Setting up GPS for the day...
If you went straight instead of following the left curve of the road here, you would ride over a small bridge and head to our campground last night...with the steep gravel road...
Just because it was only about 2 miles from Damascus, VA Taylor took a short detour into Tennessee.
His bike route followed this creek for many miles. Interestingly, back in Virginia, one could almost hear the hunting hounds as we passed several "fox pens"
When we arrived in Wytheville we took some time to walk around town. There was a big festival going on for kids to be able to get a free back to school backpack filled with supplies.
We noted that Wytheville's claim to fame is being the hometown of First Lady Edith Bolling Wilson. Interestingly I had been reading Dead Wake, the story of the Lusitania (thanks, Louise!) and the chapters included quite a lot of history of President Wilson and his distraction with losing his wife then later courting Edith (who originally turned down his marriage proposal). I don't remember now if I learned it from Dead Wake or from info in Wytheville, but Edith basically served as the first female president for a couple years after President Wilson had a severe stroke and was no longer in the public eye. Rather than turning the government over to the VP, Edith consulted with Wilson and led the country in that way.
Checking out the rooftop of the Bolling Wilson Hotel...reminded us of the Charmant in many ways.
