Date: 2003-07-02
From: Sinking Creek Valley - VA 42

To: Sinking Creek Valley - 2003 conclusion
Miles today: 0.0

Blacksburg conclusionBack at Blacksburg again! It was a little tougher getting into town yesterday than it was last year. There was not much traffic on Highway 42 and that sprinkle of rain I mentioned in yesterdays entry turned into a torrential downpour. So after thumbing for about 12 an hour, I said to myself ¢Self, you can stand here and get wet, trying to get a ride or you can walk, get wet and try and get a ride¢, so I commence to walking!About 3 miles into my road hike, 2 fellows in an old beat up Mercury pull over and offer me a ride Understand, I am a wet, muddy, stinky mess. I was hoping to jump in the back of a pickup! So after making sure they knew the condition I was in and being assured ¢they didn¢t give a damn¢, in I hop, and off we go!The fellow driving the car, Jim, is a taxidermist, his buddy, a grounds worker. Turns out they¢re going to the ¢corner¢ store about 8 miles down the road for some lottery tickets. They tell me that although they are not going into Blacksburg, they know the storeowner and he¢ll get me a ride. Cool!Well, true to his word ¢ Jim talks to the store manager who, as he¢s checking out customers, spy¢s one of his regulars, whom lives in Blacksburg. So by the graciousness of 3 individuals, I am in another car getting a ride to Blacksburg!        Turns out this gentleman, whose name I didn¢t write down and thus cannot recall, is an school principle, who went up to the aforementioned market to get.. Fresh vegetables for dinner. He and his wife have 2 kids and love living in Blacksburg. He knows exactly where my hotel is but asks me what I know about Blacksburg. I reply, Its Football team? And with that response he gives me a riding tour thru the campus of Virginia Tech, explaining the architecture and history of the campus! I am completely enthralled and as he drops me off at the hotel, I tell him how appreciative I am for going out of his way to do that. He replies, that¢s why I like living down here, I can do that. In the big city, folks just don¢t have the time. Hmmm¢¦After checking in, the clerk of this nice hotel Jane has me in, (Whom, I¢m sure is wondering how this homeless guy has a travel agent and a credit card), the first thing I do is¢¦ shower!I look out the window and ponder how my hiking friends are doing, because it is absolutely pouring outside. I¢m thinking that they are wishing they were in this hotel room, as I look out and sadly wish I were still with them. Well enough of that. One of my goals when I got here was to hit that Mexican restaurant that I hit last year, sort of a personal celebration. I figured I could find it, though on my raincoat and start walking again. Well I sorta misjudged how far away it was. About a 2-mile walk, and by the time I get there my shorts are soaked, but the rest of me is dry. Needles to say in an air conditioned restaurant, being wet is not a comfortable experience. But the food was worth the hardship and so were the Margaritas! Until next year,Bodyweight Lost - 13#Toenails Lost ¢ 4Days without a shower ¢ 524 days hiking in the woods, enjoying the camaraderie of fellow hikers and the kindness of strangers ¢Priceless