Gorge-ous!

 Damascus conjures up Biblical imagery, but there were no fiery theophanies in Virginia where I met The Crooked Road with more benign experiences of the holy.

Among the most peaceful and pastoral roads I've travelled so far, the scenery was soothing to the soul.  There were hills of course and switch-back curves where you met yourself coming and going, but the day was a joy, including a respite for lunch at a small Methodist Church that extended us a welcome even with nobody there.

The day ended at beautiful Breaks Interstate Park on the border of VA and KY.  No photo or video can adequately capture how breathtaking is the view, but click on this link for our panoramic glimpse of the mountains at Breaks.

Breaks Interstate Park


We had thought to spend a rest day at the park but the weekend had brought a wave of campers to the park making rest a little hard to come by.  So we broke camp early Saturday and I prepared for a day of four steep climbs.

The 4 mile descent into KY from the park raised false expectations as to the ease of the day's ride.  Each climb made me think of songs about the hills of KY---one line in particular:  "Where the sun comes up about ten in the morning, and the sun goes down about three every day," in a song by Darrell Scott.


Before the last climb of the day an angel of mercy made me pull over for a cool, refreshing milkshake---just what I needed to energize me one more time.

We treated ourselves to a hotel at day's end, and a satisfying supper at a local restaurant. (I was starting to get weary of peanut butter and jelly!)  We watched the Belmont Stakes on the restaurant flat screen along with an enthusiastic KY crowd but, alas, no Triple Crown for California Chrome.  Still, a great and gorge-ous day!  Blessings abound!