Day 6
_ Afton VA, 42 miles_
I had a bit of a hard time getting out of Charlottesville. Traffic was heavy, I made two wrong turns, and I had one fellow wave at me and shout, “Astoria is that way!” He was technically correct with his advice, but it was not the road I was looking for…
I ate breakfast at Wyant’s Grocery store about 2 hours later in White Hall. It’s a small place, not much more than a stop sign. When I walked in there were a half-dozen locals chatting over coffee. One of locals came over to chat with me and asked if I would be going through Sisters Oregon. I told him that indeed I would be. He told me to be sure and stop at the Sister’s Coffee shop and ask for a friend of his. He informed me that his friend was an accomplished hat maker. It would not surprise me if I run into him when I stop there.
It’s only 30 miles to Afton from Charlottesville, but I got here before 2pm and decided to unload my gear at the Cookie Lady’s house and do a bit of side touring. I rode the Blue Ridge railroad tunnel at Rockfish Gap and then dropped down into Waynesboro for dinner. Going into Waynesboro was not the best decision. I had about 500 feet of climbing to get back up to Afton. I’m exhausted as a result of the additional 12 mile excursion.
The Cookie Lady is a famous stop on the TransAm. She has passed away but her daughter still runs the house. I’m here with three other cyclists, two are from the U.K. The walls of the house are literally papered with postcards, thank-you notes and memorabilia from almost 50 years of cyclists having stayed there.
I’m not sure where I’m heading for tomorrow. I’m going to see what the day brings.
The Blue Ridge mountains are really blue, even on an overcast day like today. This was taken about 500 feet above Afton.