From KOA Southeast of Wytheville, VA to Mt. Rogers, VA - 48.1 miles
Time on bike: 5:28:23
Average speed: 8.7 mph
Max speed: 33.1 mph
i feel very confident that if it weren't for pervis, our trip would not still be going on. at around 9:15 this morning, pervis showed up to our campground with his bike for me to ride. we got everything switched over and in place, and by about 10:30 we were back on the road from the campground. only to get to the end of the road and find that cailyn was having break trouble. so we stopped and worked on those for about 15 minutes, and then we finally got on the road for good.
however, it was also the worst riding conditions we have had so far as well. the wind was blowing a ton...to the point where we had to pedal to go downhill. not fun. the plan was that pervis was going to drive ahead to the next town (rural retreat) and park his car and then get on his other bike that he brought and ride back to where we were and ride with us back to his car. except there was a problem. for us to be riding into a massive headwind meant that he had a huge tailwind. and so he was flying and got back to us and past us before we got back on the actual route (our campground was a little off route). and by the time he realized it, he was like 7 miles past us, and so he had to play catch up and meet us in rural retreat.
we grabbed some subway in rural retreat and then decided it was time to get out and pedal in the wind some more. we headed back out, while pervis would drive a little ahead of us and wait for us so that he could take pictures of us. it was awesome to have him there...you could tell that he was loving being a part of it, and we needed him, because our spirits were not high to say the least.
then before long, it started to rain...but we really needed to cover the miles because of yesterdays short day, and so we cycled on as the rain kept coming. right after the rain started, we passed 3 women setting up tents in a field (we had heard they were out ahead of us), but we just waved and kept going as there was a good distance between us and we were just trying to get through the rain. we rode for a couple of hours in the rain, and then came to a restaurant at the base of mount rogers. pervis had eaten there before and really wanted to eat there...and he said that he was paying for it. so we went into this totally back country grease pit, and we ate our hearts out, including 3 deserts that we passed around and shared.
our plan was to get to the campground at the top of mount rogers, so cailyn and i climbed back onto the bikes (at least it had stopped raining) and we began to climb, while pervis went ahead to the top and got us a campground (which he also paid for) and set up our tent. and when we got to the campsite, he even had a fire going for us. which let me tell you, was an amazing sight after the cold and rain we had been cycling in.
i don't think that i can even begin to express how thankful i am to pervis. the way that he just poured love and support on us was amazing. i don't always feel like i am the most generous person, and pervis really taught me a lot today about what it means to love others through generosity. i really want to be more like that. i hope it has really sunk in at the heart level for me through this.
it was absolutely a very tough day...and i really don't know where we would be without pervis.
i have to be honest...this has been way harder than we anticipated. not necessarily the cycling, although it has been tough too, but just all of the other things. the little details, the camping, the bike problems. it has been tough and we have wondered often whether we really want to be doing this. don't get me wrong, it is a blast, an amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience. but at the same time, it is hard...really hard. i am really trying (though i don't think very well) to listen to God and to figure out what exactly He is trying to teach me and teach us through this whole thing. i know there is a ton there, i am just trying to process it one day at a time.
and speaking of processing, you would think that you would have a ton of time to process when you are riding your bike between 8 and 10 hours a day, but honestly, i haven't found that to be the case so far. it really takes a lot of brain power and concentration to just cycle and make sure we are on the right route and that we are eating and drinking enough. that may seem crazy...but so far, that is how it has been.
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