Day 2: Harrisonburg to Winchester VA- No Rain! (almost)

Day two was another great day of cycling in the Shenandoah Valley. The forecast was not auspicious- 70% of rain with possible thunderstorms around 1PM so with a 80-mile day ahead of us, we set out at 7AM and planned on eating lunch in Winchester.  Adam's prediction was that we would just get to the hotel when it started to rain.

The cycling and scenery today was even more spectacular than Day 1. You really felt that you were in a valley for most of the day since the Blue Ridge mountains were often apparent to both the east and west. And in the valley itself, a continual landscape of farmland.

The cycling was challenging and fun. We rarely had a flat segment, most of the riding was over "rollers", basically a roller coaster of downhills that led to uphills -- the most fun kind of cycling there is. On the downhills, we were often over 30 mph, and a few times we were pushing 45 mph. Adam and I spent most of the ride riding with veteran rider and all around great guy Bill Rousell. 

Bananas are a mainstay for cyclists. Just can't get enough bananas -- Lindsey knows this firsthand. And of course, they're just great for monkeying around with. And not to be left out, below you'll see an artful photo taken by good friend Ken Naglak of apple cider with an apple orchard backdrop.

Did we get caught in the rain you ask? The weather held up for most of the day with light clouds for most of the day which kept the temps in the low 80's. But rain clouds did move in. True to Adam's prediction, we got to the main hotel just as it started raining. We did get pretty wet as we cycled 1.7 miles to the secondary hotel where we were staying. But it was fine as it came at the end of the day.

A big part of Anchor House is centered around eating, particularly dinner. The social aspect is often a blast. Here are some scenes from an incredibly fun dinner we had at a local Italian restaurant. We were absolutely famished since we arrived at the second hotel at 3 PM and didn't eat until 5:30 PM. Prodigious amounts of food were ordered and consumed. You will see Adam triumphant below as he finished his rather full plate. After dinner, it was back to our rooms, to enjoy soft beds and some great chill out time with my awesome roommate.

Now, we're settling into some South Park, reading some Game of Thrones, and getting a good night's sleep to get ready for Day 3! Thanks for reading everyone!