May 26, 2002
7 min. read
This post is part of the Trans-Am series.
I adjusted my kickstand mount that was working loose this morning. Checkout time was noon and I got out of my room at 12:05. I actually had to rush to get packed up by noon. Then I got to wait about 10 minutes for an empty elevator going down. People were not agreeable to share an elevator with my bike and its 2 spare inches.
I stopped for lunch at the same bagel place I ate at yesterday. I just wasn’t ready to get riding in the 90+ degree heat. It seems fine when you are already riding, but hard to get going when you have been in air conditioning for the morning. I think it is much like slowly raising the water temperature to boil a frog, where tossing them in a boiling pot will just make them jump out.
After looking at the route, finishing lunch, and filling up my water bottles and extra water container, I was off. Man it was hot. I got about 0.2 of a mile on Main St. (US 250) out of town and pulled over to a sidewalk. I wanted to verify my route against the detailed Charlottesville map.
I looked up and Adam was standing 100 feet in front of where I stopped. He was the guy on the mountain bike I passed a couple miles from the Willis United Methodist Church, riding down to Yorktown from DC to start. He met up with the Petes and they went to dinner last night. Turns out that his stock back wheel isn’t doing so well pulling the BOB YAK trailer. He broke one driver side and two non-driver side spokes. The bike shop isn’t open on Sunday, but it sounds like they might be able to help him on Monday. Seems like it would be closed on Memorial Day, though. I suggested that he have a good 36 spoke rear wheel made and mailed as General Delivery to some post office along the route. The BOB trailer really torques the wheels. I made my back wheel and had a front wheel made, just for the trip and stopped using a BOB trailer for touring after I broke two spokes on a weekend tour, getting ready for this trip.
He was happy to learn what I could tell him about downtown. Specifically that there were two movie theatres and many other things to do. I guess he was wondering how he would kill the time. I told him I would be looking for him in the following weeks and gave him a card for my web site.
About 10 miles out of town, I stopped at a house that showed some activity. I was running low on water and wanted to fill up my 48 oz water container. I didn’t know what I had to look forward to getting into Whitehall. I sat in the shade and opened the can of sliced pineapple I was carrying. I drank out the juice and then ate almost all of it. I had to dump one ring across the street in the high grass, because I wanted to crush the empty can to make it easier to carry. I also made a water bottle of Gatorade and drank some of that. Feeling refreshed, I started peddling again to Whitehall.
After turning onto 676, I ran into a man and woman out for a day ride. He did a U-turn to talk a little and then made sure that I knew where I was before continuing on. After he left I looked at my map again to see the next turn.
It was a left turn onto 839, only a 1⁄2 mile after my last turn. But I have been riding an talking happily along and was 3⁄4 of a mile past my last turn. Whoops. After a little under a 1⁄4 mile, I was back on route.
After 3 miles of some challenging up and down riding, I came into Whitehall. There is a post office, community center, and the Wyant’s Store. Only the Wyant’s Store was open, but that was where I was heading.
It is currently owned by Larry Wyant, and has been in there family for over 100 years. It seemed to be a local community hangout, with seats inside and on the front porch. If cyclists get here late, they can camp at the community center across the street. I have an orange popsicle and purchased some supplies for the night ahead. And I made sure to fill up all my water containers.
Before crossing I-64, I climbed up to 1150 ft. Some parts of this was really challenging and I walked about 100 feet of a crazy grade. This was all and good, because I realized that I was going to get some altitude gain in the mountains. However, after passing under I-64, I lost over 400 feet. Talk about an empty victory.
While stopping for a break, I saw a local rider. He was all about the climb and didn’t stop or wave. A little bit past I-64, I found a little mountain stream. I took off my shirt, saturated it, wet down my hair, and put on the oh so good feeling shirt.
I started a slow climb up US 250 on my way to the 750 turnoff to Afton. After the turnoff, I know there were only 2 miles left. What I didn’t know was the last two miles were all up. So this is the tough climb that everyone is talking about in Afton.
It was tough. After I made it about a mile up, it seemed like it kept getting steeper. I am glad that you use different muscles to walk and ride. I started trading off riding and walking. Pretty soon I was at Hwy 6 and knew my destination was 0.1 mile ahead.
For over three years, I have wanted to see this place and now I was finally here. Any TransAm bicyclist (or those dreaming of riding this trail) already know what I am talking about. Afton, VA is the home of a legend of the TransAm trail. It is the home of June Curry, The Cookie Lady. She is the best known of the many good Samaritans along the TransAm trail. June and her father first started offering water to cyclists in the summer of 1976. At first, they didn’t know what to think about all these bicyclists riding by.
When the trail was established in 1976, there was a grocery store in Afton. However, that store went out of business just before the cyclists started their trip across the country. The cyclists would appear bedraggled after that steep hill and expecting a grocery. At first, June said that they though motorcycle gangs had switched to bicycles. A lady explained to her that that these groups were organized and riding the new Bikecentennial Trail as part of organized groups to celebrate the bi-centennial of our nation. At that time June and her dad started offering water to cyclists. Then, she said that she had to feed some of them, because they really were in need of the no longer open grocery.
That was 26 years ago and she is still hosting bikers. I was floored by the bike house as I walked inside. June had dinner guests and wasn’t able to show me the house herself, but I didn’t mind. You can feel the “can do” attitude of those who have ridden this route or even further. There is so much to view and read that I was up till after midnight reading through only a part of it. I finally decided that there is still tomorrow and went to sleep on one of the many couches.
See the Bike House page for many photos of this Trans-Am museum.
Part 10 of 48 in the Trans-Am series.
Series Start | Day 6 - Palmyra to Charlottesville, VA | Day 8 - Memorial Day in Afton, VA