Today was beautiful! ...finally. I declined to ride with friends who were going up Holston Mountain at 7 AM, because the roads were wet. (I know, excuses, excuses but it WAS early and the roads WERE wet and I needed to work at the garden badly!) By 9:15, I was at the garden with Mike, a colleague of Ben's who is using part of our garden space this summer. He tried to rototill but it was mighty muddy in that garden. I was determined to get the tomatoes planted and staked, as well as plant four more rows of corn. It has been over 3 full weeks since the first crop of corn went in! I was at the garden for 5+ hours but I got everything done that I needed to do today. Mike was a great help since he brought his mower down and mowed around the gardens, and out to the apple trees. He also did the weed eating around our entire electric fence which protects the garden (sort of!) I have always had Ben or one of the boys here to pound the tomato stakes but I did all 32 of them myself, and I imagine I will pay for it tomorrow. It was wonderful to have all three of my boys call me while I was at the garden. It gave me a little break and I always love talking to them.
Since the prediction is for rain tomorrow, I am so glad that I got everything done. When I came home, I cleaned the mud off the tiller, changed into my bike clothes and rode 23 miles! ...and at a pretty good pace, too. It felt great to get on the bike for a real ride, the first one since the Burnsville Metric 2 weeks ago, besides my regular errands, all of which I do on the bike.
Ben and Jack rode to Leesburg today on a paved trail which was quite busy, but not unusual since it was Sunday, a beautiful day, and it has rained for days. Jack picked up his car which he left there Friday a week ago, loaded the bikes and took Ben to resupply his food and then dropped him at a motel in Front Royal. Ben said the first week was really nice, despite the weather and that he will miss Jack for the next 6 days of riding through The Shenandoahs.
Laundry, cleaning the bike, and food resupply was the order of the afternoon for Ben. He will get back on the road tomorrow and ride up the mountain to get on the Skyline Drive. He is headed to Big Meadows campground tomorrow night about 42+ miles. He is excited to be on this leg of the ride, though it is supposed to rain again! The prediction for Tuesday and Wednesday is much better! He hopes to be in Meadows of Dan by Saturday and I will go up to meet him for a day at Jack and Lee's home I can't wait! Ben gave me a whole list of stuff to bring him, including his favorite technical pepper (thanks Jim), a new stuff sack for his tarp, the rear fender for the bike, and insulation material and heat resistant tape so he can make a new pot cozy, an integral part of lightweight cooking! Well, that is all for today.
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