Greg‘s Truckload Volume 23

Hello Truckers, we are wrapping up another wonderful fall break. 4 weeks ago, I had never even heard of Abingdon, Virginia. While sitting in the bleachers at a Little League game, Sara’s dad casually mentions a bike path in Virginia. A rail-to-trail, I asked, and he said yes. I googled it and was like, yeah. That looks cool, let’s go. What a great decision. We just loved everything about this small town in western Virginia. 1st off, it was voted the best small-town food scene, and that proved to be very believable. The downtown area is very walkable, and you can peek in, check out the menus, and find just what you’re in the mood for. Maybe we just got lucky, but every meal we had was more than just food; it was also a wonderful dining experience. The first night, we went to Rain, which was fully booked but had an open high-top in the bar; we snagged it right away. The setting was modern and open with lots of windows. We ended up next to a table of 12 ladies dressed head to toe as witches. Their laughter completed the costumes. Our meals were delicious and well presented. We quickly realized this was a hotspot for locals. As we were leaving, we ran into a store owner we had met earlier in the day, who gave us a few dining recommendations. We felt like we already had friends in town.

Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. The next night, we made a reservation at the tavern, as it was on our radar as a must-do. It was located on Main Street in a building built in 1779, and it showed as much as was original, or at least very well replicated. Everything from the low ceilings with round timber joists, brick floors, and a rough, squeaky front door had history. They sat us upstairs next to a fireplace that sent off a warming glow in the dimly lit room. The table was very spacious and well-worn. The service was phenomenal and the meal delicious. Don’t skip the tavern if you visit Abingdon.

I’ve mentioned how easy it is to consume calories in Abingdon; it’s just as easy to burn them off. 1st, it’s very walkable, at least the town center. Just outside of town, there are outdoor activities in every direction. We went north to a hiking trail called the channels. It ended up being about 7 miles with just under 1300 feet of elevation gain. It’s an out-and-back trail with the main feature being the maze of towering rocks at the top. Some call this the only slot canyon east of the Rockies, and it sure does resemble one. We had a blast exploring, getting lost, and finding our way again. Also worth mentioning are the views from the top of Bald Mountain, where you can see for hundreds of miles. I’m not sure about that, but at least a really long way.

We met some hikers who drove 2.5 hours to hike this trail. It was really cool. After the hike, we decided we were done walking and went on a driving tour, heading south to Grayson Highlands State Park. This area has higher elevations, and with that came a look and feel of winter; the temps dropped 10 degrees, and the foliage was stripped entirely from the trees. This opened up the views of the distant valleys. We kept our eyes peeled for the famous wild ponies that inhabit this park, but didn’t have any luck with that. Maybe we could have seen them if we’d gotten out of the car and hit a trail, but we didn’t do that.

The main reason we visited this area was the Virginia Creeper Trail. It is a 36-mile rail-to-trail that stretches from Abingdon to Whitetop, with Damascus as the midpoint, and where it crosses the more famous Appalachian Trail. We had planned to ride the section from Whitetop to Damascus because it’s all downhill, but it was still closed after Hurricane Helene destroyed most of the bridges. We did the one option available. Multiple shops offer shuttling services. We drove to Damascus and had breakfast at a lovely, small-town diner, where they made room for us at the bar so we could watch the kitchen put tons of butter in our grits. Wish I hadn’t seen that, but whatevs.

From there, we took the shuttle back to Abingdon and rode the trail back to the car. This section is 17 miles, winding through the forest along streams and rivers. It goes through open fields with livestock and picturesque barns. We went over 16 trellis bridges built when this was a railroad track, some of which were quite high above the valley floor. This was my first actual experience on a rail-to-trail (Louisville does have a really short one), and I loved it and will definitely plan more trips around this type of activity. If you Google it, you will find that there are bunches of them all over the country in all sorts of different settings. This is a safe way to enjoy bicycling as it avoids vehicular traffic. As much as I love riding the bike more often around town, I simply don’t feel safe on the roads anymore. Hats off to the communities that make these activities possible. It’s definitely a collaboration, not just a single township responsible for the work. If you would like to know more about visiting Abingdon or the area, feel free to reach out. Do you enjoy riding the rail-trail paths? Please let me know your favorites. Do you know someone who would enjoy this edition? Forward it!

Well, fall break is over, and it’s back to work and school. At least Halloween is on a Friday this year. That’s exciting

Happy Halloween Truckers