Day 3 : The Cookie Lady...

From Mineral, VA to Afton, VA (The Cookie Lady) - 74.6 miles

Story [in numbers]:

Time on bike: 7:25:53
Average speed: 10 mph
Max speed: 31.7 mph

Story [in words]:

the fire house was quite a treat. we got rested up and were out on the bikes and riding by 6:30. it was great to be out early, before the temps got up. we rode a number of miles, and then hit the road that the local from the pizza shop the night before had said would be a great short cut for us to get into charlottesville. and so we figured...we gotta trust the local...so we went for it.

as we started into it, it was great! the road was newly paved with a shoulder and we were really able to move. it was great, until we got into charlottesville, at which point the traffic got really bad and we had to exit before we wanted to, and then had to make up our own route in order to get back onto our mapped route. but all in all, the shortcut was a success (i think we cut out about 10 mapped miles) and because of our having to make up our route to get back on the mapped route, we got to ride right through the university of virginia campus, which was really nice.

we then headed out of charlottesville, on our mapped route, shooting to get to afton, which is the home of the cookie lady, june curry. we had heard that the route had it's first real climbs going up and into afton, and the rumors were true! it was a pretty intense climb, but honestly nothing that we couldn't handle as long as we were patient. so we rolled into the bike ladies place at around 5:30 to find two other guys already settled in for the night. so, we got our stuff situated, showered up, and began getting to know them.

keith and kirk. keith had done most of the transam in 2008, but had made up his own route in the east and didn't ride the virginia and kentucky section. so he has two weeks off of work and is going to ride the section that he didn't do in 2008. and kirk was just laid off of his job, he said that he is 58 and hasn't had more than a weekend off from employment in his whole life and so he was going to take advantage of the opportunity.

we sat around the bike house (the cookie lady has a whole seperate house to host cyclists and it is an absolute shrine to people that have done the transam. she estimates that she has hosted over 14,000 cyclists. there are postcards and memorabilia and every other thing imaginable in the house. this was the first time that we really began to understand the magnitude of doing something like this. and she even keeps the house stocked with food for cyclists. what an amazing deal) and talked with kirk and keith. shared stories and life a little bit. both great guys!

then we headed up the road a bit and knocked on june's door, and she came out and we sat on her porch, as the cats and peacocks checked us out, and talked with june for quite some time. or more like listened to her talk. she doesn't hear well anymore, but even if she did, i think that we probably would have just listened mostly. she has an amazing memory and amazing stories to tell. so we just sat and listened as she talked and talked. she is an amazing lady. you should google her, you will find all kinds of things.

we finished the night back at the bike house, with keith giving cailyn all kinds of wisdom and insight about places to check out and things to watch out for as we head to the west. we called it a night around 10, with the hope that we would be on the bikes by 6.

today was the first really good all around day. the first day that i felt like i actually ate enough calories to have the energy to do all the riding.