The Thin BlueRide - Part 2 Day 82 - Creekside RV Park, Damascus, VA (Rest Day)

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Ride Report: A shocker for a rest day, there actually is a ride report and here it is:  5 Miles, 3,751 Total Miles, 18.7 Avg. mph, 167 Ft.Climbing, 390 Calories.  Here’s the deal, Delta needed some minor adjustment to his shifting and it turned out that both wheels needed to be trued.  After the shop was done I took him for a spin to make sure everything was working properly.  Good thing, because the shifting was OK, but not what I would call crisp.  The mechanic nailed it in about 30 seconds on our post ride return visit.  And kudos to both he and Bicycle Junction for getting Delta in and out so quickly today.

Today consisted of typical rest day activities.  Sleep late, piddle at chores in the morning, plan a bit for the second week in the afternoon, start thinking about dinner at 1630 in the afternoon, figure out what restaurant to hit “later” (but not late), make sure things are ready to go in the morning, go to bed - hopefully early.  What with only a week and a half left till the riding ends in Yorktown, things are starting to feel surreal.  On the one hand I’ll be ready to finish, on the other hand what will I do with myself all day?  More importantly, what will Susan do with me all day and will she be able to tolerate me in large doses?  If I fail to post in the days following the conclusion of the ride, readers will have their answer.

Here’s the day in pics...

First thing up - a bath for Susan's bike.  That it has no name is a curiosity to me.  She names mine, but her bike suffers the ignominy of anonymity.  However, it still looks good after a bath.  She's a bit racy tho.  Sig reported to me that after arriving at the Creek Side RV Park last night she was talking to him from the trailer about going skinny dipping in the creek.

Sig following his bath.  For his part, Sig says he demurred to the whole skinny dipping thing.  He says that being a guy he was reluctant to provide her all the details, but assured her that water in her bottom bracket was not something she wanted to experience.  So if Sig is to be believed, it never happened.  I believe him, he's the more responsible of my two bikes.  Delta?  He'd have jumped on it.  That's why we make him sleep inside at night - so we can keep an eye on him.

This is Matthew, the mechanic who worked on Delta for me today.  He works at Bicycle Junction here in Damascus and was kind enough to get Delta in and out in the same day.  He's worked for this shop for three years and says he likes it.  When I asked, he said they maintain a fleet of about 300 rental bikes.  I gotta believe that'd be a chore.

This is the reason I took Delta out for a 5 mile spin today - on a rest day.  Normally I avoid riding on rest days like President Trump avoids complete sentences.  But today was an exception.  I really wanted to add another state to the list so that I could claim 11 states.  Unfortunately, before I left I checked the official T/A rule book and while short hops to neighboring states are permissible (and even encouraged) under the rules, they can't be part of a rider's official tally of states.  That's why the reader doesn't see Susan in the pic.  Side trip states, however, are permitted a thumbs up.  Curiously, the miles are permitted as part of a rider's official tally for the trip.  Now ya know.

This is The Rig sitting beside the creek at Creek Side RV Park.  I saw a sign in Tennessee proclaiming that the creek (which comes to Damascus from Tennessee) is stocked with trout.  I'm pretty sure I saw small ones rising to feed on several occasions today.

Susan (formerly known as my state line "hand person") and me beside the creek at Creek Side RV Park.  The reader will note the author's choice of grey to compliment his beard.  And while the reader can't see them, even the shorts I'm wearing are grey.  Susan, on the other hand, chose to go with a more colorful approach today, and refers to my outfit as "monochrome".  Well then.  I guess I'll go out and look for a more colorful top to go with my shorts.

The reader can make three observations from this pic.  First, I changed out my drab, monochrome UnderArmour look for this sporty, purple UnderArmour look.  The local fashion police, no doubt, approve.  I didn't inquire.  Second, we dined at the Seven Trails Grill tonight.  So named due to the seven different trails that intersect in Damascus, VA.  Chief among the 7 are the Trans-Am (which yours truly is riding), the Appalachian Trail (a hiking trail and probably more famous than the T/A), and Virginia's own Creeper Trail (which the AT joins for part of its route across Virginia).  Creeper Trail - hey - I didn't name it.  Three, that's what my eyes look like when not hidden behind my riding shades - which are way cooler.

From Left to Right: Me and Susan with Laura and Steve.  They had the slot right next to ours at the RV Park and we talked a couple of times today.  They're from North Carolina and rode 17 miles on the Creeper Trail today.  As it happens, they had recently been to Maine - where we hope to head at least in part, following completion of The Thin Blue Ride.  We took the opportunity to ask if they'd go to dinner with us so we could pick their brains about Maine.  We had a great conversation over good food.  It never ceases to amaze me how friendly everyone we meet has been.

Well, up early tomorrow - gotta make the donuts.  The elevation chart says it's gonna be a big day tomorrow.  Probably not 5k of total elevation gain like the last riding day, but a big day none-the-less.  We'll see.  Back  up over 3k on the elevation chart again also - probably closer to 3,700 ft.  Equally as important - most of that gain comes in three big climbs in short order in the middle of tomorrow's ride.  Sigh - probably better than hitting them at the end.  Maybe I'll include my elevation chart in tomorrow's post.

Till next time.