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Leaving the hostel, we had a fairly smooth to the KOA we were staying at. It was our first time staying at a KOA on the trip and we greatly appreciated the vast amenities. We celebrated by making “breakfast for dinner” with eggs, bacon, and pancakes! We went to bed to prepare for a long day crossing the Blue Ridge mountains.

After 69.3 miles and some pretty intense climbs, we crossed Blue Ridge Parkway and hit a pretty monumental milestone: no more serious elevation for the rest of the trip. We coasted down our last mountain and screamed victoriously. We arrived at our Warmshowers for the night in Crozet and set up camp in the backyard. After doing our laundry for the last time and taking some nice showers, we got some Barbecue and settled in for the night.

The next day we rode through the Virginia Countryside and finished the day at the fire station. We grabbed some food at the Mexican restaurant in town and talked to one of the fireman about construction and fire safety.

We woke up the next day excited to ride through Richmond, where we would start the Virginia Capital Trail and mark the “Beginning of the end.”

As we rode through the city, we saw countless upscale, colorful houses and were reminded of London. That’s one of the remarkable things about this trip. We’ve seen so many different environments that we would never think to be in our own country.

We started the trail and rode for about eleven mire miles until we reached the church we were spending the night at. The actual hostel was closed because of COVID but we were so grateful to have even a place to camp. My aunt texted me in the morning and said she had a close family friend in Richmond who offered to meet with us and bring us Dairy Queen! We of course accepted and had a great time visiting with them and definitely enjoyed our Blizzards.

When we put down our tent that next morning, all we could say was, “Wow. This is the last day… The last time.” It was a strange feeling to do the “lasts”. Last time eating breakfast at a gas station, last time starting our ride.

The day was rainy, but good. It some ways I felt like it was cathartic. It was the sky’s dramatic release of all the rain we could’ve had on the trip but just missed. It was our psyche’s reaction to the last day of a three month journey. Or maybe it was just a consequence of Hurricane Delta like the Weather Channel said. Either way, the rain was nice. At least until we got soggy.

Maybe it was our excitement, maybe it was the fact that we didn’t have to deal with any cars, but we were going fast. Usually we would finish 62 miles by 5pm, but we had to call our families to say it would be more like 3:30pm. And even then, we had to take an extra long lunch to not arrive before then.

Once the trail ended, we were about to go onto Colonial Parkway when we saw “Spoke & Art” a hotspot for cyclists to get some food, coffee, and energy for their rides. We parked our bikes and enjoyed the awning where we enjoyed a respite from the rain. We got hot food and drinks and talked to some other passing cyclists who had the same idea as us.

We were congratulated for our efforts and felt very proud of ourselves. As we traversed the last twenty miles, a sense of accomplishment and warmth was spreading inside my cold, wet body. We passed through Jamestown, then Williamsburg, and it got serious when “Yorktown” started popping up on roadsigns. We pedaled triumphantly.

About a mile from the finish line, we took of our safety vests and rain coats and prepared for our arrival. After all, we couldn’t finish the trip looking shabby. We approached the American Revolution Museum and saw both of our families waiting to cheer, video cameras up.

Tears were shed, and hugs were given, and we took pictures with a George Washington statue and our families. We said goodbye to each other and the epic adventure that was these past three months, looking forward to the many to come.

A Funny Moment of the Week: In Richmond, we stopped at a sketchy gas station for lunch (I’m so sorry I didn’t register the WaWa) and I ate the most mysterious of meats in a frozen cheeseburger. Ew! I also had to convince the lady inside it was an “emergency” for me to use the bathroom when Paula was just allowed in! I’m convinced Redheads just get special treatment :,(

What We’ve Learned: We are strong. And badass. We crossed the country on two bicycles and said, “Eh, that was pretty alright!”

I’ve also learned that there’s no one in my life as strong and amazing as Paula. She truly is the best friend I could ever ask for or find in a million lifetimes. All the memories we’ve created will stick with me forever and I wouldn’t want them to be with anyone else.

Lastly, we’ve learned that I will always hate oatmeal and that Paula will always hate canned ham.

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Heading into our last full week of the trip, we entered the Appalachia. The first day of the week we faced some pretty heavy elevation but watching the trees starting to turn in Autumn made if worth it. We got to our campsite – a park run by army corps – around 5 pm and grabbed some food at the local diner. The campsite had nice, hot showers that we much appreciated after a chilly day.

On our next day to Hindman, we encountered more challenging climbs and got the worst of the dogs. We got chased by at least two german shepherds and a couple other big dogs, which I had to spray. I mostly tried to spray in front of them, so they would just smell it and run away, but one dog today was still being so aggressive afterwards I had to lightly spray it.

We got to the church hostel for the night and were lucky enough to stay inside the youth center. We grabbed some food at the Italian restaurant across the street and tried to do some laundry. Unfortunately, the church had no detergent and all we had was a Fels Naptha detergent bar so I grated it with a knife! I definitely felt like I was doing the most for clean clothes but hey, everyone needs some clean socks and shirts.

The next day we headed out to Lookout, Kentucky. The elevation wasn’t too bad until we hit right before our destination where we did about 900 ft in less than 2 miles. For those who cant picture it, it was practically vertical and definitely brutal. But we did it, and had a glorious descent. Once in Lookout, we met up with my dad who had driven down for the night. Lookout had no places to stay and he had time on his schedule so he rescued us to a hotel and drove us back to Lookout in the morning.

We started the ride in very cold weather, but were motivated to keep going because we were about to cross our last state line! At 15 miles, we took a break at a coffee shop to regain some feeling in our fingers and toes.

We officially entered Virginia in Breaks Interstate Park — the “Grand Canyon of the South” according to many — and rode through some breathtaking scenery. We had three steep climbs, so when we arrived at Council City Park and Pool we were glad to set up our tent and relax.

We left a little later in the morning because it was 37 degrees until 9 AM. As we rode to Meadowview, we had two hills that were long and steep but nothing we couldn’t handle. We were rewarded with beautiful Virginia Countryside. You could look into the clear forests and just imagine a family picnicking there or frolicking about. This image was cemented by some large manors hidden away as we rode.

We stayed at the Meadowview church and although they didn’t have bathrooms, we were very grateful for the awning to sleep under and the outlets.

The next day was a shortcut from the route and we did about 60 miles on a smaller road that ran along the interstate. We still saw a lot of beautiful Virginia and just had more options for coffee breaks! We finished the day at a warmshowers with our amazing host, Tony. Tony was also a cyclist and understood our need for showers, a real bed, laundry, and delicious pizza.

The next morning, Tony rode out with us for a few miles and then we parted ways. Our ride to Catawba was a lot. We had put too much faith in google maps taking us on Route 76 (the TransAmerica Route) as we planned and had to adjust so as to not go on huge highways. We went about 64 miles and 4,500 ft and were exhausted when we arrived at the hostel.

We were very grateful for the place to stay and the showers, but our overall experience at the hostel was not the greatest. As we walked in, the entire place reeked of Marijuana. This might not be super uncommon but was still unpleasant. Additionally, the “host” was blasting the horror movie, “It: Chapter 2” through a speaker and hearing people scream for two hours was quite unsettling. It was also strange for him to do this because the magnitude if the audio completely overcompensated for the two people watching it on his cellphone. We tried to go to bed as soon as possible to just not have to deal with it, but neither of us were getting a great night’s sleep.

Either way, we were excited to end the week because it meant just one step closer to the finish of an amazing journey. Yorktown was so close, and we could almost smell it.

A Funny Moment of the Week: As we rode the day after our Airbnb, I left a good review for the host and hoped to get one back as it was my first time booking on my own. I got an email from Airbnb that my host’s review was posted! I eagerly opened it to see that, alas, the host thought I was a man. I have no idea how, my profile picture is very clear and he met me in person, but it was so embarrassing to see “Chloe was a great guest. We would welcome him back any time. He was very clean and polite.” Cringe!

What We’ve Learned: Check google. Yes, using your phone makes it easier but it will not take you the right way and it will try to take you on some dangerous roads. It was fine in Wyoming because there are practically no other options but once you get to reliable civilization it will not work. We are learning the hard way and can’t adjust too much because our families have planned tickets and hotel stays. So, learn from us.

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The week started off very smoothly. We had about 3,000 ft elevation the first day leaving Eddyville but it didn’t feel too bad. After grabbing some lunch, we crossed the Ohio River and entered Kentucky! It was super cool to ride a ferry on a bike. We ended our first night in Kentucky at a local Baptist Church that has hosted cyclists since the original tour in 1976! They had books with pictures of everyone who had passed through, and it was so fun to see the smiling, tired faces of everyone who had been on the same journey.

The next day, Paula’s family had arrived to visit so we went with them to an airbnb nearby and had some nice rest. We went to the arboretum in Elizabethtown, Kentucky and saw gigantic “trolls of the forest.” The staff had even put masks on them! That night we enjoyed some steak and veggies — things we are always happy to come across.

We rode the next day about 45 miles with Paula’s little brother. Kentucky was beautiful, and we were starting to feel the hills come back into play. On our next ride, we encountered some more hills over 56 miles and crossed our last timezone change! It was official — Eastern Standard Time was back. That evening, we had a big family dinner and my sister and her boyfriend were even able to come up from Nashville and visit.

We decided on Sunday that it would be the perfect day for exploring. We started off the day by going to an Abraham Lincoln Museum and then explored Mammoth caves. This was definitely a highlight for both Paula and me. Mammoth Caves is the second largest cave system in the world and it was so fascinating to go inside.

The next day, it was time for the “easy life” to come to an end. We said goodbye to family and set off for the ranch that doubled as a camping spot for cyclists. The couple running the service were very kind. We were able to set up camp on their ranch and even had access to a nice outdoor shower and a well stocked vault toilet with any necessities we might be missing. Every day we are continuously shocked by the kindness of strangers. They had even set out a cooler for us with grapes, nutrigrain bars, ale, and cold water.

As we went to bed that night, the forecast was looking like thunderstorms were nearing. However, when we set out early the next morning, we were very lucky and only encountered a bit of rain. About 3 miles from the town we were staying in, we saw a sign for a national forest and Paula stopped to take a picture. Well, as she crossed into the grass, her back tire caught something off of a rumble strip and a gash appeared! She didn’t have an extra tire or a patch kit that would fix the tear so we had to find a way into town.

Luckily, we were right across the street from a campground. There were no “hosts” that we could see, so I called the listed number and asked if there was any staff member that could maybe drive us into town. The lady said no, but that she knew a tenant that rents a cabin on a hill that has a big purple jeep and might be able to help.

The next thing we know, “Poo Paw” is coming down the road in a muddied purple Jeep with two german shepherds in the back. He helped us bungee strap the bikes to the roof and drove us into town. Once we got there, we thanked him and just as suddenly as he appeared, Poo Paw was gone.

There were no campgrounds in the town, so I had to book an airbnb. Once we checked in, we got the chance to meet up with a very dear family friend of mine that was in Kentucky. She brought us Graeter’s Ice Cream and took us out for dinner! It was so much fun fo see her and her cute puppy dog Bailey.

This week was especially fun because of all the family connections we got to see, and made us feel even closer to the finishline.

A Funny Moment of the Week: When Poo Paw was so graciously driving us to town, I had to sit in the back with his two big dogs. This, as you may be able to imagine, resulted in many dog butts to the face and face lickings.

What We’ve Learned: Well, Paula learned how to effectively fix a gash in her tire! Once we realized a simple patch kit wouldn’t work, Paula and her dad talked it through and decided the best course of action was to go to an auto shop and get a tire patch for cars! Low and behold, Paula acquired a tire patch to fix the issue and everything was as good as new.