Saturday 5th May 2007

Saturday 5th May 2007
Location: near (10 miles west of) Lexington, Virginia

The frequency with which I am taking days off from the ride is increasing. So too the distances I am covering each day are concomitantly decreasing. Johnnie Boy in Pennsylvania was correct when he said that you might find this part of the US has more to see. It does but I am just getting a bit tired of the daily grind. However, I have just under two weeks left until I roll into Johnnie’s place ready for a fortnight of anything other than bike riding.

From where am I typing this entry? Well, after rolling into Lexington two days ago looking apparently a little miserable I did a circuit of the town centre (very English in appearance and layout) I approached a couple of local ladies to ask them if they knew if and where there was a purveyor of hot caffeinated beverages. Indeed it seemed that in my hypothermic state (once again my feet were numb) I had cycled right by a coffee shop. Thanking them, I headed off to recuperate inside with a good sandwich and my usual order of a large / Grande / venti latté.

I had just given up on trying to call home because the Skype phone was dropping two out of three syllable when the bemused girl behind the counter approached with the phone claiming;
“it’s for you; the Australian cyclist?”.
I gave her an incredulous look “”huh?…..what?….hello??????”
“g’day mate, how are you?”
“…..ummm??…??…….ok???”
Tony was the husband of one of the ladies I had approached half an hour earlier asking for a café. They assumed I would still be there so rand to ask if I would like to stay the night at their place. I laughed aloud and gratefully accepted. Being ten miles out of town to the west Tony said he would be there in 20 minutes. The US is an astounding place for travelers such as myself.

Tony, Betty & their son Eric live on a beautiful 100 acre property 10 miles outside of Lexington. Betty who is an Arborist working for the local council is serenely calm and always smiling. Tony is, amongst many other things an ER Doctor. He & I sensed a kindred disdain in each other for the failings of the human species and as a consequence allowed ourselves to lapse into a cathartic four-hour “venting of our spleens” yesterday after breakfast. Three months of well-practiced politeness and tempered speech evaporated in an enfilade of vitriol & laughter. I suddenly remembered all my vet stories that could be entitled “it bloody well does happen to a vet; the anti-herriot Almanac”. Betty’s early return home from work saved us from spontaneous combustion and turned our attention outward to the beauty surrounding us in Virginia.

We took a walk up the hill through the forest looking for scat and animal tracks with Luke his dog (of no particular lineage) scouting ahead for quarry. Bears, deer, turkey and bobcat inhabit the forest that blankets the hills around. Meanwhile Betty was preparing their guesthouse for the imminent arrival of a family for the weekend.