May 20 Virginia Creeper Ride

This ride is from just outside Abingdon to Damascus and back, the quiet end of the Virginia Creeper Trail. It was a sunny day and low temperatures and humidity. If there is a drawback to this section of trail, it would be the gates which need to be opened and closed as you travel through. I think there are 6. Two of them have a very powerful cylinder to close the gate after you have opened it. It is tricky to open and close it without a powerful thud against your bicycle. Two of the gates have cables with weights on them, making it easier to get through them without having to close the gate.

Bridge over Holston River

A new restroom has been built in Alvarado in a beautiful depot style building. The store next to it is under new management geared to serve trail users. For a pleasant side excursion here, it is one half mile to the Abingdon Winery, set next to the creek. Actually, I think you have to ford a small side creek to arrive at the tasting room.

As I arrived in Damascus you could see vestiges of the recent Trail Days festival which concluded days earlier. I passed several thru hiking couples making their way along the AT, which here, is the sidewalk. I think virtually all that hike through town, hike through MRO, MT Rogers Outfitters. It looks like there is a new hostel right next the Food City grocery store. How convenient. I should walk through that store sometime to see if they are geared to serve AT thru hikers. 

Bridge #7

What a history, Bridge #7 has. Originally built in the 1890s, it served the Carolina Virginia Railroad, aka Virginia Creeper for almost a century. Then it became part of the railtrail. In April 2011, a tornado lifted it up and twisted it into pieces. Four people lost their lives in nearby Glade Springs on that day. The town of Abingdon which owns the trail here, had the bridge insured. The first order of business was to remove the debris and construct a temporary trail bypassing the bridge. It took over two years for a new bridge to be completed. Here it is.

Bridge # 7 with trees torn up by 2011 tornado