Date: 2011-06-11
From: Buena Vista

To: Buena Vista
Miles today: 0.0

Day 80 6/11: Action Figures Galore!Today was an unplanned zero! We got stuck in Buena Vista, VA. The heat was relentless, so we visited the library, updated this blog, and enjoyed the free air-conditioning. This is a modern convenience that I grew up without.We walked all the way to the other end of town with Chloe to go back to Todd's BBQ (the restaurant that we patronized with Will Smith). Before we ordered our food, I noticed an elderly lady eating a mile-high turkey club sandwich. Paying close attention to her, I realized that she was going to leave one of the precious sandwich quarters behind. How dare she? Doesn't she know there are hungry hikers on the premises? After much debate with myself, I finally "stole" the leftover sandwich section. I tried to be nonchalant, but I am positive the other patrons couldn't miss a smelly, stumbling, giggling hiker as she quickly tried to rescue the sandwich from certain death in a dumpster. I think this is the first time I have ever done something like that. When the waitress came by it was almost impossible for me to keep a straight face as I ordered the same exact sandwich. The three of us walked to Glenn Maury Campground, hoping that the campground pool was open. We were not so lucky as we were 4 days ahead of the pool opening for the season. Who wants to zero longer in Buena Vista?? We also wanted to check on the price of a campsite. Trudge and I hoped to get as many of our friends together as possible to split a site. A storm was upon us so we got a hitch back to town with an elderly man in a pick-up. Chloe sat in the cab and told us afterwards that it was apparent the man had had a stroke in the past few years.The next part of the day got really interesting. We are waiting out the storm under a shop roof overhang when a voice yells out "You want to get out of the rain?" Of course we do. We looked around and saw a man yelling out of an upstairs window across the street. Trudge thought we were heading to a business; I knew better. We make a mad dash through the rain and traffic towards where our rescuer had been. Turns out to be a young man's apartment. We head upstairs and immediately I am taken back by the appearance of hundreds of action figures adorning the walls. They went from floor to ceiling. The man was a butcher, had two little girls, and liked to talk about how to cook squirrel. Chloe excused herself rather quickly, while I listened to Trudge and him talk about how to cook squirrel over a campfire for a good 20 minutes. After awhile we found a way to excuse ourselves and went to look for our friends. The rest of the day was pretty much a waste, while we figured out what everyone wanted to do. Catwoman was trying to persuade Gumby, Whisper, and others to join her in getting a hotel room. Trudge and I wanted everyone to split a campsite. It is hard enough to have to wait on the decisions of each other, let alone more people. Catwoman "won" and Trudge and I hung our heads and cried. Well actually, we just went to the corner and eventually got a hitch back to the trailhead. We camped right by the trailhead in a wayside. There were no "no camping" signs so we thought we would try our luck.