Ride C2C #4 - Day 13: Wytheville to Christansberg

Day 13 Date: 7/5/23
Day: 13
Route: Wytheville to Christiansburg
Miles: 52.4 withe 3,393 feet climbing
Total Miles: 539.33
MyZone MEPs: 576

"That was supposed to be downhill?  Someone made a mistake - It didn't feel like downhill at all" - R 

Alarm goes off at 6 AM – we’re sleepy from staying up late last night for the fireworks, so we snooze until 6:30 am.  Packing up his quick we go down for breakfast at 7 AM and I noticed that there are sheep paintings on the walls. 

Then I read about Edith Bollings, married to President Wilson.  She insisted that sheep be brought to the Whitehouse to take care of trimming the grass to free up the gardeners so they could go to war. The wool was also auctioned off to raise money for the Red Cross.

I also see the boys and grandparents from last night and invite them out to check out our bikes as they were fully loaded and ready to roll. 

Right off the bat I am dragging. My legs feel really tired and every hill seems like a struggle up a mountain. The day is not very eventful but still many many ups and downs.

Sometimes we’re on a road next to a freeway (the old highway) and the roads are mostly quiet. The entire field is different each small town is either empty or just roadside stops with chain stores like Circle K, subway, big gas stations. 

Just after Max Meadows, we stop at a Circle K for drinks. Nice guy in a big truck asked where we were going, and damn we must be in good shape. He was heading to Ohio I’ve been stuck in North Carolina. Safe travels nice people.

Doug is feeling pretty low too and we just grind our way to Draper where they have a new trail system that could cut off several hills. We ride it for half a block and decide the effort of the loose gravel is harder than riding up and down the hills on pavement, so we get back on the road.

And that’s a good thing because where we thought the trail met up with the road it was on a trestle 50 feet above the road and I don’t know how we would’ve gotten down! 

Still riding up and down, up and down, until Newburgh. Then we have a bit of a break on some level Road is it follows along 626 and follows along the new River.

We stopped for a drink and head into Radford. Blah – hot sun, busy Bridge, Lots of traffic, will pull into a sonic for a lemonade and some water. They didn’t have a bathroom (which is what we really wanted) And we had to order our lemonade through a machine.

So now we climb most of the rest of the way to Christiansburg – a real steep slug up through Radford, that onto a high Ridge with an a shoulder and we cross into a side road that had the steepest ascent of the day. It was a 13% that we walked up.

We have about 13 miles to go and we are both dragging or tails and just wishing we were done for the day. We take a stop here and there for drink break and to get off the saddle.

Finally we are in Christiansburg and both of us are whipped.

I had put the address in wrong for my phone for the B&B we’re staying at and it pointed us up a very steep hill. Doug is like

“you go see if that’s right, why don’t you call them, I’m not peddling anymore.” 

I got the right address, yes it was up another steep hill but not as steep, and there is The Oaks Victorian Inn. This is a beautiful 1893 mansion. We dump our bikes and try to clean ourselves up Before we check in.

We meet the proprietors Shannon and Jason and they are both gracious and welcoming. Shannon showed us around and it is clear how much they love the history of the house and the people who lived here before. 

Our bedroom, named after owner Julia's daughter Anna, 

Was beautiful, comfortable, and very welcoming. 

We get our bags off our bikes, park the bikes in the Beautiful back garden area, take a shower, put on their luxurious bathrobe,

sip the cold just tart enough lemonade and munch salty Virginia peanuts that are delivered to our room and... fall asleep on the heavenly comfortable bed.  

We meet up with Shannon and Jason in the kitchen, make a cup of coffee, and they explain more about the house built by Pierce in 1893, his two daughters lived in the house until 1971.

It fell into disrepair and the city was ready to condemn it, until a local family with “ deep wealth" spent zillions restoring it. They even took off the roof turret to rebuild it on the ground and then replace it.

The house then saw them was run as a B&B until the then owners wife became ill. It was closed and Shannon and Jason bought it in 2018 and what about clearing away the overgrown yard and gardens and making the Essential repairs to the house.

They even offered to do a load of laundry for us which clearly needed. Maybe that was for their own protection?  I think we smell pretty ripe.

Koi and goldfish in the back yard

We then met Betty and Lou – a wonderful

older couple who were on a road trip to see their brother.  Doug and I walked to “the Summit” restaurant for dinner and Betty and Lou invited us to join them at the table.

We had a spectacular time. Doug and Lu are two peas in a pod – they talk about everything from nautical engineering to Cars.  Who was a master nautical designer who designed and manage construction on military ships from nuclear submarines to fast attack boats and destroyers. He’s also a car – Chevy – nut. They were married in the mid 60s, lived all over, with most the time in Biloxi Mississippi for Lou’s career. They now live in Knoxville.

Our dinner was wonderful in an old mansion sitting on top of a hill. Stuffed mushroom appetizer, delicious salads, and creative main courses – Doug had seafood and pasta, I had the chicken stuffed with apricots and raisins.

on the walk back, we see a little free library box and pull out a book called "dinosaur versus bedtime".  We are still laughing about that book is it went through pages of things like dinosaur versus "old people talking"… Roar (stomp stomp stomp)… Dinosaur wins!

When we return to our B&B, Shannon and Jason invited us to join them for a glass of wine out on the porch.

Where we chat about the house, history repairs, as the sun goes down and the fire flies come out. Perfect evening!  

We are looking forward to our rest day tomorrow.