Harriman TN to Great Falls VA 525 miles

---

The longest day yet both in hours and miles and consistently the coldest with the temperature not going over 35 degrees the whole day. Definitely an endurance ride today mostly on Interstate 81 up the Appalachian Great Valley a route travelled since pioneer times and before. The BMW performed flawlessly as I thought about those covered wagons bouncing over the terrain. I guess that is progress. I was surprised how quickly I entered VA and yet how far I had to go. VA is a bigger state that I thought and I always wondered why it was considered southern. Another geography lesson. When I hit I66 there were place names I recognized and I knew I was only about 60 miles away, but there was more snow lying around here and I started to have a paranoia about getting this far and having a spill on the last leg. It was dark when I turned into the familiar driveway of Tanya and Leo's house in Great Falls. They were away and I turned up the heat and contemplated the trip. A total of 2687 miles without a drop of rain. It was cold, but I was still amazingly lucky that I was able to go all the way in the heart of a severe winter. Something else to cross off the bucket list. I did the only proper thing upon arriving in DC - I turned on House of Cards and dozed off in front of the TV.

---

Comments

[Wolfgang]

Congratulations
Congratulations on making it all the way across. However, you fell asleep to House of Cards? Wow! :-)

[Diane Baker]

from the sidelines...
Francis forwarded the link to your blog. Loved riding along with you, Phil, and appreciated staying warm in the process. Thanks for sharing your experience and adventures!

[Michele]

You finished it!
I've been keeping your blog open in case you finished some day. Today I thought, "Might as well close it, but let me take one last look." Surprise! Thanks for entertaining us armchair travelers, or rather computer desk travelers. :-)