Day 7: Mallard to Troutville: Joy gets fed up with marketing - CircumTrektion: TransAm 2006 - CycleBlaze

May 17, 2006

Day 7: Mallard to Troutville: Joy gets fed up with marketing

The ride to Lexington in the morning was a nice warm up to the day. I didn't rush because I needed the library and figured it wouldn't open until 9. I spent an hour doing email and putting up the cookie lady day--I may need to figure out a better system. This typing and picture uploading is taking a lot of time, but I really didn't like Pocketmail (couldn't type on it), so I'm writing my entries and typing them at libraries. It wouldn't be so bad except that I tend to write quite a bit. Oh well--I'll figure something out.

Morning views
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Stonewall Jackson Cemetery
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Stayed in Lexington until after 11 doing the library thing and getting a sandwich and looking at some of the history of the place, then I headed off route on 11 toward Natural bridge, which I had heard was cool. I wasn't going to go because it seems overmarketed (brochures everywhere I stop), but it's so close to the route and so highly recommended by former TransAm-er Mike Riscica that I thought I'd detour that way. Stopped at a cute little market on the way and picked up some fruit for the road, bypassing the pork brains and country hams and wishing I could strap a watermelon on my bike for later.

Canned Pork Brains--yummy!
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Virginia Hams
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On 11, I started passing some tourist-y things that had warned me that this was probably just an over-developed area lining someone's pockets with the money of tourists. When I got to the natural bridge area, I was a little bitter about how much $ they wanted just to go see this "natural wonder", but I hadn't ridden all that way NOT to see it, so I coughed up my dough and went in. It was totally not worth the $--no secure bike parking area and a condescending girl selling tickets. The bus loads of children leaving the area probably didn't help my attitude.

Sort of unhappy at the Natural Bridge--it would have been pretty if I hadn't had to pay for the view
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Unamused at the little Indian Village that was included in the price of my Natural Bridge ticket
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Yeah, but he didn't have to pay to see the thing
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Don't look now, mom!
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However, the detour was worth it for one monumental piece of Americana...FoamHenge. Yes, Foamhenge. A life-sized replica of Stonehenge in 400 pound blocks of styrofoam. It was one of those places you are inexplicably drawn to but ashamed to be seen at.

Foamhenge!!!
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Yup--it's foam alright
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See...I am not making this up!
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So you can understand why Natural Bridge was such a let-down after Foamhenge. After leaving the bridge, I got back on the route and headed to Buchanan, where Cristey had been hours before me. I'd told her I was trying to reach Troutville for the night, and they have free camping, so I knew C. would be down for that, but by Buchanan, I was getting tired and it was headed toward late afternoon. I stopped at a soda fountain/pharmacy there and got a coke float (no pepsi--sigh). The pharmacist offered to give me a ride so I could catch up with Cristey and Dave (a rider riding to raise $ for MS who had passed me earlier), but I said that wouldn't be RIDING across America. He said he'd never tell, and I'm sure he's the type who would have dropped me off a mile from town just to make it look like I rode in. I thanked him for the offer, but pedaled on my way.

Coke Float source in Buchanan
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Helpful pharmacist who offered me a ride
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Fountain/Pharmacy/Laundry--everything in one place if you're in Buchanan!
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It took a dose of my sweet Pepsi to get to Troutville, but I pulled in sometime after 6 and about 2 minutes before a downpour. I guess the guys who help at the Park had gone out looking for me in their truck after Cristey and Dave told them I wasn't in for the night yet. They were trying to save me from the rain, I guess. But I'm water resistant--I'd have been ok. Wet, but ok.

Dave, park attendant (name unknown), and Buddy at Troutville
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So I'm sleeping on a table in a pavilion tonight, trying out my tyvek as a bivy of sorts. There's a train track that runs right on the other side of the fence in the park, so we're expecting to be waken up a couple of times. That's one thing I'll remember about Virginia--the trains.

Off to Radford tomorrow to stay with a family that hosts bikers in their home.

5:45:06, 8.8 avg, 50.75 mi

Today's ride: 51 miles (82 km)
Total: 312 miles (502 km)

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