Day 7 – Headquarters

Natural Bridge, VA to Blacksburg, VA – 73 Miles

We were up around 6:15 AM today for an early start.  I was able to catch the sunrise from the back patio of Mike and Wendy’s house.  They live in an area with really fantastic views.

Said goodbye to the Orrison’s (Mike, Carlisle, Wendy, and Nelly from the left), then Max (guy on the right in the picture) and I set off for the day.  It was really great having someone to talk to during the ride.  Helped make the climbs shorter and the time pass quicker.  Max is originally from North Carolina, but has been living in northern California for the last few years.  He’s going all the way on the traditional Trans America route which goes to Astoria, Oregon.

Rolling hills, farm land, quickly flowing streams, and the occasional climb characterized the ride for the day.  Great scenery the whole way.  We passed through  Buchanan, Troutville, Catawba, and our final destination was Blacksburg, which was about 5 miles off the route, but well worth the detour.

Bike the US for MS is based out of Blacksburg and they offered to let us crash for the night.  The house that it is based out of is north west of Blacksburg, just outside of the city.  We made really good time and got here by around 3 PM.  Cows, chickens, and dogs can be found everywhere.  They showed us around the place a bit.  They’ve been working on a new trailer for the supported tours where they keep everyone’s camping gear while they ride each day.  It was complete with a bluetooth stereo and rope lighting.  Pretty impressive!

We had a great time hanging out with Don and Cassie drinking beer, talking about the route, getting suggestions on good places to stay, and things to check out along the way.

Don started Bike the US for MS in 2010.  His mom has MS and a couple of friends and he made a cross country ride to raise money and awareness for the cause.  As it became more popular it was tough to manage everything while still having a full time job at Virginia Tech (which is in Blacksburg), so he hired Cassie to manage everything.  She’s done the Northern Tier, Trans Am, and part of the Southern Tier.  Both are really great people – and fun to hang out with too!  We played some bocce ball and then watched the sun set from a rocky outcropping on top of the hill right next to the house.  We finished the night off with some sloppy joes and good conversation.

The list of incredible people I meet continues to grow.  It seems every night I go to sleep wishing I could stay in the place I’m at for at least one more day.  But we must ride on!  I wonder what tomorrow ill bring…