Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-09-19

written by Mr.. Topping, will no doubt
interest all our readers, especially the
friends of the bycicle.
Leaving Wheeling, says Mr.. Topping,
via the B. & O., at 5 p. H., we arrived at
Harpers Ferry for early breakfast. After
having taken in the historical points and
,ther places of interest, we mounted our
wheels at 11:30 o'clock, and wheeled to
Winchester, 30 miles distant for supper.
This carried over the rough part of the
valley pike, and into a country where bl-
cycling could be INDUCED in to perfection
The ride from here on to New Market was
a succession of miles Of beautiful country,
fine roads and good hotels.
About six hours each day was spent in
riding, and the remainder of the time de-
voted to sight seeing and the enjoyment of
that hospitality that only Virginians Know
how to show. From New Market to
Luray, where the wonderful caverns are
located, q distance of about twenty elastic
miles, we encountered some very bad
roads. Climbing the Massoneld Noun
tains which were four miles high, and from
whose summit the Blue Ridge mountains
were seen towering above the clouds, the
scenery and the two hours spent In the
caverns at Luray, fully compensated us for
the weary ride of forty miles. Mounting
our wheels at New Market, the ride to
Staunton was all a wheelman could ask for.
At Harrisburg we had the pleasure OF
meeting DIR Tatum, n brother OF Mr..
PEBBLES Tatum of this city, of whose Kind
attention we were the recipients. At
Charlestown we also met an old Wheeling
boy, Mr.. Heiskell, son of Capt. Helskell.
From StauntOn the Natural Bridge OF
Virginia was visited, and after a vain at
tempt to find the inches wherein the am
bilious youth had placed his feet to climb
to fame, and carve his name above the list,
the Doctor determined the party should
not be disappointed, and proposed to ride
his wheel up the side (as only a Wheeling
wheelman could and then cclispe the
man who Jumped off Brooklyn Bridge, by
c~oasting from the dizzy height of 200 feet,
to the rocks below. He no doubt would
have succeeded had he not been prevented
by the little wheel Ofhis machine, running
up his back and becoming tangled in his
hair. Returning to StauntOn we crossed
the mountains to Charlottesville and on to
Richmond, travelling through country
never before travelled by bicycle.
The roads were found to be bad,
and the first night had to be passed in the
woods at the home of farmer. The ac-
%commodations were what the boys would
call tough. A garnet to sleep in, hot
bread, bacon and weak coffee for breakfast.
The next day, although attended with
many difficulties in the way of sand and
mud, necessitating about twenty-five miles
of walking, was spent good humoredly.
The natives never having seen a bicycle,
created much sport for us. We were gazed
upon as peculiar beings. | was asked II we
had been out long, and could not resist the
opportunity to say that we had been away
70 long that we had outgrown our clothes,
md in proof of the assertion called atten-
ton to the length of the doctors pants,
After having a royal welcome by the old
Dominion Club at Richmond, we boarded
the train for old Point Comfort, where we
net the l.. 4. W. and joined them in hav-
ing q good time surf-bathing and sight
seeing. The party here broke up, the
doctor going to Norfolk, returning home
via Washington and Pittsburgh, and l
going to Baltimore, thence home.