A pleasant and relaxing ride through the Virginia countryside, except perhaps for the 2000 foot climb out of Harrisonburg. Everyone seemed to be savoring this last full day of riding and taking it easy today. It was another beautiful day with no rain, although it was a bit warm and muggy toward the afternoon. A nice breeze kept it from feeling too hot.

Ginny and Raj met me today - Raj sent me this photo

Almost half our vertical elevation gain today came in one climb in Shenandoah National Park up to Swiftrun Gap before our first SAG stop. This is where Skyline Drive comes up, a road I had the pleasure of riding while I was out in this area for Diana's family reunion.

Shortly after the first SAG in Stanardsville, I came upon my step-mother's sister Ginny and her

Almost all our roads today were through rural communities and wooded areas

husband Raj. They were waiting beside the road with a big sign welcoming me and my friends to Virginia. It was a lot of fun to see them and stop and talk for a few minutes. Several of the other riders stopped to say hello as well.

The rest of the ride was relaxing and fairly easy. Lots of rural countryside, small towns, ranches and farms, and wooded areas. A couple of the riders I was with commented that they were surprised to see so much rural countryside in a state like Virginia.

There was a lot of talk today about the tour - best and worst days, whether it was what we expected, future riding plans, etc. From what I heard today, I don't think anyone was disappointed.  Once the tour is over, I'll write an epilogue to answer these and other questions from my perspective.

When I got to the destination motel, I had a package waiting for me with a nice cake. Thanks Marla, everyone enjoyed it.

We had two birthdays today - Gavin (see photo below) and Dena (our massage therapist). We celebrated with some candles in a pastry this morning at breakfast.