We had a fun group at the Cookie Lady’s house last night. Phil, Masha, and 4-year-old Brooke arrived in the late afternoon. Daddy Phil is pulling Brooke in her trailer. Momma Masha is carrying a huge load of gear too. They were quite fun people. Australian Phil has great taste in music; he’s a Neil Finn fan.

I slept poorly but the price was right (a $20 donation). Greg left for the east at sun up. I headed west at 7:15.

The first two miles were straight up Afton Mountain to Rockfish Gap where Skyline Drive meets the Blue Ridge Parkway.

I stopped to take a picture of The Mule at the sign pointing south for the BRP and north for Slyline.

After a mile of climbing I was tired and went to post the picture. I deleted it instead. Derp.

There were plenty of sights to photograph though. This section of the BRP had two big climbs: one to 3,000 feet another to 3,200 feet. I felt like I was out west climbing in the Rockies without the thin air. In between the two high points I descended to 2,600 feet.

I rode 27 miles on the BRP before descending on a steep and windy mountain road to Vesuvius. The road looked incredibly like the road over Deepwater Mountain between my in-laws childhood homes in West Virginia.

It was raining during the climb to 3,200 feet and the descent to Vesuvius so I put on my jacket. The cool air and raindrops were welcome relief from the hard work going up and the hot braking surfaces going down.

I did stop twice on the descent to let my rims cool down. The first time I’m sure I was close to a heat-induced blowout. These v-brakes are infinitely better than the cantilever brakes I used to have on The Mule. Still, during descents like these I wish I had disc brakes.

(For those not wishing to deal with the steepness of the road to Vesuvius, an alternative is available. Continue south on the Parkway to Irish Creek Road. This descends to the same valley in 11 miles instead of the four miles to Vesuvius. Indian Creek Road intersects with the TransAm route to the southeast of Vesuvius.)

The road from Vesuvius to Lexington was mostly flat but for a hill near the start and a couple of tough climbs near the end.

I’m at a Warmshowers house just east of Lexington. Dirk and Crissy have a chill golden retriever named Roxy.

Tomorrow I’m shooting for a hostel on the Appalachian Trail in Troutville.