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Archive for May, 2008

I have to say that was the coolest bike ride I have ever been on and the scenery was spectacular. Our little cabin was right on the Blue Ridge Parkway and we rode the entire length of the Creeper over the two days. We first rode from Whitetop to Damascus, which is an easy and scenic relatively downhill jaunt. We stopped plenty of times along the way to take pictures and relax by the river.

It was an easy ride with plenty to see and little spots along the way to grab a snack or take a break.

For the second day we went the other direction and rode from Abington down to Damascus. This was a little more flat and the trail wound its way through farms, pastures and past many homes. Again, very scenic and a fun relaxing ride. The bridges are much taller on this section and you can really see the old train bridges. It was a great ride with plenty of stops to take pictures and take in the view.

This part of the trail took us less time to ride and we got into town with a lot of time to spare before we met up with the shuttle to take the bikes back. I was feel adventurous so after refueling with a refreshing Mountain Dew, I rode the 17 miles back up the trail to the place where we started.

There were too many people on the trail at that point and I made pretty good time in reaching the top. In a little over two hours I was back up in Abington ready to give the bike back. 34 miles for the day is pretty damn impressive if I do say so my darn self. I made it back before 5pm and had a celebratory Mountain Dew to mark my mileage.

It was a great trip and I would love to do it again. If you get a chance to ride or even walk the trail it’s definitely worth it. The scenery is spectacular, the people are all friendly and although it can wear you out, you feel relaxed as you wind your way down the trail.

I’m not sure when, but I’m going again!

Virginia Creeper Album

I won’t go into all the details, but this movie was a huge letdown filled with clichés, forced scene setups, rehashes of scenes from the previous three films and an alien subplot that made me kept thinking Mulder and Scully were lurking in the shadows.

The movie has some funny moments and Harrison Ford still wears the Fedora well, but overall it lacked any spark from the original and by the time I got to the end it seemed so far fetched and ridiculous I honestly thought the movie was a gag for the X-Files.

Perhaps this is just a bridge movie to pass on the torch, but it’s sad to see this movie as such a pale reflection of the Indiana Jones of decades past.

I’m not sure if I’m ready for such things, but I’m not one to let common sense stand in the way of having a good time. Donna and I are heading out this Memorial Day to ride the length of the Virginia Creeper – which by good fortune is actually in Virginia.

It’s supposed to be a slow and easy grade which you can somewhat coast down going one way but a slight incline going the other. I’m good with the coasting downhill part, but that really isn’t exercise now is it?

I currently have no bike rack, so this unto itself poses a little dilemma. I have come to realize that I need some sort of tow hitch mechanism to transport the bikes using my car. So, I might be cruising down the road looking very fabulous with a bike in the backseat… and one in the trunk… I’ve played Tetris, I can make this work.

The scenery should be spectacular though and I am taking my cameras with me. I’m not sure how that will work out since my camera backpack weighs and extra 20+ pounds and having that on my back while riding a bike seems to be asking for trouble.

If nothing else, the little Sony will get a workout since it easily fits in the “saddle bags” and can easily be toted around. I haven’t tried putting photography and cycling together so this should be interesting.