We got an early start from Lexington, with a hearty Best Western breakfast in our bellies (I made the perfect waffle). There was a bit of a heart thumping hill to start with, but then about 13 or so miles of a gradual grade to Vesuvius. I finally managed to get a photo of one of my old friends from the AT.
Yep, the little red eft.
In Vesuvius, we started the dreaded 4 miles of steep switchbacks up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Only…it wasn’t 4 miles, and the last bit wasn’t that hard.
And so it begins…
A bit of a view from most of the way up.
We got on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and continued climbing. There are numerous overlooks on the Parkway. Of course, we can also stop where there isn’t an official overlook.
You can see the road over there.
We were here on the AT!
An overlook looking down the other side of the ridge at Raven’s Roost Overlook.
After lots of ups and downs, we had a nice downhill to the Humpback Rocks Visitor Center. It was the only place the entire day where we were able to get water.
After the Visitor Center, we had 6 more miles to the end of the Parkway at Rockfish Gap (another place we were at on the AT). The route came off the Parkway and went right on 250. We went left as we were doing the Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail.
It went under Rockfish Gap! The trail to the tunnel was a pretty steep downhill of crushed, mostly compacted gravel. Still, the brakes got a workout.
The tunnel!!!
Goin’ in!
The tunnel is not that long (you can see the light at the end of it). We popped out the other side at the East Trailhead.
I think this was the old depot??? But, the cool thing is that my mom’s parents were Afton and Virginia!
We stopped to talk to a family with two little girls that have been traveling by car for 22 months. They are with some group, but they didn’t say what it was. It started to rain, so we hustled on to…”The Cookie Lady Bike House”!
It is literally just across the road from the East Trailhead road.
Who is/was the Cookie Lady? Her name was June Curry. From the beginning of the Trans Am in 1976 she helped cyclists, and gave out cookies. She passed away about 10 years ago. Her (either daughter or granddaughter), Nicole has kept the house available for cyclists to sleep in. Really, it’s a museum of memorabilia from over the many years June opened up her home to cyclists. We are just crashing on couches.
Memorabilia everywhere!
I claimed the grey couch.
Nicole asks for a $25 donation/person. It pays for the lights and water. There is an upstairs, but I don’t know if anyone lives there.
So, we did the last major climbing of the Trans Am today. There are still some small rollers, but we are on the downslope to Yorktown!
T-Minus 4 days!
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