West Virginia -- Wild and Wonderful!

Some riders fear the West Virginia leg of the trip and some thrive on it. Today was day 2 biking through the beautiful but often daunting Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia. While some hills feel like an escalator, stretching for a mile or more at a moderate grade, others are more like roller coasters, with many dips, slants, and steeper slopes. Regardless of the exact conditions of the hill, though, there may be no greater feeling to a cyclist than grinding away until your glutes and thighs burn and then finally looking up to see nothing but sky as the road folds over itself at the top of the hill. Then comes the relaxation that accompanies the exhilarating downhill as your heart rate finally comes down a bit and your legs seem to melt down from the seat to the pedal.

From Athens, Ohio into West Virginia, Gabe and I discovered a tiny turtle sitting on the road. After petting or maybe torturing him for a moment, we placed him in the grass and out of harms way. Actually, we heard later that a few riders in front of us saw it and narrowly avoided running it over!

The turtle looked a little smaller on Gabe's hand.