Some Thoughts on Virginia So Far

We are in Blacksburg VA a bustling college town home of Virginia Tech (and the 2007 mass shooting on campus). It has a quaint Main Street founded in 1798. So far we have cycled 382 miles. Thats an average of 64 miles a day. Not too shabby considering all the hills!

Verdant: Our TransAmerica Route has thoughtfully taken us on quiet country roads, rolling past pastures, forests and farms mostly. Where the vegetation hasn’t been tamed away there is lush foliage. Dewy, licheny, viney, so lush and green. I wish I could tell you the taxonomy of the trees. All I can say is we aren’t in Washington anymore. Some evergreen trees but many more deciduous. It is so sublime to pedal along in the embrace of so much greenery and the serenade of birdsong, and sounds of frogs and insects.

Courteous Drivers: It blows my mind how patient the motorists are with cyclists. We are mostly on single lane roads and when a car comes up from behind us, they slow down and give us a wide berth before passing. Odder still, they will patiently pace behind us forever until they can safely and slowly pass. Many won’t pass until they receive a signal from us, waving them through. 

Historic: We have been pedaling past the ghosts of Revolutionary and Civil War battle casualties. The landscape makes it easy to imagine the misery of tromping through dense wet forest, a la Vietnam; and the  coordinated battles engaged by thousands of men at a time in a huge clearing a la Spartacus. There are historic markers all over the place where a battle happened. It’s all a bit impersonal and I wish I knew more details but I can tell you its overwhelming to think of all the warfare and loss. I know I enjoy the freedoms and privileges of a more perfect union they fought for and for that I am truly grateful. But its just sad. The architecture is very colonial; lots of brick and Ionic and Doric columns. 

Colleges: So many! We have ridden through the campuses of William and Mary (the oldest in the US), Washington and Lee, VMI, Virginia Tech to name a few. We hit it right during graduation week. So sweet to see the kids in their caps and gowns. This state seems to place a high value on education.

Hilly: All the blogs and descriptions say that the most pedaling elevation to be had is in Virginia…not even Colorado! We are feeling it. Climbing up and over the Blue Ridge Mountains, especially in the 90-102F heat was brutal. Now we are in the rolling hills of the Appalachia. Mercifully, it is cooler with light rain and overcast. 

Nice People: Their motto is “Virginia is for Lovers”. We have met the nicest people. Our Warmshowers hosts have been amazing! Feeding and sheltering us, inspiring us with the generous way they live, and just getting to know people that are different than us yet ultimately are the same in our humanity. People want to help us in our journey; bottles of water on the roadside, a round of coffee at a coffee shop, a lift up the hill (No thanks! Our first Warmshowers host that have done several trips across America introduced us to the acronym EFI…Every F@$king Inch)

Churches and Dollar Stores: The bastions of rural America, they are prolific in each small town.

White Privilege: I’d be remiss to not share my observation. We have pedaled past the properties and plantations of several of our founding fathers. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison, John Tyler, James Monroe, Patrick Henry, Robert E Lee to name a few. Our government by the people and for the people, where women, indigenous people and Blacks where excluded was crafted by wealthy landowners. While the dream of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and the basis of the Constitution are nothing short of civil works of art let’s not forget that white male privilege was the basis of this country and the legacy of that abundance manifests an imbalance we still see today.