Sixty days! I have been on the road for 60 days and I am now in Virginia. Problem is that I let my guard down too soon. Everyone talked about the dogs of Kentucky. No one mentioned the dogs of Virginia. After crossing into Virginia and taking my obligatory picture of the state sign I had a real encounter with a dog. This dog was no fast running pit bull, or a yappy mutt. He was big. He was white. He looked like a cross between a St.Bernard and Burmese Mountain dog. He got me on the uphill. He attacked not once but twice and the second time he get his teeth into my rear saddle bag and pulled like he was trying to take me down by jerking his head. I could feel his strength pull at the back end of the bike. It was a predator/prey relationship where I was the prey. I jumped off my bike and started reaching for my knife that was in my handle bar bag thinking that he was going to attack again. He backed away. I screamed at the dog and screamed at the houses where he lived. No one came outside. I was pissed that the dog tore into my saddle bag and pissed that no one claimed responsibility. I shaken by the attack.
I remember westbound cyclists telling me of a big white dog but they always said it was in Kentucky. This was Virginia. Right dog. Wrong state. This dog has gone after other cyclists including biting into someone else’s saddle bag. Because I thought I was clear of dogs, this morning, I had put my air horn inside of one of my bags and no longer had it strapped to my bike frame. I removed it a day early.
After clearing the dog’s territory I amazed by the amount of kudzu growing on the side of the road and up the trees. It was so sad to see how it has strangled the native trees and other vegetation. It is so bad the kudzu is covering the road shoulders as well.
In my ride across the country I have met some wonderful people and have kept in touch with a few. There is a couple Dom and Sarah that I met in Idaho. I know they are a few hundred miles behind me and still in Missouri. I wanted them to keep watch for Maggie. Maggie is my friend from NYC that I met in the hostel in Farmington, MO. Wouldn’t you know it, they ran into Maggie today.
It was up and over more hills and quiet rural roads to Rosedale, Virginia. Tonight I am staying at the Elk Garden United Methodist Church 4 miles east of Rosedale. The church has been hosting TransAmerica bicyclists since 1976. They have copies of all the log books since that time available too view. Thousands of cyclists have stayed at this facility and it is really nice. It is clean, has air conditioning, great kitchen and ice maker, and it has an outdoor cold water shower which feels great on a hot day. The floor in the sanctuary part of the building is very comfortable to sleep on because of the cushioning underneath the carpet. Two pew seat pads also make for a great mattress.
Today’s stats: total mileage 49.01 miles; average 10.4 mph; max speed 37.0 mph; elevation gain 4856 feet; elevation descent 3507 feet.