All the clothing I'm bringing

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Day 3: Douthat State Park Campground to Jefferson National Forest | Let's Delay Reality

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After a warm shower and a pleasant social dinner by the fire, Sharon said, "I got a good night's sleep last night and I'm thankful for that." She also made the discovery that hammock sleeping eliminates her back pain.  We took our time, having coffee with Lisa and leisurely packing up our camp. Sharon optimized her handlebar roll, shrinking everything into a single stuff sack. We departed Douthat at 11:20 and enjoyed the next 25 miles climbing and finally descending along the scenic Ponding Mill Creek. We took a resupply break in  Covington , where Karen found the delicious Snapper Tacos at a food truck. (After a few days of eating cold-soaked food, hot food is a spectacular treat!) Sharon had another of her pre-packed meals, since she was carrying so many of them... After leaving town, we remembered that we had forgotten, once again, to purchase Fire Whisky to fill the titanium shot glasses that Sharon also had in her pack from Day 1. After climbing out of Covington...
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Day 2: Ramsey's Draft to Douthat State Park Campground | Stunning Scenery

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We started the day by steadily climbing out of Ramsey's Draft back into the stunning vistas of the Appalachian Mountains. We spent the morning riding up and down the ridgeline in the southern part of the George Washington National Forest where we navigated fire roads and single track trails. These popped us out into the Shenandoah Valley where we traversed bucolic farmland and wondered where the heck cows come from?  Our travels produced wet socks due to the many stream crossings, and as Sharon was changing her socks by the side of the road, we met the creator of the Virginia Endurance Series' Rockstar , Rob Issem. Rob rode with us for a bit and gave us the lowdown on camping options along the route and the gist of days ahead. We decided that the hot showers at Douthat State Park Campgroud were absolutely, unquestionably worth the extra 5 miles off-course for the night. Camping at Douthat introduced us to Rob's wife, Lisa, and Brian from Richmond, who we'd met earlie...
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Day 4: Jefferson National Forest to Brush Mountain Wilderness | Stop Time > Ride Time

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After two days of late morning departures, we perfected our unhurried rhythm* by stopping for very long breaks by babbling brooks to wash our clothes and filter water and to photograph scenic vistas. We were thoroughly enjoying ourselves. We were doing this before, but now we were on a mission. * Here might be a good time to mention that none of this riding was easy. Hauling an extra 30-40 lbs of food, water, clothing, and gear up and down mountains on your bike is nothing to shake a stick at, especially while navigating roads of crushed stone and dirt, keeping your balance on rugged terrain, and traversing hairpin turns, not to mention adjusting layers for the wildly varying temperatures. 
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