Update #23 - Thursday, August 16, 2007
PEMBROKE, VA
9,114.84 miles (14,583.74 kms) since Jan 01st
8,274.08 miles (13,238.53 kms) since March 03

As stated in my last update, I needed to find a new front tire really soon. I had ridden almost 6,000 miles on it on tour but I didn't know how many miles it had on it from the time it was manufactured two years ago and the miles the recumbent was ridden during test rides at the bike shop outside of Lancaster, PA. I was able to find a Primo Comet 20x1.35 100psi tire at a bike shop in St. Albans, WV. The only real problem that I'm having is that I can't set the bead perfectly on the rim so there is a bit of a bump when the wheel goes around.

The ride from Charleston, WV to Pembroke, VA went okay. At least the temperature wasn't as hot as it was in Ohio. There was a lot of climbing over mountains but there were also long stretches of downhill coasts. I was a bit concerned about the section between Charleston and Chimney Furnace because I was at the time in the area where the major concentration of coal mines were. Dump trucks with trailors the size of semi trailors carried the coal from the mines to either the steel plants along the Kenawah River or to places where the coal is put on barges for the trip down the Kenewah River to the Ohio River and beyond. The coal trucks usually come from the mines in pairs. I was very fortunate in not having any problem with them.

Instead of heading east along U.S. 60, I opted to head south on U.S. 19 through Beckley to Princeton, WV where I got on U.S. 490 for the ride across the Virginia State Line and on to Pembroke. I had to camp out in my tent one night outside of Beckley. Along the way, I've stayed at churches in Montgomery and Kegley, WV and here in Pembroke, VA. Last night, I got to speak to the congregation during the prayer meeting at the Shawnee Baptist Church in Kegley, WV.

I'm almost out of the Appalachians. Tomorrow, I've got to cross over Brush Mountain through the Jefferson National Forest west of Blacksburg and also to cross over the Blue Ridge Parkway east of Roanoke. Once these are done, I'll have pretty well smooth riding to the Coastal Plains. I'm heading over to Lynchburg to meet up with the director of the Wheelpower Christian Cyclists, Judy Bowman. I'll get to Lynchburg either this Saturday or Sunday. From Lynchburg, I'll be turning southward back to Americus, GA for some needed time off the road.

I'll try and post and update as often as I can if my plans change. The next update should be posted between August 23th and August 30th. Hopefully, I'll have more to write about by then.