Biking Skyline Drive

Today
we
tackle
Skyline
Drive...

We've
biked
255
miles...

since
Virginia
Beach

OK,
I admit
most
of my biking
has
been
vicarious....

But
Shelley
and
I
have been
hard
at
work....

all
the
same.

But
this morning
I
feel
your
pain....

the
nervous
energy...

of
the
bikes....

and
the
bikers...

the
coffee....

and
the
yogurt.

Cleated
toes
tap....

Stretch
those
muscles....

Actin
slides
by
myosin
as the
muscles
unstratify.

Can
we
make it
up the
Shenandoah
Mountains?

105
miles...

and
3200
feet
of
climb!

Go
for
it!

Focusing
on
the
hills
ahead...

Climbing

pedal

strokes

in

sync...

Pumping

heart

and

legs...

Gripping 

handlebars

for 

leverage!

Cresting 

the

escarpment -

a smile

on her

face...

This

is

what

biking's

all

about...

This

is 

what

LIFE

is all

about!

Living

life

to

its

fullest...

Sisters

sharing

a bike ride

in 

the

mountains...

Team

Canada

made it

to the 

top!

We

all

made

it!

(OK, so I borrowed 

the bike

for this shot.

Don't tell anyone.)

Even Shelly,

sans bike,

feels the joy

of scaling

the 

mountaintop!

OK.

Reaching

the top

feels

great!

But

you know

what

is

even

greater?

The

downhills!

Whew!

We

deserve

this!

Even

I'm 

on 

bike

now...

enjoying
with
the rest
the
downhill
plunge...

the
curvy
roads...




and
curvy
roads...

Startled
by
tunnels....

Drop
off
those
sunglasses!

I'll
never
see
my favorite
sunglasses
ever
again.

I set
them
by the
side
of the road
to take
tunnel pictures...

and
forgot
them
there.

:(

Some
bikers
enjoy
the
speed...

I
enjoy
the
stopping.


with
views
like
this...

how
can I
stay
on
bike?

I enjoy
the
first
glimpses
of
fall
color....

The
Virginia
creeper
cresting
the
trees...

Sassafras?

And
I enjoy
communing
with
the
wildlife...

I wave
good-bye
to the
last
of the
bikers.

They
bike
off...

leaving
me
alone...

with

the

beauty...

of 

Skyline 

Drive.

The
sun
is
getting
low....

Paul
comes
to
rescue
me...

My
last
views
of
Skyline
Drive...

are
via
GPS....

But
the
pictures...

will
stay
with
me....


forever.

the end.