Day 6 in Rural Retreat

After leaving Buchanan we rode up and over lots of hills. When we stopped for Gatorade in Troutville, a local newspaper woman interviewed us and put a posting in the local news --
http://blogs.roanoke.com/botetourtview/2008/07/bikers_come_through_on_the_transamerica_route_esta.html
After that we learned that even small hills can wear you out, but the afternoon flew by after subs at a shop in Catawba. We also encountered our first thru-biker there. His name was Rob and he is headed west. Here's his website: http://www.gowestusa.org/. He's riding to raise money for an organization that takes homeless kids out west in the summer. We biked together for a while and shared a campsite last night in Christiansburg. At the top of the last climb into Christiansburg a little white dog ran down his driveway and chased Nick and bit his front pannier. By the time Kristin got there he was ready to chase again, but he didn't catch her. We're trying to buy pepper spray (the suggested dog repellent).

This morning we set out for Rural Retreat (where we are now) with hope of laundry, a hostel with beds, and a public library. In the middle of the day we were climbing over hills and started to see black then white smoke on the horizon. We when crossed over Interstate 81 and looked down there was the fire, a big accident and the northbound direction was completely closed. All the traffic was diverted to our road! But only for a couple miles. The afternoon seemed particularly hot and we were glad to get in to rural retreat.

Tomorrow we're headed over another 3,000+ foot peak but it is the last in the Appalachians.

Count:
0--Flats (go tires go!)
400--Miles
3--other cross-country cyclists: Rob and two guys we met who left San Fransisco on May 31st.
2--Milkshake stops
2--encounters with unleashed dogs

Gear update:
So far our bikes are fantastic. They are very smooth and absorb the bumps of the road. The gearing has gotten us up all these steep hills and mountains with no issues. The brakes (which are original) actually feel better than our road bike brakes and saved us on some curvy descents. We're very happy with the wheels and tires and are impressed that we haven't had a flat yet (knock on wood). The panniers (thanks to the Horsleys and Ken) are also working well.