August 31- Charlottesville to Mineral, VA

Today's 55-mile ride itself was uneventful. A hot, humid day, riding through rolling countryside. We drank a lot of water and were happy to reach our destination.

The town of Palmyra was our halfway point today. Even though the population is only a few hundred, they have a good grocery there with a deli. It was too early for lunch, so we had them make us sandwiches to take along. While there we met a cyclist riding from Richmond to Charlottesville who had hosted our Dutch friend Miriam on her way to Yorktown. She had described us and told him to look out for us. We had told Miriam we planned to ride in Holland when we got old (and couldn't climb hills any more). Evidently she thought that was very funny, since we already looked old to her, so she had repeated the story to the man we met today. At yesterday's lunch stop the couple we met had also met Miriam, and plan to take her to New York after they finish their ride. Miriam herself finished eight days ago.

At Mineral, a very small town, there is a barbecue restaurant, but no motels. We sought out the fire station, which our map shows as allowing camping on their grounds. They welcomed us and let us use the showers in the fire house. As we were relaxing outside before dinner, one of the firemen came out, warned us that there was a severe thunderstorm approaching, and invited us to sleep in the dance hall upstairs in the firehouse instead of out in our tent. We were glad to accept the offer.

Before we moved inside we had a long talk with a man who stopped his pickup nearby just to say hello. We learned that Mineral was at the epicenter of the earthquake that shook the mid-atlantic states two years ago. His own house suffered a collapsed chimney, and the local elementary and high schools were damaged beyond repair. Most buildings in the area were damaged. He mentioned one home which cost over a million dollars to repair, of which insurance paid nothing because of fine print: it wasn't the owner's primary residence.

At Charlottesville last night, the motel was amost underneath a railroad trestle. When a train came through in the wee hours the whole building shook. When the air conditioner cycles on here at Mineral, it creates a similar rumble. Train tracks also run beside the building. If it shakes during the night, we won't know if it is the A/C, a train, or an earthquake.