Day 3

This was a special day because I rode across my first state line and met my first couple of bicycle tourists. I met the tourist while still riding in North Carolina, just before Cumberland Knob. He had spent the night at the AYH hostel near the border - the only hostel on my route.

It was quite a treat to meet this guy on my first tour. He is one of those timeless sort of tourist who have ridden literally everywhere. He was carrying a minimal amount of stuff, less than 20 lbs, but he was entirely self supported. As we were visiting another tourist rode up. This guy was doing credit card touring and only carrying a few pounds of gear. He was also an experienced tourist and as we three visited I heard my first 'religious' discussion of Brooks saddles. The credit card guy and I were using flite saddles. The other fellow had a Brooks on his Dawes touring bike. This meeting really encouraged me to keep on touring.

Riding into Virginia, I stopped at Fancy Gap for lunch. This was kind of special because the Parkway crosses I-77 just before Fancy Gap and I had driven under this section of the Parkway many time on my way to visit my sister. Now I was riding it. The riding was good with gently rolling hills and lush scenery. I stopped for supper at Mabry Mill - the most photographed building on the Parkway and then rode on to Rocky Knob where I camped for the night. It was bit chilly that night, but the Rocky Knob area is unique, the campground setup is great, and I enjoyed a bit of hiking before dark. I still didn't have a light so when it got dark I went to bed.

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