Saturday August 22

Our 25 mile ride today was over before we knew it. The overnight rain showed it’s face again this morning which temporarily dampened spirits but with the promise of a short day and a visit with family, it was only a minor distraction.
I have to report about our worst dog episode of the trip that occurred today. We were surrounded by nearly a half dozen dogs while peddling up one of the two hills we conquered today. They were barking and growling in a frenzy. I didn’t manage to get my dog whip out and likewise Donna didn’t have a chance to pull out her pepper spray. We fended them off with shouts and a few kicks when one of them got close enough. My shoe actually made contact with the face of one of them. This wasn’t supposed to happen in Virginia! These dogs must have been transplants from Kentucky.

It was just about noon when we pulled into town. Dan and Ellie were supposed to meet us at the Baptist church about the same time but were nowhere to be found. We located the Baptist Church with the Hostel and parked our bikes. A walk to check out the town was in order as it’s always a good practice to avoid biking once the day is over. The town consisted of a restaurant. We couldn’t locate any other services. According to our map there were supposed to be over 1000 people living here. This must be one of those instances when the population is actually for the entire county.

Dan and Ellie showed up about 20 minutes after we arrived. The rest of the day was spent visiting and eating and visiting some more. Lewis got to know his Aunt and Uncle that he’d only met one other time as an infant. Much fun was had by all as Donna and Dan were able to catch up on 9 years of separation. Before we knew it, four hours had passed and Dan and Elliie packed up and said goodbye. The gray overcast skies had almost completely cleared by the end of the afternoon with almost cool temperatures. We are really looking forward to tomorrow. It promises to be a beautiful day. I hope the cycling matches the weather.