. i decided to collect their beautiful wings.
there was rain coming, as i was told by one of the cyclists and could see signs of myself. i decided to take the turn off to the 'virginia explore park', which was 1.5 miles off the parkway. i thought there might be shelter and water there. since i didn't know if it would be okay to camp there, i went into the woods just before the gate and found a fairly flat spot out of view of the road. i was just about to start setting up the tent when the rain started coming down hard! i tossed all my bags and stuff into the oversized plastic bag i carry and ran for cover with my one small handlebar bag. there was a nice, dry spot under an awning of one of the visitor center buildings. when the rain slacked just a little i went and got the bike and the rest of my things.
i felt blessed to have found this dry spot for the night. nobody bothered me except for a couple persistent mosquitoes. in the morning i was able to fill my water at an outdoor faucet. i felt jubilant as i got back on the parkway and continued riding. i came across some of the healthiest black caps i've ever eaten. of what i picked i saved about half to give as a gift to the next person to give me a ride.
i noticed that there are actually far more opportunities to fill water than i had been told. besides the visitor center at the explore park, the road passes near enough to some residences in this forty mile stretch north of roanoke that one could find water if they really needed to. there are a couple junctions with highways. at one of them it is easy to pull off and fill water at a business. i had enough water to last me a while though so i passed all this up. i find it is not significantly more difficult to ride with the extra weight anyway.
after about ten miles, when i stopped for a drink and pee break, i noticed that i had left my story stick behind! in my hurry to get my stuff out of the rain i had left it on the ground in the woods! i seriously debated whether to go back and get it. that would mean going twenty miles out of my way! but i decided it was important enough to me. i suppose it represents my commitment to becoming a storyteller. also i tought maybe there was some reason this had happened. i was curious in a way to find out...
the ride was equally enjoyable on the way back, if a little more hurried. the stick was right where i had left it, and still saturated from all the rain. i got back to the parkway and set myself up in a good spot to try hitching a ride. this is how i could make up some time. after fifteen minutes or so, no luck, and a cop stopped to check on me/ that made me a little nervous and i was about to move on when a young woman pulled up in a little two-door called out her window, 'you need a ride?'. i was a little dumbfounded, and not sure if the bicycle would fit in her car. but we ended up making it work with both wheels removed. she had decided to come out on a drive to do some thinking about how to solve a conflict with her house mate. she said i was just the right person for her to run into just then. we talked of many things as she drove me up to 'peaks of otter'. there i gave her one of the bracelets i made and those black caps i'd picked. she had never eaten this kind of berries before.
she told me that her sister lives on some land a little ways off the parkway up north a ways with her husband and kids and would probably give me a place to stay if i needed it. she told me a little of their story. that they are missionaries and her sister is a good cook were enough to make me want to meet them. she was able to get their address for me and describe basically how to find them. 'we shall see' i thought.
right after this new friend and i parted ways i was greeted by a fellow outside the little gift shop. i was filling my water and he was eating an orange. we struck up conversation and i found out that he was attending a three day vipassana course at a 'gypsy center' in roanoke! he gave me an orange and we parted with kind regards. will the cosmic connections just keep coming like this? the man had just hiked up to the top of 'sharp top' and encouraged me to do so.
i figured since i was now ahead of 'schedule' i would go ahead and enjoy this opportunity to hike up to the spectacular viewpoint. the hike through the diverse forest, so green with spring growth, and the view from the top were incredibly beautiful. i sat on one of the boulders in the sun and ate my lunch. while i was eating a couple guys, a young man maybe a little older than me and teenage boy, came up and we began to chat. they had seen my bicycle at the bottom and asked if i was the one who had 'biked across the country'. after a little more chit chat it came up that i had stayed with moona in roanoke, and this fellow told me he was moona's ex-boyfriend raymond! he also knows rick and james of course. he said he had felt a premonition that he would see moona on the mountain today. well close enough. is this why i left the story stick behind? so that raymond and i would be at the peak at the same time to meet? it was pretty much blowing my mind and making me really happy. he and i had a lot to relate over and we talked all the way down the mountain, trying not to totally ignore the younger fellow he was tutoring. raymond was so kind and assured me he could ship gear or bicycle parts to me if i ran into trouble along the trip home!
the rest of the day i spent riding the parkway, wanting to experience some of this beautiful stretch of forested road from the saddle. i'd been told that the grade descended after peaks of otter, but there was only a small descent, and then a long climb up to apple orchard mountain, the highest point on the parkway in virginia.
this was an arduous climb and i think the elevation contributed to a general feeling of unease as i climbed higher. it is good to take lots of breaks during such a climb. it is kind of funny that i was telling raymond how i'd been fine without a 'granny gear' and rarely have to get off and walk. on this climb i probably walked about a mile of steeper sections.
after reaching the top it was a fast and thrilling descent to James River, which is at the lowest elevation on the parkway, 660 ft. it was getting close to dusk and i wanted to make some more miles. i made a feeble attempt at hitching, but there were practically no vehicles on this section at this time of day. i continued to ride, thinking i might get to a place i noticed on a map where the Appalachian Trail crosses the parkway. i thought i might meet some interesting people there. i spotted many good places for guerrilla camping as the light began to fade. eventually i decided i better just pitch the tent before it got dark. i got a good night of rest thanks to the bug protection of the tent.
No comments:
Post a Comment