Dispatches from the road

 Dispatches from the road

Dispatches from the road by Bill Poindexter

4/29-morning of 4/30

April 29 9:19 PM, on Merc farms in Draper Virginia. Bedding down in the greenhouse tonight overlooking a Appalachian farm area of rolling hills and mountains here in Draper, Virginia. The sun has gone down and as I look towards the sky I see stars lots and lots and lots of stars. And that makes me happy just below me about 50 yards is a labyrinth made by Brian Gardner, owner and director of healing hearts here. The labyrinth is a place of serenity place of grounding and a place of individual focus. Many societies of use them for years and years to get focused and grounded the form of meditation just walking one. I haven’t studied very much about them but will after this visit here. 

So I woke up 60 miles west of here and grindstone campground (16 miles east of Damascus) just below Mount Rogers and the Jefferson national forest. I thought I would be a little nervous since I saw a bear about a mile away from my campground before I got there last night but as usual just put Bill Poindexter on a patch of dirt and he sleeps like a log. I woke up at sunrise had a good breakfast and filled my water bottles from the stream and that you don’t need to use any filtration because it’s all coming down from the top of the mountain and there’s nothing up there except critters in a few hikers. It’s good to get a little gut bacteria in you and our prophylactic world. So I made my way east with a unspecified goal in mind and rode the first 26 miles fairly easy just a few up hills down hills riding by creeks the area was really beautiful especially leaving the Mount Rogers recreation area for about the first 10 miles was just an amazing sight that I will never forget. And after the first 26 miles I realize I was definitely tired from the previous couple of days before- my legs felt like lead thought I’d eaten enough but still some days I just haven’t and wanted to make sure that I was super hydrated because yesterday I wasn’t that hydrated so and it’s also that we’re in a little bit higher elevation too and there was a little bit dryer. But I kept rolling in the first place I was gonna stop at -decide not to stop second place decided I could keep going and then there was a 3rd Pl., Draper, which I knew I could make and another place beyond Draper about 15 miles which I wasn’t sure if I could make and as I rolled in the afternoon after a good snack and about a half hour sleeping on a park bench or actually a picnic bench I found myself energized enough to make my way to Draper and got a little turned around the maps weren’t specifically clear on a couple of places so I wasn’t sure where to go right or left so I stopped a local and asked her, Angela,  and I asked about campground options and she didn’t know but she direct me into the town which I came into and stopped at the Mercantile which I thought was a Store But actually a retail store that actually was closed by the time I got into town and a gentleman Brian who I now know, came out of this house across the street and asked me if I was a Trans Am rider and I said I was welcomed and he told me there were places that I could stay either church or they had a farm just about a quarter mile away and I was welcome to sleep in the greenhouse. And I took him up on his hospitality because I have to tell you I was tired by that time. And Brian turned out to be a fine gentleman and I get along great, he’s very much into helping people and creating a very spiritually healing universal society where community is a primary issue and just that he understands to the most people are really good in this world. They have meditation classes here and there they do a various projects including the labyrinths. Brian was also kind enough to let me do a load of laundry and take a shower which was fantastic because I had none either in four days also I met Dr. Kim here who is a her is a medical doctor and chiropractor but she’s also over seeing the greenhouse and growing basically edible greens which was fantastic because I had a wide choice for my dinner tonight. Primarily arugula though. Yum! But she and I got along great she spent a lot of time in Ireland in Tibet / Nepal and other places-alot of traveling very interesting woman and we just talked about life and she’s also a meditation instructor and we talked about how important breath was and we both have the same exact same philosophies here especially healing philosophy is when it comes to breathing. So that was fun to have that conversation. So I’m sitting up overlooking the Appalachia mountains and looking up at the Milky Way above me and just feeling thankful just to be here I hope Brian was so kind when he brought my laundry to me also gave me a bag of grapes and a some cheddar cheese as well. They have a restaurant in town I’m gonna have breakfast before I head out in the morning it’s supposed to rain tonight at around 3 AM to till 7 AM I am  going to cowboy camp under the stars I still think I’m gonna do that until it starts raining I’ll go in under the cover of the greenhouse it’s only gonna be 57° tonight I’m used to much colder weather. Do you flora and fauna here are not very  beautiful truly though not much different than Missouri or Kentucky in many ways it’s almost like Missouri but with mountains - the mountains are gorgeous! I’m not gonna stop on the road and take pictures of wildflowers all the time there’s some things I just want to keep to myself. But for you guys out there reading this just know that I’m having a really good time, I wish I had a traveling companion I’ve been on the road now 29 days and so I really enjoy meeting people who are cycling the opposite direction. I still have at least three weeks left on the road my best guesstimate is when I’m gonna get up to Martha’s Vineyard and I’m really enjoying the beautiful landscape I’m enjoying meeting people as I go like Dr. Kim and Brian and Angela. I know that very many of you will never be able to do what I’m doing and I’m glad you’re living vicariously through me and I am truly enjoying this. So thank you for reading my words and I guess I’ll sign off from Draper Virginia and looking up at the Milky Way and just smelling that sweet grass smell of the mountains here it’s just amazing peace and love from the road, Bill Poindexter

Additionally: 7am

I slept really well I came inside around 2 AM when it started to rain a little bit. But definitely very comfortable here would like to come back and spend more time in Draper Virginia the positive energy from the universe here is incredible. I’m going to journal a bit and then pack up my stuff slowly sis drizzling a little hopefully the rain will hold off. Plan to go into town and have some good breakfast and some coffee. If you’re enjoying following my adventure and reading my writings and would like to support this endeavor and buy me a cup of coffee and a sandwich while I’m on the road I would greatly appreciate your kindness, you can find me on Venmo I have beard pic. Or just contact me directly. You can text me at 913-220-1213. You can also follow this journey on Facebook there’s a link on the website as well.Peace and love from the road bill