BIKING WITH A FAT BALD WHITE GUY

In September for the last three years, I have ridden in the Great Cycle Challenge to raise money for pediatric cancer research. The Beau's Buddies team is riding in memory of our great nephew Beau Stanley who died before the age of three from neuroblastoma.

We have pledged to ride 1000 miles and raise $5000. To date we have exceeded our financial goal raising over $8000, but have fallen behind in our ride goal. Thus the trip to the 17 mile Virgina Creeper Trail by 7 members of our team

The Creeper Trail is the abandoned railroad right of way of the Virginia Carolina Railroad which opened route from Damascus to Abington Virgina in the early 1900's and eventually expanded to a 75 mile route serving the mountain communities hauling ore and lumber.

The locals gave the trail its distinctive moniker. Virgina Creeper is the name of a mountain plant, but described the slow moving narrow gauge train as it struggled to haul cargo up the steep mountain passages.

We chose to shuttle from Damascus to White Top Station and ride down the mountain for 17 miles. For the hardy riders, you can add another dozen miles from Damascus and ride into Abington...17 was enough for the Beau's Buddies Team!

We used Sundog Outfitters in downtown Damascus...great group of hard working, pleasant and accomodating operators. They shuttle hundreds of bikers a day providing bikes for those who show up without one, and smiling all the way to the bank.

Whitetop Station is 500 feet down the trail from the staging area where all the bikers are let loose from an endless caravan of vans pulling bike trailers.

The trail is mostly crushed stone and is smooth enough for most folks. There are nevertheless plenty of ruts and rocks to look out for. From White Top Station for the first 5 miles or so, all we did was coast... yep check your brakes....you will use them a lot!

Not far down the trail we spotted a large collection of dismounted bikes scattered on both sides of the road. We learned that this means there is something good to see...so we stopped too. Not far from the trail was a scenic overlook, the first of many scenic wayside entreaties we took in.

The Southwestern Virgina countryside is dotted with many such vistas. There are small farms with large mountain pastures with picturesque barns, surrounded by the lush green Appalachian Mountains. If you have not visited this part of Virgina, you are missing out!

I lost count of the number of trestles we crossed, there must have been at least a dozen. Each are picturesque and many are worthy of stopping for an extra look at the surrounding scenery. But if you do, you best make sure that you check the traffic behind you lest you get run over!

The best thing about this trail besides the downhill run is the fact that there are countless places to pull off the trail and rest and/or sightsee. The trestles provide this opportunity and rarely does the scenery disappoint.

There are also several restored stations, a country store and a wonderful diner that broke up the ride for us.

The Creeper Trail is a bike trail, but a bike trail like none other, for you have to stop and enjoy all the things you can see and experience. We soon learned to stop and take our time and it was worth it. Who could resist a cold bottle of pop at the country store?

About 10 miles down the trail, we stopped at Hellbenders Cafe.

This roadside eatery has some of the tastiest hotdogs and the very best chocolate cake, served warm with a scoop of ice cream. If you stop anywhere...stop here!

But it is the creek that flows beside the trail that garners the most attention. There is nothing quite like a mountain stream. And for 17 miles we got to ride along beside one of the best. Its name is Whitetop Laurel Creek. It is very pretty.

Scrambling down beneath the trestles provide some nice views of both the creek and the old railroad bridge. My favorite trestle was the last one. It is located about 2 miles from Damascus. It is a suspension bridge. Bike riders like to get up their speed and try to get air as they reach the end of the span, something that physics does not help the Fat Bald White Guy do.

Whitetop Laurel Creek even has a waterfall! And if you follow the blog you know how much the FBWG jones after waterfalls.

This small double cascade waterfall was very pretty, but like many of the attractions along the trail, this one garnered a lot of folks scrambling around ruining some of the best photographs. But with the help of photoshop, I think I got one good one!

The only thing I can say bad about the Virgina Creeper Trail is that it is just too darn popular. At times we were riding in a 20 bike peleton and had to stop just to find a gap in the parade of bikes. Try to take this trail during the middle of the week, especially if you want to visit it during peak leaf season. The access to the trail is a 9. You have a long shuttle ride up a winding mountain road. But our friends at Sundog can take care of you!

The trail is a 10...well maintained and marked with many rest stops with facilities scattered throughout. The scenery is also a 9, only because you have to chose between a great bike ride and sightseeing. This trail is rated 9+!

This is a bucket list adventure for you and your family. My 7 year-old grandson made the entire trip with no problem. Bike riders of all shapes and sizes were enjoying their trip down the mountain. No bike, no worries, many shops in Damascus will rent you one. As Salem would say..."This trail is not awesome, it is Awesome Possum!"

But as much fun as we had today, we had to remember why we ride. We ride because every day some family hears the awful news that their child has cancer....and every week 38 of these children will die.

Beau Stanley, my great nephew was one of those children. He died before the age of 3 in 2007. We ride in his memory

The Great Cycle Challenge has over 40,000 folks riding over 2 million miles and raising over 12 million dollars for pediatric cancer research. Take time to check us out at the Great Cycle Challenge. We are Beau's Buddies. A little bit helps a child with cancer alot. Please do what you can! Follow this link: Never Back Down #BeausBuddies