Troutville to Vesuvius

Miles Today: 62.51
Average Speed: 9.3mph

Total Miles: 3,527.14

I had briefly mentioned Indy and Mission, our camping buddies in Troutsville, in my last post. Waking up this morning to see them still atop the picnic tables, snuggled safely in their sleeping bags and not in heaps on the cement floor, was quite a treat.

We tiptoed around so as not to wake them, but after the trains started sounding their horns after 7am, it was difficult to stay asleep for even the most weary hiker. And so arose Indy and Mission, looking fresh like daisies.

We had some breakfast, but knew there was a bit of riding and a few tough climbs to tackle, so we tried to get on the road as soon as we could.
Not an hour into our ride, though, we found ourselves with full bladders and no good place to stop. The types of places that are good places to stop include public restrooms, like those in gas stations and libraries, and the woods, where there are no houses in sight. Unfortunately, we were far from any town, and close to many driveways. Then we spied this gem hiding on a church porch!


Anybody reading this can breathe a sigh of relief with me, because I know we’ve all had to hold it before! And honestly, though it seems odd, this little church port-a-potty was the highlight of my morning.
Other highlights include riding near the train! I always enjoy looking at the cars as they go past, and thinking about what might be inside.


We also saw the old depot, which looks like it had seen better days, but I find this kind of stuff fascinating. Imagine what this station looked like a hundred years ago!


We had a nice, overcast day for riding. It hasn’t been sunny lately, but as long as it isn’t raining, we are happy as clams in mud. The weather appeared to be staying in the mountains, so we kept an eye on it and rode happily.


I slammed on the brakes for a turtle in the road, and enjoyed his hinged shell, which allowed him (in hindsight, I realize he was probably a she, en route to lay eggs) to close up shop entirely when scared.
Evan pointed out that another turtle was on the side of the road, so I set them down together to hang out and discuss what had just happened to them.


Then we rode until we reached Lexington!


As we rode through the wealthy neighborhoods, we saw countless huge houses with well-manicured lawns and lovely gardens. Brick and ivy seem to dominate in old-wealth neighborhoods like this one.
Somebody had the good sense to name their estate after me, too.


We stopped in the bike shop in town, and had a nice chat with the owner, who’s been there for some 37 years. He seemed not terribly interested in making money, but moreso keen on enjoying his space.
After that, we rolled down to a coffee shop for an afternoon drink, and met the nice barista, whose name I can’t remember. It was great to sit in a little coffee shop, because they only seem to exist in slightly larger college towns like Berea, Blacksburg, and now Lexington.
We got back on the road with some miles yet to ride, and saw many enjoyable things, including cicadas,

goats,

and weather that was not falling on us.


We stopped for a little break at a pull-off, and discovered that it was the local dumpster collection. The dumpsters looked nice in the afternoon light.


Then Evan pointed out that someone had left flats of tomato plants beside the dumpsters. I hope that somebody comes and gives them a home!


The road toward Vesuvius was pretty flat, and we saw some cyclists in a campground about fifteen miles out of town, but we had places to go and so continued on. Then Evan said, “is that a pig?”


We stopped to make noises at it, until it started coming toward us. I’ve seen pigs in action, and they’re mighty heavy, and can be ornery. Best observed from afar.
There was a slight incline coming into town, but we hardly noticed because it was so evenly graded. What a pleasant evening ride. A few miles later, we were in Vesuvius!


I really expected it to be a bit more impressive.
We rolled into our camping spot for the night, Gertie’s. I was excited because the youth pastor at Excelsior United Methodist, where I’m a member, has a little cutie pie daughter named Gertie.


We had a nice dinner of barbecue sandwiches, some amazing chocolate milk, and then we got all set up for the night. The lawn was a bit squishy in places, but we found the most dry spot we could, and pitched the tent. Unfortunately, the ground was too squishy for a bike to stand upon.


The creek here was a bit too tiny to hear as we fell asleep, but Vesuvius is a sleepy little town, so we had a very quiet night.