Day 11, Christiansbug to Wytheville.

This is the biggest river we crossed yet. It's called The New River. It is the second oldest river in the world, and the oldest in the U.S. I'm serious, I'm not making this up.

That's Paula, Lisa is riding shot gun. I'm safely out of the line of fire in the back.

This butterfly begged me to take his picture. True, or False?

Actually Paula took this shot. I was too busy riding.

She took this picture also. I had my hands full trying not to get runned over.

I took this shot while riding my bike. Talanted, wouldn't you say?

These things are all over the place. At first, I thought they were planted by the county or something, but they are everywhere.

I just don't get it. If everybody is trying to save water, then what is this?

Lisa and I stopped at his store for a cold drink. I wish I could have recorded the store owners accent. It would have blown you away. I was totally amussed by it, until I realized that it was I who sounded funny to them.


Today we did our most mileage yet. It includes about 5 miles of being lost. But hey, mileage is mileage. We logged 64.23 miles. We got our average late start. Left the Super 8 at about 9:00AM. The first 5 miles was hectic as we had to navigate through an inter state junction. Being from Molokai, this is a huge deal. Let me set the scenario. You have this local boy who is used to riding his bike on lightly traveled two lane roads all his life. Then all of a sudden, he finds himself smack dab in the middle of a freeway junction with about 50 stop lights facing every direction, with a hundred and fifty cars, trucks, and trailers all wanting to run you over. You wait for the light to change, but it seems to take forever. You want to cross, but when you look around, you notice that everyone is looking at you and revving their engines as if saying, "Go ahead, Make my day."

Once that was over with, it was duck soup. The rest of the day found us traversing rolling hills. The climbs today didn't seem as steep as some we have encountered in the past, but there were a few that seemed like they would not end. How can that be? I wondered. The down hills seemed short, like we were being short changed. Of course this is all in my imagination. But I needed some excuse to justify how hard I was sweating. My eyes were burning to the point I had to stop and wipe them dry cause I couldn't see. Lisa on the other hand, didn't sweat at all. At least that's the way it seemed to me. Little did I know that she was popping energy boosting drinks and pain killers every chance she got. "Cheater!" I wanted to yell. But again, It's probably all in my imagination. All in all, we did good. Tonight we are staying at the Travelite Motel in Wytheville. They have wifi and is in walking distance from several good places to eat.

Gotta go shower, See ya. Ted.

Day 10, Rest day in Christiansburg.

Me and Paula just before her drive back home.

Lisa in her Rasta mood.

The two clowns from Hawaii. They aren't twins.

I just needed to get rid of some film. Just kidding. Lisa and Paula entering the mall. We were looking for food.


Aloha on this cool, crisp, windless morning. We are at the Supper 8 Motel for a couple of days. We took the day off for a number of reasons. First of all to hang out with Paula who drove over 4 hours to see us. Second, we were out of clean cloths, and third, we needed wifi service to catch up on e-mail and our blogs. Besides, we didn't want to deal with the unusually cold nights we've been having. Even the locals told us this was very unusual. I think we made a good choice. Lisa found a coupon book that gave us a special rate of $58.00 for three people a night. This is not the fanciest place in the world, but can't be beat for the price.

We met up with Chuck and Mat again this morning in the lobby. We were having breakfast, and they were just getting ready to head out for the day. They are planning a 70 mile day. If not for pulling the trailers, we could do a few more mile ourselves. But we think we are enjoying our adventure as much as anyone.

The three of us spent the day just driving around checking out to area. We had lunch at Taco Bell (I insisted), then went to go see a really intense movie called "Angels and Demons". I haven't gone to a movie in quite a while, so I was engulfed by everything. Later in the evening we had dinner at a great Mexican place. The food was even better than Taco Bell.

Paula is leaving first thin in the morning. She works a 11:00AM, and has a 4 hour drive in front of her. Thank you so much Paula for coming all the way up here to see us. It was great seeing you again. And for our age, we don't look that bad at all. Be safe on your drive home, and May God Watch over you and yo9u family.

Tomorrow we head out, destination unknown yet. We doubt it will be a high mileage day because of all the hills. We'll just have to take it by ear. Also, not sure when we will get internet again, so it might be a few days till the nest update. Thank you for following, Aloha, Ted.

Day 9. We meet up with Paula.

This building is right across from the park we camped at. The fire station where we showered is to the right, just out of view. Sorry, I didn't get a good shot of it.
This is a relic of one of the box cars from the historic era when trains were the main mode of moving the economy. This one sits in the city park where we camped.

Early morning in the park before anyone was there. It must have been in the low 30's.

Virginia is one of the most bicycle friendly states in the country. This is proof.

We were rolling along, and Lisa said, "Look Ted, that colt looks like it was just born."

Paula met up with us on the route. She drove 3.5 hours from South Carolina. And then spent another hour looking for us. She offered to carry some of our stuff in the car. Thank you Paula.

One of the many brooks we crossed along the route. This one meandered for miles along this valley that we followed. It was near here that we saw the fox.

Lisa after she ate everything in sight. Mostly candy, brownies, and diet coke.

Lisa took a picture of me, so I took a picture of her.

Isn't this beautiful country? This valley went on for miles and miles. Every inch as beautiful as this.


Day 9, May 20. 52.08 mi.

As nice as the Troutville City Park was. We almost froze to death last night. I had on a Tee shirt, long sleeve flannel shirt, a sweater, and jacket. Socks, fleece pants, gloves, baclava, a sleeping bag, and emergency blanket, and that was still not enough. Lisa had on everything she brought with her, and she still froze her behind. Despite not getting much sleep, we felt lucky to make it though the night alive.

Once on our bikes though, things became much more routine. The sun was out, and it looked like another excellent day. We left the park at about 8:30AM. James was still asleep, he didn’t seem to be in any rush to get going, so Lisa and I went on our way. First stop, McDonnell’s for breakfast. Got to get fueled up you know. Then on the road again. The route today was similar to yesterday’s , with plenty of climbing and descending. The roads were not nearly as winding, or as forested. Today, there was a lot of open valleys, with streams and farms lining the roadside. The scenery was magnificent. We paralleled the Appellation Trail for a few miles, and ran into a gentleman by the name of Dellwood. He is what they call a “Trail Angel”. The people who patrol the Appellation Trail assisting hikers in distress. He was a very friendly individual who was very interested in what Lisa and I were doing. I told him that I also would like to hike part of the A/T in the future.

We didn’t run into any touring cyclist today, but at mile 32, Paula found us. Paula was my girl friend when I was 21 years old, I haven’t seen her in over 30 years. This was a joyous occasion indeed. I was all sweaty and probably smelled worse than a horse. But we hugged and exchanged greetings all the same. Then, she offered to transport our bags and trailers for us to Christiansburg, our destination. This was just too good to be true. Lisa and I rode the last 20 miles free as a bird. Once at Christiansburg, we settled in at the Supper 8 motel, They had a special rate. $58.00 a night for 3 people, and they have guest laundry, and wifi. Since Paula is off till Friday, we decided to make Thursday a rest day. This way we can catch up on blog stuff and e-mail

Sweet dreams everybody. Alooooha, Ted.

Day 8 May 20. Tough day in the hills.

A neat little tunnel next to the road where we took our break.

There were a few water falls along the way, but oppertunity did not present itself all the time.

The Mallard Duck Family Camp Ground, our home for the night.

Lee and Lynn were there to greet us as we entered the Troutville City Park. They made us feel like we were Real special.
I think that is a train bridge. We saw a few of them where we knew there was no traffic.

We passed many of these neat little farms. This part of the country is just breath taking.

Crousing through down town Troutville.

Lisa the great white biker chick.

We met Chuck as we were having lunch. He is from Santa Rosa, California. We ran into him again the next day.

Chuck, going all the way to Oregon. Just like us.


Day 8, May 19 54.39 mi. Vesuvius to Troutville, Va.

Aloha once again. We are still not able to get internet access, so this too will be logged when the opportunity arises. This morning at 6:00AM. The thermometer read 34 degrees as I stumbled out of our cabin to brush my teeth and use the bathroom. It was cold! Real cold!! Since no one was up yet, I did some log entry via txt. Format in Microsoft Word to be paste into my blog later when we are able to get internet. That way things still stay fresh in my mind. Once everyone was up, and breakfast was done with, we all prepared for the days trek. At about 9:30AM, we were finally on our way. Today was the nicest day yet, weather wise that is. Although it was cold, there was not a cloud in the sky. The air was still, and it felt good to be on the road again. I over heard one of the local ladies say that it was so clear, that you could see the leaves of the trees on the side of the hill. I guess on a normal day, it gets quite hazy around here. We are still in the mountains. So most of the day involved climbing and descending on long and winding country roads with little or no traffic. And as always, the scenery was awesome. I tried to take more pictures today. We stopped more often, and took time to really soak in the surrounding area. What a wonderful place, the Appalachian mountains are.

Our route took us along a few streams. Some of them flowing with us, and some flowing against us. There were a number of fisherman out, these must be real men, to go out into that freezing water when they could be riding a bike. We passed a really neat mill of some sort. It had a big paddle wheel that used the flow of the stream to turn the wheel. There were miles and miles of pasture, Christmas tree farms, hay fields, and beautiful brick houses that reflected the early colonial era. As the miles slowly slipped by, and the day progressed, it was a good feeling to know that what we were doing is something very special. As a child, I didn’t appreciate the little things that God Created for our enjoyment. All this beauty is here just for us. It’s a shame that more people don’t take advantage of all of this. Get out in nature just to experience what is there. I feel it brings me closer to God.

We met Chuck, from Santa Rosa today. He is traveling with Map, from Holland. The two of them hooked up on crazyguyonabike.com and was headed for Oregon also. Both of them were traveling light, and were making good time. I doubt if we will see those guys again. We also met up with Pat and Virginia again. The father and daughter team we spent the night with. They were just leaving Buchanan while Lisa and I were looking for something to eat. We didn’t find a suitable place, so we pushed on.

When we arrived at our destination in Troutville, James who we had met the day before came rolling in. The three of us are spending the night at the Troutville City Park where cyclist are welcome to camp for free. It is a very clean and well kept park. Two ladies of “The friends of the park.” Lee, and Lynn Just happened to see Lisa and I out in the streets with a lost look on our faces, and came out to greet us. They were so hospitable, I could not stop saying thank you, thank you, thank you. The director of the park, Cecil. Heard we were here, and made a special trip just to welcome us and make sure everything was in good order for us, The fire station across the street welcomes touring cyclists to shower and do laundry in what looks like a brand new facility. We were more than appreciative for everything these people have done for us. Expressions like this make all the difference in the word .

Tomorrow we head for Christiansburg. Paula Bicoy is driving up from South Carolina to spend the day with Lisa and I. I haven’t seen Paula in over 30 years. By for now, Aloha, Ted.

Day 7, May 18. We part ways.

They say that the Blue Ridge Parkway has some of the best road cycling in the country. Lisa and I found out why. There are no commercial traffic allowed on this pristine stretch of highway. And the views are worth killing for.

I was so excited, I didn't know what to photograph. I guess that's a farm or something down there.

"We're from Hawaii, not Brittan!" "You guys must not be from America."

Since Lisa was the only other one around, she gets to be in most of the shots. She went over to check out that big rock, balancing and leaning against that tree. She said it looked like it could fall over and kill somebody.

"That's right, HAWAII!" Thanks again Brian and Deb. for loaning us the flag. So far, no one recognized it yet. The folks around here think it's a Brittish flag.

This deer must see a lot of people. It and two others just watched as we rode by.

The Mallard Duck Family Camp Ground and Hostel. That's Virginia. She and her dad(Pat), also were staying there. We had the whole cabin for ourselves, and i'm glad we did. It got down to at lest 43 degrees in the night.

After parting ways with Fabian, Lisa and I were left to fend for ourselves. This is us as we entered the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Lisa with June Curry, the world famous cookie lady. At 88 years of age, she still welcome weary touring cyclist to rest their tired bones and stay for the night.

The biker house. This place has been visited by more than 10,000 people since the first continental crossing in 1976.


Day 7 Afton to Vesuvius, Va. 44.06 mi.

It was a treat indeed being able be a part of history by staying at the Cookie Lady’s house, and to actually meet this legendary person for myself. If you ever get a chance to talk to someone who has done the Trans Am route. There is a good chance that they would have stayed at or at least met the Cookie Lady. After spending about an hour with the Cookie Lady, The three of us headed on our way. We were immediately greeted by a steep climb that wound it’s way for several hundred yards to the junction where our route becomes part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Fabian has been having problems with his left knee for the past couple of days, and decided to head into Waynesboro to see if he could get a doctor to look at it, and catch up with us in a couple of days if all turns out well. We are hoping everything turns out okay. He is a great navigator, and the rest of the trip would not be the same without him.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is said to be most beautiful scenic section of the Bi-Centennial route., and I can’t argue with that. The views are spectacular. There are over looks on both sides of the ridge. The grade was a steady upward climb that never seemed to end. Our average speed hovered around 4 miles per hour the whole time, and even took us into our small ring on a couple of the ascents. The weather was excellent, highs in the upper 50’s, sunny, and light winds. I wore my long finger gloves, jacket, and leg warmers all day long, and when ever we stopped for a break, found a nice sunny spot to warm up.

We met up with Pat and Virginia once again, the father and daughter team going all the way to Washington. They had spent the night in Waynesboro. We asked if they had seen Fabian, but it looks like they just missed him on the way our. We continued on our methodical pace, until finally reaching the top at around 3:30PM. The last 3.5 miles in to Versuvius was a screaming 6 to 10 percent, narrow and winding decent. It was kind of spooky. There were some hair pin turns that you had to slow almost to a stop to make it around safely. One guy we met told us that his rear tire blew out, causing him to crash. Stuck out in the middle of no where, he made his way a couple of miles to the only store in the area, where the good folks there took him into Lexington some 30 to 40 miles away, where there is a bike shop.

Tonight we are staying at the Mallard Duck Campground and Hostel. A tiny one room cabin with 5 bunk beds, a couch, and just enough room for Pat, Virginia, Lisa, and myself to store all our gear. Our destination in the morning will be Lexington. Hopefully we’ll find wifi there and I can update this blog, and catch up on some e-mail…………….Good night.

Day 6, May 17. The Cookie Lady.

Ted taking a break at an old country store. This is where we met Dale, the local cyclist with a wealth of information. Sorry, I forgot to take his picture. But at least I remembered his name.

Lisa in the living room of the biker house. This where the cookie lady performed her angel like good deeds to weary touring cyclists.

Our bikes stored neatly away. Proof we were here.

Approaching the cookie ladies house. The biker house is the first one, there is the family garage and fill station in the center(now abandoned), and the cookie ladies residence at the far end. All this at the top of our steepest climb of the day.

Out of nowhere, we ran into this road side stand that sold fresh fruit, cold drinks, ice cream, and an assortment of fruit preserves. The three of us decided this was a good place for lunch.

At one of our rest stops, these horses came over to see what we were all about. Lisa tried making friends by offering them some granola.

There were several little brooks and streams like these along the way. Each one inviting us to stop. If nothing else, just to enjoy the little wonders The Lords Blesses us with.

We met this young lady at the Alexander House. Sorry, I forgot her name, she and a friend were also staying there. They had just completed a multi-sport event, and was leaving in the morning.

What a luxury, to be able to just relax after a grueling day of sight seeing.

On our way to dinner, a train came along. I was so mesmerized that it must have been going past us a good five minutes before I had the sense to snap this shot.


Day 6, May 17. Charlottesville to Afton, Va. 30 mi.

Since yesterday was Fabian’s birthday (37), last night the three of us walked down to one of the local hang out for dinner. I saw one of the guest eating Buffalo Wings. She made it look so good, that I ordered some myself. I must say, it was great. After dinner, we strolled back to the Alexander House. About a hundred yards from home, it started raining. The rain got harder and harder, resulting in thunder and lightning. There were even reports of hail falling in some areas. The rain lasted most of the night. When I woke up this morning, the rain had stopped. At least that’s what I thought. I immediately got the bikes together and started working on them. Mainly clean and lube the chain, and make sure everything is working properly so as not to cause any problems once we get on our way.

The Alexander House is a great place to stay, especially if you are a traveler on a budget. Between the three of us, we paid $35.00 each. For the night. We enjoyed our stay there, while meeting the other guest who were also there.

We left Charlottesville in the rain. Not a very heavy rain, but a steady one that made for a cold wet morning. Before we were out of the Charlottesville area, the rain had stopped, and things started to warm up. It was still over cast all day, so I wore my leg warmers, and jacket the rest of the day.

Today’s ride took us along winding country roads that followed several brooks and creaks. We passed through the rolling foot hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, part of the Appalachian mountain range. climbing several medium grade hills, some lasting for more than a mile. There were also downhill descents that were well worth the climbs. At one point, we rounded a bend when by chance, a train came along side of us, and we were riding right next to it going in the same direction. I wish I could have stopped and taken a picture, that would have been great. Although the sun did not come out today, I could tell that this area full of rolling hills and valleys, was something special. Just being here made me happy to be alive. Our Lord truly is and Awesome God. “Thank You for All You’ve Done.”

We stopped now and then as it became a custom by now. Some planned, and some unexpected. It’s great to be on your own time. At one of our stops, we met Dale. A gentleman in his late 60’s to early 70’s who happened to be out for a ride himself. A very informative individual, he told us where all the good places were, and where we needed to go. Since the weather wasn’t all that great, I didn’t have my camera handy, and missed a chance at a photo opt. From there, our route took us on lonely narrow country roads. Most of them didn’t even have a center dividing line on them, and a couple of them followed along side little streams that gently flowed passed us as we peddled in the opposite direction. We saw another dead deer on the side of the road. We could see the vultures from a far, and knew it was something. I really wanted to get a good shot of them, but stopping for a photo was not an option at that time. We also saw wild rabbits, some strange birds the size of sparrows, but wings that were way, way longer, and they were doing swooping maneuvers over the open streams. They looked pretty neat. Fabian saw a couple of deer standing next to the road. Since he was our navigator, he spent most of the time up ahead, while Lisa and I followed. I usually stayed back in case of any mechanical problem. That way I wouldn’t have to go all the way back to deal with it. Saves a lot of climbing in these mountain stages.

In the middle of no where, we came across this brand new building in the middle of a peach orchard. Of course we had to stop and check it out. Come to find out, it was also an apple orchard, strawberry field, and what not. They made all kinds of fruit products such as preserves, drinks, ice cream, ect. I tried the home made apple cider. Great stuff………….. At about 4:00 in the afternoon, re reached our destination for the day. The community of Afton. This is the home of the world famous “Cookie Lady.” She has been hosting touring cyclist ever since the first Bi-Centennial crossing in 1976. This place is a life saver for touring cyclist like us, since there are no stores, restaurants, or camping facilities near here. This place called the biker house, is a living museum of all things cycling. Some of the most famous names in cycling have either stayed here, or visited at one time or another. Every square inch of space is occupied by some kind of memorabilia from the past and present. There are old bike parts, tokens of appreciation, letters of thanks, books (Some of them written by the very people visiting here), magazines, You name it, it’s here. It would take me over a year to see and read everything in this room I am right now. Incredible. More than 30 years of helping the traveling cyclist from the heart. What a remarkable woman this June Curry is. At 88 years old, she is being assisted by her cousin Renee, who was the one who greeted us upon our arrival. June is no longer able to get around as much as she used to, but her desire for helping these brave, adventurous, and color cladded nomads will always burn in here heart. Thank you so much June for being an angel of The Lord. Aloha kaua.

No internet service yet, so this will be posted later in the week. Sorry for the delay, but some of there places are even farther behind than Molokai.