Galax

We made it to Galax but are exhausted after cycling 75 miles and lots of hills. We were doing well until we got to within 8 miles of Galax when we hit the wall during our ride up a never ending hill. The good news is that it did not rain on us. Well, actually, that may not have been bad, as the temperatures got into the 90s. Not to sound to contradictory, our ride was very scenic with no traffic until we got near Galax.

We cycled some on the 76 Bike Centennial route that we used in 2002 when we crossed the United States. Along the way we met 2 brothers that were bicycling across the country. In Troutville, we met 2 men that were heading north on the Appalachian Trail.

Our day changed after a hardy dinner at a pit barbeque place and a stroll down the street to the Stringbean Café. Every Tuesday, the Stringbean hosts a country music jam. Between 6 and 7 pm the sleepy café was transformed into a very lively place. They have 2 stages. One stage shares room with the café and the second is in an adjacent room with a dance floor. The café stage had about a dozen musicians and the other stage had nearly 20. The dance floor was crowded with folks flat footin’. When a group of children from fiddle camp arrived at the café a third area was set up for them. With 3 areas playing music the place was hopping. We had an incredible evening that deserves more elegant narrative but this writer is too pooped to go on. Goodnight.

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