Day 5 - Friday, May 15

Start - Charlottesville, VA

End - Afton, VA

Miles (on route) - 28.5

Miles (total) - 28.5

Ave Spd - 10.2mph

Max Spd - 30.5mph

Total Ride Time - 2:50

I planned on a short ride for the day knowing I had the Blue Ridge Mountains to follow and wanting to stay at the Cookie Lady's house. Much of the ride was through residential areas nestled into the woods, and in one community I crossed paths with some deer that seemed almost too comfortable with my presence. I traveled past several orchards at the foot of the mountains and stopped to refresh with some homemade applecider.

All along the way so far have been these convenient signs designating the way for the TransAmerica Trail, or originally the bicentennial (Bikecentennial) trail.To arrive in Afton I had to climb 1.5 miles of the most grueling uphill. All I could do was put the bike into the lowest gear possible and pump my way up the mountain side at 5mph. Every turn I hoped would show signs of the Cookie Lady's house, but instead just more climb. Finally, I was rewarded with my place to stay for the night which will most certainly be one of the most memorable moments of this trip.The Cookie Lady, June Curry, has been allowing bikers to stay in her "bike house" since the inaugural ride in 1976. She has kept the house stocked with food for the riders and done all of this for no charge for over thirty years. Room after room of the bike house has been filled with artifacts and mementos of thousands of cyclists, turning the home into a TransAM museum. Everything you can imagine lines the walls and ceilings of the house; pictures, shirts and jerseys, water bottles, frisbees, tires, shoes, poems, journals, maps, and postcards. June has even kept photo albums of every biker who has stayed with her. So many friends she has amassed over the years.

She greeted me with enthusiasm and immediately wanted to sit on her porch and chat, while the roosters and peacocks wandered through her backyard. For over an hour she told me of her recent medical complications and her increased difficulty with paying as much attention to the bike house as she would like. At 88, I think she is doing alright and definitely loves having the company of the bikers. You can tell this annual season of riding, and it's daily hopitality opportunities has really come to define her. It was nice to have an indoor shelter for the night, and I enjoyed being able to use a regular stove and get a shower (even if it was by hose.) It was a thrill to be able to sleep in that house surrounded by the artifacts of the thousands who passed through before me. I fell asleep thinking of all the stories and experiences that have come through there.