Philippi, West Virginia to Flatwoods, West Virginia
Up at 6 AM. Got to City Restaurant for breakfast at 6:30. Don't open till 7 AM so (oooooh sunrise - sun just coming up over a mountain to the east.) Anyway, finished notes from Day 7 and called Peg since I didn't talk to her last night. Breakfast was cheerful. Had homemade bread toast suggested by Misty the waitress. Twas delicious. Made with a lot of butter. Best toast of the trip so far. Hilly ride to Buckhannon. The locals exaggerated (due to their perception of what it would feel like to pedal to Buckhannon.) In reality, it was basically very hilly, but no steep climbs of more than a half mile at a time.
Saw this really interesting roadside marker: Pringle Tree - famous because John and Samuel Pringle, who fled from Fort Pitt, lived in the cavity of this sycamore tree for two years. Must have been elves. :)
This morning my bike is a mobile clothesline. I have a T-shirt, sweatshirt, bathing suit, and pair of shorts draped all over to dry out. Doesn’t look very elegant, but it works!
10:00 AM Buckhannon, Home of Miss West Virginia 2003 Amy Thomason! Funny but I think I just passed Miss “Homely” West Virginia pushing a stroller. Let’s just say strange dental protuberances. In other words, I think they were teeth. Damn, I never knew they could grow that way! This is truly West Virginia - ups, downs, beauty, ugliness, good, bad, all rolled into one state!
Rte. 119 South to Rte. 20 South
Nice folks in library. Said I’ve already seen the worst of the mountains. Hope they’re right.
11AM On the road again. 21.5 miles so far - getting hot out now.
Met a guy outside the post office that asked me if I could recommend a basket for the front of his mountain bike. I figure he was eyeing my handlebar bag and thought I might know something. Told him that I didn’t know and then the usual talk about where I was going. He wished me well and said, “See you again in heaven.” I said, “OK.” As I rode off, I was thinking... “Almost heaven, West Virginia...”
Took the picture of the day of an estate up on a hill with a tractor pulled up in the circle drive right in front of the house. 180° behind me was the “have nots” - poverty, dilapidation, rusty cars, broken toilets, and old tires in the yard. I am writing this in a general store in Ireland, WV. The counter has boxes of ammunition right next to the lollipops and sparklers, and under the chewing tobacco. The folks are talkin’ about who died. One guy across from me is fussing with a rifle. Feels like Floyd’s Barbershop from Mayberry. But friendly folks...
This is for Claire mainly or anyone else - spelling cop stuff... a sign at the counter says: Please! Tell us when you are useing your food stamp card. Befor we ring up thing on the reg.
Story of the Day:
Just north of Rock Cave, WV the traffic was stopped for a construction flagwoman. I rode up to the flagwoman, who seemed to be a college girl. She was standing in white socks and no shoes. I told her, “I wish I could take my shoes off but these pedals would hurt my feet.”
She said, “Where are your pedals?”
I showed her the bottoms of my shoes and explained how they lock into the pedals for extra pedaling power. Then we got to talking about my trip and soon after, her counterpart flagperson on the radio was asking her what the last car was. She said, “I’m gonna lose my job. I don’t know what the last car was!”
So I said, “I’ll ride down now - tell him its a guy on a bike!” and I left.
She yelled, “Be careful” as I coasted down the hill.
Stopped at an overlook for Falls Mill. Looked like a great swimming hole just below the falls. Only problem was steep drop-off to get down there. Locked up bike and went down for a swim. Bike shoes have cleats for extra gripping power going down the slippery slope. Water was REALLY refreshing! Lots of fish swimming to my feet - trout, perch, minnows.
Back on bike and down road to Flatwoods, WV. Thought ride into Flatwoods, especially the last 5 miles, would be flat and easy because of the name, Flatwoods. NOT TRUE. Made it to town by 6:15 PM
66.77 mi today. 6 hours 5 min riding time. 497 total miles.
Dinner at Gary’s Bar & Grill and goodnight. They say the worst of the mountains is over. Another 67 miles to Charleston, WV (on the Interstate), probably 75 for me. Slept at a motel - well not quite. There was a motel, Laurel Court Chalets - now defunct, with a motel style building and about 10 “A” frame chalets along a creek. The back porch of one of them was a fine place to spend the night. “We don’t need no stinking AAA book!”