Vesuvius

The hill leading from the Blue Ridge Parkway (which although having gorgeous views was much harder to enjoy during a heat wave) to the town of Vesuvius should have a sign at the top and bottom for cyclists denying responsibility for anything that happens in those three sweet miles. You lose 500ft in elevation every mile on short hairpin turns. Or gain, if you're going the other direction. It's impossible to maintain momentum going up, and improbable going down. Everyone recommends partially deflating your tires before heading down. You can't ride your brakes on the hill because the heat build up on the rims will increase the PSI in the tubes to dangerous levels and could cause a blowout. You also can't bomb the hill with any gear at all because you don't have the turning capabilities. You can accelerate from 0-45mph in a few seconds. Very intimidating.

We took breaks partway down the hill in order for our rims to cool off. Another necessity. We both made it down, but Nikki blew out a tube regardless. The valve stem broke clean off of the rubber. She didn't want to stop and change it so she walked her bike the rest of the way.

All this being said, we had a great place to stay. There is a BBQ joint in Vesuvius owned by Gertie that lets cyclists camp in the back for free. We were famished and went inside to get delicious BBQ pork and slaw sandwiches (a habit since coming to Virginia). The lady working saw that we were cyclists and showed us where to set up. We had access to a hose and outhouse, which was all we needed for the day, and promptly (re:slowly) went to bed.

Oh! They brought us sharpie pens to add our signatures to the thousands of others that have rolled through the town after we had finished eating. Fantastic stuff. I drew a Croatian coat of arms next to a light bulb on the ceiling. Hopefully some one finds it.