Day 6--River Valleys and Rolling Hills

Today was a short day. The beginning of the ride was gorgeous. Flats for around 15 miles. The road we were on ran through a river valley surrounded by the majestic Appalachians which we battled the day before. It was a crazy experience looking up on the giant mountains from which we were looking down yesterday. After the flats we hit some rolling hills all the way to Lexington. Nothing unmanageable, but it was obvious the previous day took its toll. Lexington was a great town. We toured the chapel at Washington and Lee University.A Building Across from the Chapel

They had a statue of Robert Lee on his death bed inside the chapel that took three years to create. The texture on the sheets and blanket was flawlessly done. Lexington was a very unique town. We wandered around a while, ate lunch, and went to the library. Then we made our way along another river valley. The sights of huge farms overshadowed by mountains never gets old. I could see the landscapes I saw today every day and never get bored with it. I would really like to see this part of Virginia in the fall.
We were going to stop by the Natural Bridge (one of the 7 natural wonders of the world) but we were limited by time and inclement weather. It would have been nice to see, but it cost money and I was pretty tired from the ride, too much so to go off course to see it.
We made our way to Buchanan after ducking out of the weather. This is probably my favorite town so far. Its tiny, but it has probably 3/4 a mile of businesses and churches on both sides of the street. Behind that, on the opposite side of a highway, is a giant mountain called Purgatory. It's a beautifully laid out town.
The James River also flowed through Buchanan. Speaking of which, I got to take my first "bath" in the river since Charlottesville. It was cold, but refreshing.
We ate dinner at a dive in bar, washed our clothes and stealth camped near a bridge going over the river.
Tomorrow we finish the fist section of our 12 section map of the US. Sweeeet...