This is a planned short day because it sets me up for the climb up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. So, I took a side detour to Natural Bridge, VA which is one of the iconic land marks in the world. I didn’t know until this day that George Washington surveyed the land mass and Thomas Jefferson once owned the land.
I also didn’t know that VA highway 11 actually uses the land bridge to make the connection. I rode on that route to get to the entrance to this place and I had no idea I was traveling on the bridge.
Today took me to Lexington, VA the home of the Virginia Military Institute and Washington and Lee University. VMI has what appears to be the most hideous campus I have ever seen. The buildings are puke green and concrete. Now I didn’t see all of the campus and maybe it looks better elsewhere but the portion that is viewed by the public, who are not associated VMI, is not down right ugly. Try a different paint color to brighten it up.
Today’s stats: total mileage 67.2 miles; average speed 12.5 mph; max speed 40.6 mph; elevation gain 4009 feet; elevation loss 4736 feet.