Laurel Creek RV Park

We arrived at this small RV park in Damascus, VA on Tuesday.  Backing into our site was a challenge as we didn’t have much room to maneuver.  Since the backend of the RV was going to be hanging out over the creek bank, we took our bikes off before we started. The weather was sunny so we walked around town to stretch our legs. There are at least six bike shops in this very small town!  Some of the local businesses, like the ice cream shop, are closed during the first part of the week so we had to settle for a beer at a trailside cafe that just opened.

Damascus is located at the midpoint of the Virginia Creeper Trail, between Abingdon and Whitetop Station.  When we were here two years ago, we had rented bikes and took a shuttle up to Whitetop so that we could enjoy coasting down the long slope into town.  On Wednesday, we decided we would ride our bikes up the trail toward Abingdon. The weather was cool but mostly sunny so it was a comfortable temperature for a bike ride.  The scenery on this part of the trail is spectacular, with many bridges, rolling farmlands, trees, rivers, and fall foliage.  There was some color, enough to hint at how gorgeous it could be when the fall leaves are at peak.  The trail to Abington is a slight uphill grade so the biking was not too hard but our legs were plenty tired by the time we got back.

The weather turned cold and rainy on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, so we spent most of our time inside relaxing.  We got so much rain during these three days that the rocks in the foreground of the picture taken behind (and below!) our home are now under water.  Thursday night, we went to the Damascus Brewery to check out the local brews and on Friday, we drove out to Abingdon to take care of chores like laundry, grocery shopping, and a haircut for Amy. We wanted to be able to watch the World Series games (Go Red Sox!) but there is no local Fox affiliate so we had to settle for listening to the games on WEEI.  It made for some late nights but it was worth it!

Sunday, we headed up the Virginia Creeper Trail toward Whitetop Station. Unlike the ride to Abingdon, where the change in elevation is only 300 ft, this ride has an elevation change of approx. 1700 ft. That’s why most folks take shuttle up to Whitetop.  Since it had been rainy for the past few days, the trail was wet and muddy, with some puddles that spanned the width of the trail.  We figured we would ride as far as we could go, hoping that we could make it to the top but accepting the possibility that we may not. After almost 3 grueling hours, we reached Whitetop Station! Inside the station, we talked to a couple who have been RV’ing for the past 5 years and were currently volunteering to work for the National Park Service in exchange for an RV site with full hookup.  We plan to do this, at some point, so it was really helpful to talk with someone about their experience. The ride, or should we say “coast”, back down the trail took less than an hour and a half and was more fun than our ride down two years ago because this time, we had earned it.