Day 11 – Visiting in Virginia

July 1
Wytheville, VA to Damascus, VA
59 miles

Strangers made our day. Resting next to a post office in Sugar Grove, we struck up a conversation with a local resident who came by to drop off a letter. There was nothing particularly striking about the conversation – he asked about our trip, told us his wife had been to Seattle to visit a friend, and commented on the road ahead – but was something just so easy and natural and purely genuine about this moment of connection.

Later, as we were struggling up a major climb, a small car sporting “My Other Car is a Bicycle” and “Peace is Patriotic” stickers pulled alongside us. Harry and Betty, a lovely retired couple from Florida, were enthralled with the idea of cycling across country and peppered us with questions about our trip. We hit it off immediately. They are both cyclists that met through their local cycling club, and were doing what they do every summer: leave Florida and go north. Last year they drove motorcycles all the way to Michigan; when we met up with them they were camping and hiking in the area, making their way to Washington DC. Their energy and excitement was radiant and they were a delight to talk to. Later, that evening, we saw them again in Damascus – they had come looking for us – and had more great conversation.

Last, but not least, there was Stu, the cyclist we met at the hostel in Damascus. He came over and introduced himself right away when he saw us. On a 2-week break from med school, Stu was cycling a FIXED gear bike from Missouri to Charlotte, putting in 100-mile days. Boy did we feel like slackers. For those of you who don’t cycle, a fixed gear bike has a single gear (a big one), and the thought of having only one big gear to climb these hills is enough to make us both cry. But check out the picture we took of Stu, his bike, and ultralight gear. All he travels with is the stuff on top of his rear rack, which includes a sleeping bag, tarp (for shelter), bike tools, and a single change of clothes. Believe me, we were taking notes and would love to emulate the simplicity (and lightness, hello) of his setup. Stu has a most accomplished adventure resume: he has through-hiked both the Appalachian Trail (Georgia to Maine) AND the Pacific Crest Trail (Mexican border to Canadian border), and has cycled the entire Continental Divide Trail (New Mexico to Canada). We spent a delightful evening eating pizza with him, and then more time the next morning over a cup of coffee before we went our separate ways.