Every summer, Rebecca and I choose a rail-to-trail path to pedal with my mother and stepfather. Two years ago, my brother and his girlfriend started joining us for this annual ride.
So far, we've pedaled sections of the C&O Canal Trail and the Greenbrier River Trail. To change things up a bit, we decided to try the Virginia Creeper Trail this year.
Since the drive is significantly longer, Rebecca and I decided to add a mountain bike ride to our trip to Damascus. We chose the Rowland Falls to Jerry's Creek loop about halfway between Marion and Damscus, VA. As evidenced by the elevation profile, it's a rather grueling climb - luckily that effort is rewarded with an exciting descent.
After our ride, we finished up the drive and were soon pulling into the driveway of our AirBnB rental right in the heart of Damascus.
The next day we rolled our bikes to The Bicycle Junction just next door and were soon being shuttled 17 miles up the road to Whitetop Station.
From there, the ride is mainly downhill all the way back to Damascus. This allows plenty of time for sightseeing and enjoying the leisurely pace with the rest of your group.
Once we'd reached Damascus, we decided that we were up for more pedaling, so we jumped aboard the same shuttle and had them drop us off in Abingdon. There, we had lunch at 128 Pecan before hopping onto the trail to pedal back to Damascus. This second leg of our ride was actually more interesting, with a few more sights to see.
On Saturday we chose to explore Backbone Rock in Tennessee. Only a 10 minute drive from Damasus, we just couldn't pass up the opportunity!
We even had a chance to cool off in the Beaverdam Creek.
On our way out of town on Sunday, we decided to make one more stop - Grayson Highlands State Park to hike the Twin Pinnacles loop.
After the loop, rain began to fall, so my Mom and John headed out while Rebecca and I continued on in the hope of seeing some of the wild ponies the park is known for. We lucked out on both fronts - the rain subsided and we got an up-close view of the ponies before heading back to Richmond!
All-in-all, it was a fantastic way to celebrate my 40th Birthday!
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