Virginia Creeper Trail
Oct. 16th, 2007 01:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
catsittingstillKip and I had a romantic getaway weekend (well, about 2/3 of a weekend, since he had to work Saturday morning, it being Homecoming Weekend) in lovely Virginia. While there we rented bicycles (because I don't have a bike rack right now that will let me haul even one recumbent bicycle such a long distance) to ride the Virginia Creeper Trail--a bike trail that follows the route of a defunct railroad called the Virginia Creeper because the long steep grades were such that in some places the train could only manage about five miles per hour.
The bike shop we rented from had a shuttle to allow lazy riders to start at the high point of the trail (Whitetop Station) and coast down to Damascus (the low point, and also the middle) there to be picked up and shuttled back to the bike shop in Abingdon. The whole trail is 34 miles, which didn't seem unreasonable to me, and I was pretty sure I'd ride the whole thing, but we kept the option of being picked up in Damascus, to be safe.
A word to the wise--the trail from Whitetop Station to Damascus is very beautiful--especially when the leaves are turning. It also starts at 3,500 feet, and is in shade most of the way, so it's cooler than you would expect based on the weather. I really wished I'd brought gloves, and warmer socks would have been good too.
Also, when you're used to a recumbent bike seat, even a relatively wide and cushy upright bike seat is... not particularly cushy, given that the trail is not paved, and is a bit bumpy in places.
I'm glad I went, but I was happy to be picked up in Damascus.
The bike shop we rented from had a shuttle to allow lazy riders to start at the high point of the trail (Whitetop Station) and coast down to Damascus (the low point, and also the middle) there to be picked up and shuttled back to the bike shop in Abingdon. The whole trail is 34 miles, which didn't seem unreasonable to me, and I was pretty sure I'd ride the whole thing, but we kept the option of being picked up in Damascus, to be safe.
A word to the wise--the trail from Whitetop Station to Damascus is very beautiful--especially when the leaves are turning. It also starts at 3,500 feet, and is in shade most of the way, so it's cooler than you would expect based on the weather. I really wished I'd brought gloves, and warmer socks would have been good too.
Also, when you're used to a recumbent bike seat, even a relatively wide and cushy upright bike seat is... not particularly cushy, given that the trail is not paved, and is a bit bumpy in places.
I'm glad I went, but I was happy to be picked up in Damascus.
