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May 23, 1997 - Mineral, VA

 

Day 9 - Ashland to Mineral, VA:  44 Miles

Spent day 8 riding from Tappahannock to Ashland, where I knew there was a bike shop. At one intersection, the map wasn't clear, so I rode by dead reckoning through some beautiful back roads. However, I also went on a few roller coaster rides, testing my ability on hills.
 

  In Ashland, ate at Burger King and then found the bike shop. The guy said I should bring it back later and they thought they could finish by the evening. Checked into the motel, brought the bike back and stopped in a laundry mat to do my clothes. The attendant asked me about "Zen" and I didn't tell her much. She said she liked Stephen King. I told her about my trip and she said, "you're been wanting to do this for awhile, haven’t you?" Smart woman. She then said, "You know what they say - hold on to your dreams and you'll never get 'em". Interesting.

Watched a ton of TV - then went back for the bike. Had a talk with the owner about cigarettes. He'd had a heart attack - made me feel even worse.

The bike felt fresh and new, but I had to do alot of adjusting to get the gears back to working well. Reminded me of "Zen" and Quality.
 

 
 
Today rode from Ashland to Mineral - 44 miles. Not too far. Planned to go further, but no motels up ahead. Still have the foreboding clicking sound in the crankset.

Absolutely beautiful ride, but even more hills. Gorgeous.

I read a little further into "Cycling Across America" and the big hills are yet to come. The author doesn't even mention the hills I've been on already. Eeeeks!