In Search Of The Perfect Bike Trail

For starters, I've become aware others besides our children (heavens knows why) may be occassionally accessing this site.  Referring to Valerie as "Mom" is fine for our kids, but it always seemed a little too folksy to refer to your wife as Mom.  Don't know why, just is.  So the convention wil now be Val (which is still only 3 letters for me to type).

To begin today's post, I must backtrack to yesterday's road to Damascus.  I did mention the absence of IED's, but failed to mention an even more horrific terrorist device - the ICBM (Indiginious Carved Bear Manufacturer).  As we rounded a blind corner, said device exploded in our view ab I was forced to stop.

You have to understand that for some 45 years I've successfully ignored the subtle hints I've received every time we passed one of these incidious places.  For some incomprehensible reason, this time I actually turned around and went back.  Perhaps it was the sight of the "artist", (same guy who was playing the banjo in yesterday's blog), ripping away with a chain saw on a standing log turning a piece of nature into a piece of .... art. 

You can judge the results yourselves when we get back.(OK - It's cute in a trashy sort of way.  And its not a pink flamingo.)

On to the point of the narrative.

But Wait  -  I have to tell you a bit more about the start of the morning at the grist mill/hotel.  --------------

(I just expunged several paragraphs of what I wrote last night..It was just too snarky even for me.  Bottom line is that this hotel staff while very courteous and eager to help, just started a month ago and are trying to learn the hotel business "on-the-job" with no teacher..  The are doomed because this Friday, approximately 20,000 hiker/biker people are due in this town of one hotel and 816 full-time residents.  If they haven't figured out which keys go to which rooms by then its going to get VERY interesting, )

OK, NOW about our ride!  Seventeen miles of georgeous scenery along a classic mountain stream.  All downhill (except the short up-slope to the Taylor Valley Cafe for their world famous chocolate cake).  Pointless to try to descibe, so here are a bunch of pictures.

Sheep Or Rocks?  (Family joke)

I may be lost, but I'm diggin it.

We are ending the day camped at Gaylor Highlands State Park an hour east of Damascus.  Looking to do some hiking tomorrow.

Good Night From Western Virginia.