Rain, Rain, Rain

Strip Mining, Breaks Interstate Park (KY/VA), Terrifying Coal Truck, Appalachian Trail Coming Into Damascus

I'm in Damascus about 100 miles east into VA pretty much where NC, TN, and VA converge. Damascus is one of those little gems that you're fortunate enough to stumble upon every so often. The Appalachian Trail, TransAmerica Bike Trail, confluence of several dam release rivers, and a large cave system....long story short it's an outdoor mecca full of some really interesting and unique folks. Last night in the little town bar locals showed up with fiddles and banjos. I've heard the songs before but never quite played like I heard them last night. Also one of those bars where someone buys you a drink just because you're sitting next to them, very friendly indeed. So friendly that I opted to take a rest day today first one since CO. I hiked a few miles on the Appalachian Trail, worked on the bike which was in bad bad shape (new brake pads, rear tire, cables), did laundry, and my favorite part of the day called up Continental and cashed in some miles for a round trip ticket to Istanbul leaving September 8. I figure after this I'll need a vacation prior to whatever is next :) It's been raining pretty much 24/7 the last four days so taking today off was pretty easy and so far extremely enjoyable. I'm staying at a cross between a B&B and hostel in Damascus so interesting people to chat with there as well. Since last posting I can happily confirm that Hazard, KY is indeed the same as that from Dukes of Hazard....many General Lees and no shortage of Boss Hogs, Couters, and such although no Daisy. The last several days I've been riding through the coal belt that straddles KY, VA, TN, and I guess to some extent OH and NC. I've been pretty fortunate to travel around the world and see quite a bit but no where have I seen a practice more devastating to the environment than Strip Mining. You've heard the commercials, 50% of our electricity comes from coal these days it's being referred to as "clean coal", yeah right. To simplify they lop the entire top of a hill / mountain off to get to narrow bands of coal. When done they simply plant some strain of grass that dies quickly as there's no top soil. Erosion is horrible as are all sorts of heavy minerals winding up in the water supplies and crops. Sometimes they blast off huge tracts of land which cracks locals peoples water wells. You get extremely dirty riding around this area everything is covered in coal dust or now that it's raining coal sludge. I could go on and on. I spend a lot of time at gas stations (laughing at people paying $3.65/gallon) getting a drink or candy bar or whatever and I always talk to the people hanging out. To put it real blunt one old guy said, "we shit on our own plate". No idea if this is accurate but the figure thrown out is only 1 in 500 people locally benefit financially from mining. Perhaps the worst part is that the older folks walking around hacking and wheezing as result of old style coal mining as well as the young ones are out of work because this new method of strip mining is so much more EFFICIENT. Of course the coal needs to be transported, the coal trucks in this region are far more terrifying than the log trucks were, they certainly make every effort to avoid you when they can see you but the roads are so crooked and steep in the Appalachians that often they don't see you till they are directly behind you and of course there is little or no shoulder. So far I've always heard them coming and aside from minor scares it's not been an issue. The dogs are still chasing me but as it's been several hundred miles and countless encounters that I really don't give it much attention anymore. Of course I still speed up and try to avoid them but I've come to the conclusion that chasing bikes is a game for them and they'll get really close but they don't want to get run over as much as I don't want to get bit. Aside from the strip mining the Appalachians are gorgeous! Extremely lush, ensconced in fog, loaded with very small family farms. I don't think anyone really travels far and it doesn't seem like many work. It's a very different type of riding than the Rockies much steeper more curvy worse road surface generally quite a bit more violent normally ending up with me standing up on the pedals dripping in sweat or rain it's been hard to distinguish. Overall I'm enjoying riding in Appalachia the most so far maybe because I've never been as bicycle fit as I am at the moment, not sure. I've got roughly 2 more days in the Appalachians followed by a gradual downhill to Yorktown. Attention all ice cream truck drivers: your time is getting short very short!!!