The highlight of today’s ride was the Hayter’s Gap Road climb. It seemed to go on forever, but the morning was cool and there was little traffic, so it was challenging but beautiful.
I finally encountered a live snapping turtle. It was still warming up, but I decided not to try picking it up, which I admit was probably a sound decision.
On another notable climb, my legs were tired, and there was a lot of traffic, so I decided to pull over and rest at a mailbox turnout. A little dog waddled over to me, and we spent the next few minutes exchanging affection. Her neighbor drove by and told me she hangs out by the road when her family is gone, waiting for people to visit. This is my kind of unrestrained dog!
Addendum: I am camping at the William P. Harris Park, which is an amazing resource for this rural community. It has too many facilities to list here, but is open to bicycle tourists. I picked a spot in the middle of the field, next to an AC outlet. But in the next couple hours, two locals came by to warn me that I had pitched my tent in the path of a local black bear. They were a little perturbed that I was excited, so, in order to avoid giving cyclists a bad name, I decided to move my tent. I do hope to see the bear though!
Leave a Reply