Virginia--
As I said in my first on-the-road post, urban and suburban opened up to fields of wheat interspersed with cyprus swamp. There was a lot more forest than I imagined in the state, as it was the first state to really be settled. I think the great-American forest has begun to retake what it has lost in the state of Virginia. After Waverly, there were also a lot of clear-cut sections of forest. It showed an interesting duality of the serenity of nature and the scars of man's manipulation of nature. I can't say I understand the situation of the area, not being a resident, but it is jarring none-the-less to see big swaths of tree stumps. I do know that in forests before Waverly, the areas were also logged (as described by one of their residents at dinner) but they were only thinned and retained what seemed to be a healthy air about them.
The hills got bigger as we approached Charlottesville, and became mountains on our first day out after C-ville. We climbed Aftin Mt. (sp?) up to the Skyline Drive of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was an exhausting and hot day, but the vistas made it very worth it. Into Lexington was a rush-- Jen Hunt and I made it out of the mountains down some very fast swichbacks only to be chased by a very threatening thunderstorm into town. Nothing makes you pedal with some gusto like fear of mortal danger.
The morning into West Virginia was also a memorable one. We followed a river down the valley and through mountain passes. This prepared us for the 3 big climbs into...
West Virginia--
The scenery of the Monongahela Forest around Marlinton, WV is simply stunning. While the steep grades and frustration of the ever-rising road around every turn seems too much, the downhills and the vistas make it all worth it. I remember the wind on the top of that day's first mountain at our lunch stop clearly. I also will not forget the ride into Marlinton, following the river and the sun shining golden on the water and trees as I rode in.
Even more vivid is my memory of WV-150 the next day. We rode up through the fog and finally onto the clear mountaintop that morning. The openings showed a landscape that looked like little islands popping through a sea of cloud. I also remember how the road rose in long straight swaths so that you could see everyone in front of you for miles. It was a scene that invokes a lot of pride as a cyclist. The downhills from there were amazing and again descended into gentle hills following a mountain stream and winding through forest.
The rest of WV was unfortunately unmemorable-- a lot of really bad roads and occasional rude motorists.
Ohio-- a lot like the latter days of WV. Hilly and forested. The roads were more treacherous since the Ohioan road designing committee is unaware of the concept of the switchback. While the climbs were not as high, they were much more steep-- as were the descents. Very scary at times.
Indiana--
My home state put on a great showing. The towns of Columbus, Bloomington, and surprisingly Terre Haute were all very impressive in how much they had to offer in restaurants, coffee, architecture, etc. The scenery was lovely rolling Brown County and other such landscapes of Southern Indiana. Bravo, home state.
Illinois--
I have very few nice things to say about central Illinois, so I will say very little. Crowded highways and lack of scenery do not make for fun times.
Missouri--
We followed the Katy Trail for much of Missouri. It's a gravel trail that runs along the Missouri River from St.L to KC. The landscape was nice enough, though very swampy. We ran into a lot of flat tires (though not myself, thankfully) and realized that the place was swarming with mosquitoes. It was like something out of a bad horror movie, as people would get stopped and yell to their riding companions, "Keep going, save yourself!" Unfortunately my selfishness and survival instinct kicked in, and I was one of the ones that didn't stop. But I don't itch as much.
The ride into KC was one of the trip highlights for me. It was an near-century (95 miles) and we had glorious weather for it. The highways were mostly deserted and we had long rolling stretches of farmland and clumps of trees. Again, we ran into the duality of the situation as we passed a few of the mega-farms that raised poultry. The area around them was rather pungent in a way that contrasted sharply with the wildflowers and fresh farm smell that we had gotten used to that morning.
Kansas--
It was how I imagined it. A lot of farmland, rolling hills, brutal storms. We were caught in a wicked thunderstorm on our way to Lawrence. I had to take shelter in a ditch for a short time, while others rode out the lightning bolts under the porch of a farmhouse. Where I was luckily wasn't hit very hard-- I was just on the outskirts of it as it past, but I got pretty soaked. The next day was very similar-- we were threatened by two storm cells that luckily we threaded the needle between. Made for some good pictures, though.
And that takes me to the present in Manhattan, KS. I'll be sure to fill in more as it comes, though I can't verify how often I will be able to post.
