Riding in the Rain
Day 27: Prestonburg, KY to Grundy, VA (68 miles, 3400 feet of climbing)
After 27 days of riding it finally happened. We were going to have to ride in the rain. I’ve never ridden in the rain and was a little nervous. Dad really quelled my nerves by yelling to “go faster” and “don’t hit the breaks” while we were going on our first downhills. I hit the breaks most of the way down and we both arrived at the bottom intact. It really only drizzled for an hour or so and then it was a nice cool cloudy day for the rest of my ride.
We rode through more of Appalachia. It was very green and hilly with the clouds getting stuck in between the hills. A nice change of scenery after weeks of flat farms. I rode for 32 miles ending with one last hill that was over 10% at one point. After that I was very ready to be done.
Mom took over and her and Dad rode through some more greenery. They had the two biggest climbs on the route. The first one was longer and more gradual, but the second was short and steep. I think mom hated both. I met them at a family dollar at the bottom of the second hill. I think either dollar stores or subways are the chains we’ve seen the most.
By this point it had started raining a little again and I wasn’t sure if they wanted to continue. After a short break they decided to keep going and I planned to meet them at the hotel. They rode alongside a river with green leafy plants covering most of the trees for a while and then crossed into Virginia. About halfway to the hotel it started to really rain so I turned back to see if they wanted rain coats. Mom decided to end her ride there and Dad got his rain coat and kept going the last few miles to the hotel.
It didn’t end up raining hard for him and we all made it safely to Grundy. For a town of 822 people they have the biggest Walmart I have ever seen. Maybe we’ll eat there tonight.
