June 2, 2001.
Chilhowie to Elk Garden United Methodist Church Hostel, Virginia. (32 mi.) Mile 573
Back
on the TransAm route, climbing resumes.
This evening we are writing our
journals in the upstairs Sunday school room of the Elk Garden United Methodist
Church, built in 1787 (using red brick, of course). The Church opens its doors
to bicycle tourists and Appalachian trail hikers needing a place to stay. We
have free use of its kitchen, some basic food stocks, and any place we want to
put down our sleeping bags for the night. We have joined Walter Francke from
Hillsborough, North Carolina, a retired university professor, who also left Yorktown, VA on May 20 riding his
bike west to Oregon. He caught up with us as we were just starting up the 4
mile continuous climb (taking 1 hour at 4 mph) over Hayters
Gap, a climb I would not have been able to
make earlier in the trip. We are both hardening up and feeling stronger. This,
and having someone to share stories with for the evening, are making the trip more fun.
1) 
2) 
1) Meadowview
2) The climb up Hayter's Gap, 4 miles at 4 mph
3) 
4) 
3) Elk Garden
Methodist Church Hostel.
4) We joined Walter Francke to fix dinner in the church kitchen.
We are glad to be back on the
TransAm "Bike Route '76". We were told at a mini-mart that we could
take an easier, flatter and faster route, but we chose the hard way. Our brief
detour off-route put us right back into the world of hectic traffic, fast food
chains, and strip malls that look alike all across the country. On the TransAm
route, we feel time-warped back to a quieter, simpler America. We have gone
days on the route and not encountered a McDonalds or even a stop light. The
scenery has been beautiful and historically interesting, and today was no
exception.
Appalachia near
Elk Garden
We got an early start and took our
time again, knowing it would be a short mileage day. The next accommodations
would be too far for us to reach in one day. The weather has been cool and
partly cloudy, with only a few raindrops. We stopped in the community of
Hayters Gap to use the computer in the small library, chat with the librarian,
and to buy some baked goods at the Community Yard Sale. These powered us over
the Gap.
Tomorrow will finally take us to
the Kentucky border. More mileage and time are spent in Virginia than any of
the other states, so we will feel as if we are making some progress by finally
crossing state lines.
