Today's ride was intended to be from Damascus to White Top and back. As I rode the route up I needed to pay special attention to the inexperienced riders heading down. Folks heading down the route aren't always looking out for riders coming up and that is when accidents happen.
Things were working out well. I was riding at a good pace, not stopping much on the ride up. Then I began to hear thunder. It appeared to be closing in. I gathered my wits and rode hard to Green Cove. While at Green Cove, the bottom fell out. I was inside the visitor center at this point taking my time reading the historical data housed there. When the rain let up, I decided to not ride the final 3 miles to White Top. Turning around, I headed down.
It appeared to be good move. I rode several miles and then the rain came. It wasn't a hard rain, but enough to get me soaked. As things cleared up, I cleaned my bicycle and continued on. At about 4 miles from Damascus I stopped to help a fellow with a flat. We got him going. Just about a mile from there I blew a tire. Rather than change the tire, I thought I'd walk into Damascus and change it later. The tube I had was larger than the tire and it would have sufficed for a short distance but I'd be changing it again later anyway. That proved to be a mistake.
Upon entering Damascus, the thunderstorm bore down and really caused havoc. Debris fell in the streets. Parking lots and roads flooded. I sought refuge at an ice cream stand. Winds blew in several directions. The parking lot my bike was parked in flooded. Finally I limped to my car and headed to Abingdon. About halfway I noted dry pavement.
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