May 24, 2013
To Front Royal
Washed out in the mountains
Yesterday was awesome, but today started out less so. It began menacingly - we awoke to a very foggy, very wet morning and could barely see past the edge of the lodge - a startling change from the sweeping views of the valley and far mountains we had enjoyed just hours earlier. Worse, it was very cold - the temperature dropped into the mid 40's in the night - and windy. Worse still, the wind direction had shifted and was now no longer in our favor. About as bad as it gets for a touring cyclist - cold, foggy, soggy, and strong headwinds. Fortunately we were faced with only a 50 mile ridge ride with almost no place to tempt us to stop along the way or hide out from the elements. No problem.
It seemed a good morning to take our time and await developments a bit, so we lingered longer than usual over breakfast, and after packing we dallied some more staying warm by the lodge's hearth and hoping for a weather miracle. It worked, and miraculously enough the fog lifted, the rain and wind abated for a bit, and we set off quickly hoping to make it to the next lodge 15 miles down the road before getting too cold and wet.
Our standards for the day were admittedly low, but we ended up feeling very lucky. Winds were mixed and even intermittently favorable; and the skies cleared enough that we had good visability, enjoyed more inspiring views, and never got seriously cold or wet. Good enough for us! By midafternoon we were off the ridge and barreling downhill to Front Royal, destined for a warm shower and a hot meal.
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Today's ride: 47 miles (76 km)
Total: 434 miles (698 km)
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6 years ago