The routemeister had planned an easy 31 mile day for us, starting with a 600 foot climb up Rockfish Gap to cross over the Blue Ridge Parkway. The descent on the other side required much brake squeezing as we followed VA Bike Route 76, part of the Bike Centennial network of roads. The descent from Rockfish gap was down a series of switchbacks, and Rick and John were not impressed with their bike's braking power.

We passed a number of club cyclists going the other way as we went up and down rolling hills in a light drizzle. We had lunch at Harrison's Market in the middle of nowhere, where several of us ate the first sandwiches on white bread we had seen in years. The road into Charlottesville took us through the land of the Garths, with Garth's Lane, Garth's Oak Hill, and Upper Garth.

We checked in to the Residence Inn on Barracks road at about 2 pm, a brand new hotel with hot tub and many other amenities.

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The hill climbing convinced Rick to Fed Ex back some of what he had packed. We never did miss the candlesticks, umbrella, lacrosse stick or the two-volume thesaurus he had brought.

We squeezed into the hot tub with two others, causing most of the water to spill out and walked across the street to hit a bike shop and book store. Dinner at Ruby Tuesdays and "People vs. Larry Flynt" (four thumbs down) on pay per view completed the day.