Big A Mountain
Tuesday was a 62 mile ride from Breaks to Meadowview. When I looked at the elevation profile on the map, I knew it was going to be a long day of climbing. But there weren’t many options unless I wanted to do a shorter day or find someplace off the road to camp.
Getting out of Breaks in the morning was tough as it began with a couple of fairly long climbs. About ten miles later I arrived at the town of Haysi where I stopped for a drink. Here a local began talking to me about the ride and then went on to tell me about the history of the town, which was interesting, but then many other things that weren’t at all interesting. It was hard to break in and get away.
The riding was good. The weather was great and I continued on to the town of Davenport through mostly level roads. It was a bit windy with leaves falling from the trees. I stopped in Davenport at the local convenience store for another drink as I knew a big climb was next. I asked the girls in the store how far it was to the top. “Are you going up Big A Mountain” one of them asked. “I guess so. I’m going that direction” and pointed up the road. “Yeah, that’s Big A. You’re bikin’ up it? It’s steep. I’d say five miles.”
Once outside the store a local pulled up on his motorcycle. We started talking and he asked about the trip and where I was going to for the day. When I told him Meadowview he immediately asked “You goin’ up Big A Mountain?” Right when he asked that another local happened to be walking into the store and heard Big A Mountain. He saw my bike and figured things out because he started shaking his head and laughing, saying “Yeah, it’s steep.” Big A had a reputation. The motorcyclist went on to say that it was six miles to the top but said the real climb wouldn’t start for a few more miles.
You always wonder about people’s opinions of hills and climbs, and also distance. It ended up being seven miles to the top. All those people were right, it was steep, but thankfully it was only the last couple miles or so that were overly difficult. However, by now the sun had really come out and it was becoming a hot ride.
Next up was the town of Honaker, with a quick stop at the Farmer’s Table restaurant. Not a lot going on here, but the waitress was talking to the customer about cutbacks at her other job and having to work two jobs, as her friends do in order to take care of the “youngins.”
The day was nowhere close to being done after Honaker. I still had around thirty miles to do. It was now 2:30 and there was a lot of climbing left, beginning with leaving Honaker. That stretch was one of the worst of the trip. Sometimes the route can’t always follow less traveled roads and you’re stuck for a while on less than ideal sections. I stopped yet again for a drink where a guy asked me about the trip and which direction I had ridden from. When I told him he asked “So you rode over Big A?”
The bad portion of road with no shoulder and too much traffic lasted for about five miles but then it put you back on a rural road, this one being fantastic. Shortly into it I passed a church with a sign out front saying “Biking Hostel.” Stopping for the day sounded really good. I considered it for a moment, but kept on going. It was a good move as I got many more brutal hills out of the way, one of them being longer and more difficult than the infamous Big A.
The scenery was now amazing. It was rolling pasture land and small hills. Totally different than what I had just been on. This eventually led to the very long climb that became riding under a canopy of trees. Any drivers who did pass by would wave. Getting to the top of this portion was good news. It led to a fantastic winding downhill and then to more green pasture land.
The climbing still wasn’t done as there were a couple moderate climbs, but riding into Meadowview was very scenic with the sun starting to go low on the horizon. The name of the town fit the area.
I planned on staying at a church, but I wasn’t able to contact them on the phone. When I arrived they were in a meeting and by the time I squared things away it was getting late. There was a pavilion behind the church where you could camp. Here I didn’t even set up the tent. I just inflated the air mattress and put it and the sleeping bag on a picnic table. I didn’t feel like riding into town for dinner, so I had a few things left over from the day and then went to sleep.