I left Troutville Park at around 7:30 and rode to the nearest McDonalds. I had breakfast and filled my bottles with their version of Gatorade. They had a television on there, so I watched a little ESPN. After about 20 minutes, I got back on down the road. Since I am still in VA, I am still going up and down these hills. The fact that there is so much history, nature and wildlife here makes it a lot easier. Earlier today I saw two unusual squirrels, one black and the other was brown with a black underbelly and feet. When I stopped at the local store, I was told that they were actually quite common.
This particular store I stopped at is right on the Trans America Bike trail, so the people here are used to seeing bikers come in. They told me that I was welcome to into the back room, eat something and then take a nap. I was considering doing just that when I see to other cyclists come in. They appear to be heading west (like me) so we start talking. The two cyclists are Nick and Kristin and are actually a newly married couple from Maryland. They are actually moving out to the Bay Area, so they figured they would ship their stuff out and ride their bikes. They are calling it, their “Honeymoon”. They are very nice and we hit it off immediately. We decide to ride together and get a campsite in Christiansburg, which is about 28 miles away. We are still in the hills, so it’s going to be a little challenging to make it before nightfall. Nick and Kristin are riding Trek touring bikes and they have a good pace going. I don’t have as many gears and I am really loaded, so I try to act like its no big deal, but I have to work to keep up with them. I tell them at a rest stop, “Don’t wait for me if I fall behind, I’ll just see you at the campground”. Not too much longer, I have a mishap with my bike and I have to stop to kind of put her back together. I don’t see Nick and Kristin again until about 8:30 PM at the campsite.
Only after I ride all over town looking for this campground, I decide to stop and ask someone. I see a pawn shop and I look inside, I always look inside pawn shops. I hear someone tell me to come inside so I do. I meet the owner, Dave Strathy. Dave is a nice guy who upgrades my camera for me and then gives me directions to the campground. He tells me I am going in the wrong direction and that it is about 4.6 miles in the other direction. After talking to Dave for a while, I decide to start heading for camp. It’s all uphill, of course. After a little while, I arrive and find Nick and Kristin in their tent trying to stay away from the mosquitoes. When I show up they come and we talk for some time, exchange information, and I tell them that I won’t be leaving with them in the morning.
