June 23, 2008, Monday
Kingsport, TN to Abingdon, VA
We were ready to leave Kingsport after only a day. While the Hampton Inn was great, Kingsport has very little going for it. The downtown seems to be struggling, the smell of the Eastman chemical plant is not pleasant, and the streets were mostly very bike unfriendly. After a good, early breakfast we caught the bus back to tent city. The breakfast nook was full at 6am with cyclists all talking at once.
It was a long hike from the bus stop to the tennis court where our bikes were parked. It seems odd that the stop wasn't closer to the bikes, since that was where everyone was headed who was coming from a motel. The bikes were fine although a bit wet from the morning dew.
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| Climbing out of Kingsport | On the road to Abingdon | Kerie cruising |
We climbed a bit as we headed out of Kingsport and then flew down some winding descents, Kerie and I passing many people who were descending very cautiously. That is, until we were stopped by monitors who said there was a crash ahead. We were then halted to let the ambulance come through. A cyclist was passing wide on a descent and hit a truck's mirror. He fell and slid under the guard rail. We heard that he was able to stand so the injuries were probably not serious. Later that night another monitor told us that another cyclist was found in the road by a monitor. He was air lifted out and they later determined that he fell after being attacked by an unleashed dog.
Our descents from then on were fast but not like before the crash. With so many cyclists in the road it's not wise to go as fast as we'd like.
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| First rest stop | Young singer at the Carter Family Fold | Performance stage |
The ride to Abingdon was a minimum of 61 miles which was a challenge for some. There were many hills, although none that were extremely steep or long. I chose to ride the first optional loop that only added a few extra miles but was a bit more rolling than the regular route. I spent most of the time discussing recumbents with a curious diamond-frame rider. He was intrigued and could understand the benefits of being comfortable on long rides.
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| 12 hot dogs - $18.00 | Outside view of concert hall | Country church |
The Carter Family Fold was the second rest stop. It was the birthplace of A.P. Carter of the famous musical Carter family. There was a family museum and an excellent, large-capacity performance hall with a golden wood stage. One of the cyclists promptly started playing show tunes on the house piano. On the porch of the gift shop a young guitarist who must have been around 13 or 14 entertained the cyclists with some good guitar picking.
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| Short stretch of gravel road | Suspension foot bridge |
This was the most scenic route so far. Plenty of rolling terrain, much of it beside clear, wooded streams. We had a good lunch of hummus wraps, pasta salad, salad, and a cookie along the grassy banks of the North Fork of the Holston River at Holston Baptist Church. It was a lovely spot and we could have stayed there and snoozed for a long afternoon break, but we still had a few miles left to ride.
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| Barn built on a rock | Guardrail fence for the bison | Lunch at Hoston Baptist Church |
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| Resting at lunch | Whites Mill rest stop | Whites Mill |
Here's a video I took with my Canon SD 870IS. It shows Kerie riding with "Tennessee Man", our friend who lives in the Abingdon area. The quality of the original video is very good compared to this lower resolution version on YouTube:
We lingered again at the next stop, Whites Mill, an old and still working grist mill. One of the cyclists said it was the best stop so far; they had real bar-b-que. We toured the mill and gift shop and then rode the last 6 miles, many of which were uphill, the last bit being pretty steep, with several tired cyclists walking. After a quick stop at tent city we rode through town to our refuge at the Hampton Inn.
The shuttle buses were not the most efficient, stopping for individual requests, getting lost once, and finally dropping us at dinner at the new Farmer's Market in downtown Abindgon. Two good bluegrass groups played for the diners and locals (Dixie Bee Liners was one of the groups). We had a good pasta primavera dish with salad, green beans, fruit salad, mashed potatoes, and a roll. Pecan pie was dessert.
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| Barter Theater, the State Theater of Virginia | Martha Washington Inn | "A Round Table Indeed!" by Natalie Ascencios |
We wandered around town stopping across from the Barter Theater, the State Theater of Virginia, and then strolled through the lobby of historic Martha Washington Inn. Then it was time to play shuttle roulette, finally catching one that drove all the way back to tent city, then around most of Abingdon before reaching the Hampton Inn. Tomorrow we ride the Virginia Creeper Trail.