It is frustrating to have to spend so much money on something that is not an exciting part of AQ but at the same time, that is why we worked hard to save money, so we would be able to handle whatever situation comes our way. I also think it is important to remember that the money we have saved is to fund AQ and we need to remember not to get wrapped up in worrying how much money we spend. Of course we aren't going to be needlessly extravagant, but we need to adjust to the feeling of seeing money constantly leaving our bank account and never going in.
Anyway, back to more exciting and important things. On Saturday morning I drove David, his bike (a LeMond cyclocross bike he calls the Lemon), and the Danger Cart (his name for the B.O.B. tralier) up to the north entrance of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Waynesboro, VA. It is about 40 minutes away from Harrisonburg. David had an absolutely gorgeous day for the first leg of his trip. We got to the mountain at about nine in the morning. We parked the car at the first overlook, which gave us a view off to the east, towards Waynesboro and Charlottesville. There was still mist down in the foothills but on Afton we had a cerulean blue sky with puffy cumulus clouds and it was in the high 60's or low 70's, I'm guessing.
David attached the Danger Cart, loaded his bag and took a practice loop around the parking area. He has his work cut out for him, for sure. He obviously isn't in the ideal physical condition for this trip. He had planned to have about a week after Twin Oaks to ride every day and take the trailer up Reddish Knob (a very steep ride along the VA/WV border) to get a good idea of the handling and difficulty of pulling the cart. The trailer weighs about fifty pounds so it is adding considerably to his challenge.
I got to talk to David last night for the first report. He has taken our phone with him for safety. I told him I would like to hear from him everyday but I know that might not be possible. Otherwise, every other day would be nice and under no circumstances is he to go three days without calling and checking in with me. I told him if he has to, he can stop a picnicker and explain that he has a crazy wife and if she does hear from him she will call the Park Service and initiate a search. Hopefully he won't have to resort to this but I thought it was useful to illustrate my seriousness. I have a schedule of his ride so I know what section he is riding everyday and what campground he should be in every night, in case anyone is concerned about safety.
Oh, and David said everything was going well. He is worn out at the end of each day of course but thinks he will be able to finish. He was already making friends, a couple of guys who are riding with a third friend following with a camper invited him to have dinner with them in the campground last night.
After I saw David off, I drove up to Leesburg to visit my friend Diane, whom many of you know. We have been friends for just about our entire lives. She and her husband, Kevin, are special education teachers in Loudon County. We had a great time doing nothing in particular and catching up with each other. I brought her knitting needles and a ball of pretty purple yarn to encourage her in learning to knit. She and Kevin are about six months in to looking for a house in the area; it's amusing how different our lives are at the moment.
Now I have a whole week to myself. My plan is to work on several sewing projects I have and to keep visiting with my family. This is the first time since I graduated from Sewanee that I have been in Harrrisonburg for an extended period of time and all of my parents are around as well. It is really nice to be in town for longer and not feel rushed in my visiting.
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