Day 35 (It's already been 35 days!!) started by waking up in the cool morning at 3000 feet! What a terrific relief after waking up in the heat since…well…California.
I took my sweet time having breakfast and getting ready to go because I didn't have anywhere to be for the first time in a while, and the scenery was great:
At about noon I started the ride south down the Skyline toward Waynesboro. The ride was still stunning but it was a little hazy in the valleys so the overlooks weren't as beautiful as they could have been.
The daredevil butterflies were still around, and try as I might I couldn't get one to sit still for a photo. So we have to settle for a moth:
After a couple of hours on the road I dropped down into Waynesboro for some food and to sort out what meeting I would get to tonight. (No phone service on the Skyline.) My options for a meeting were sort of limited because I wanted to stay close to the Blue Ridge Parkway, so I decided on a 5:45 meeting in Roanoke, VA. I had to ride freeway to get there, but the early meeting would allow enough time to get back up into the hills to camp.
I arrived at the meeting right before 5:45 and saw a license plate that said: GRAT1TDE and I knew I was in the right place. I talked with a couple of guys out front for a minute and told them about the trip. One of them told me that about a year ago he had picked up a guy at the train station who was hiking the Appalachian Trail. He told me he had been walking for four months, and mostly alone the whole time. It made me grateful that I don't have to spend that much time in my head on this trip…I might very well go insane.
The meeting was called the New Hope Group and the topic was willingness. The room was packed and it was a fantastic meeting. I had a very warm reception as the visitor, and had a wonderful time, even if people did talk a lot about the treats that the birthday girl (Kirsten?) used to bring. Evidently this woman used to bring not only brownies and cookies, but homemade French pastries and such! After the meeting I was assured that if I called ahead they could guarantee treats. Thanks, New Hope Group!
I asked around a bit after the meeting for a good place to eat and although I probably should have gone for something healthier, the idea of the Texas Tavern was too good to pass up. John told me that it was a Roanoke tradition, and that it was the place that was always packed after midnight. My type of place.
So I found my way to the Texas Tavern and ordered a Cheesy Western and a Hot Dog. Like most similar joints the Tavern has it's own lingo. Chuck, who sat next to me and said he had been eating there since he was "knee-high to a grasshopper", ordered and "bowl with" and a "dog with." When his food was delivered I pieced things together and established that it was a bowl of chili with onions (and he mixed in mustard!) and a hot dog with chili (at least I think that's what that with was for…).
I won't lie and tell you that it was a gourmet meal, but it was pretty awesome. The coolest part, though, was talking to Chuck about the place. The Tavern has been around since 1930 and had the same decor and same menu. Even the steel pipe foot rails under the bar are worn down from people's feet. They're open all day, every day, except Christmas, and they always have a steady crowd. There's only 8 stools to sit on and not much more space than that, and the cook can keep up with a full house on a 3' by 4' grill and two gas burners. I don't know how they do it, but it's amazing. If you ever get to Roanoke go find the Texas Tavern! Thanks for the recommendation, John!
