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Blue Ridge & Shenandoah Tour
Day 3 Big Meadows to Rock Fish Gap

After breakfast at the Big Meadows Lodge, We set off for Rock Fish Gap.   Being a Monday, traffic was extremely light.  As expected today's riding was much easier.  We had a net elevation loss of 1600 feet compared to yesterday's net gain of 2900 feet.  I decided to slow down and hang with Dave all day. 

I spotted a large hound running along the road with some kind of radio collar.  I suspect this dog belong belonged to a bear hunter.  These dogs follow scents and don't recognize park boundaries.  I wouldn't want to be that dog's owner if a ranger picked it up.

Valley view
A view from Skyline Drive.

Stonewall sign
Stonewall's legend is everywhere.

 Just before our lunch stop at Loft mountain, Dave and I spotted two deer on the side of the road.  As we approached, the deer took a couple of hops into the trees and resumed feeding.  Dave and I spent about 20 minutes watching and taking pictures.  The people cruising by in cars  never even saw them.  This is one of the nice things about bike touring.  You get to see so many cool things that you'd never see get to see from a car.

Dave and I were stopped at an overlook when I heard a rumbling off in the distance.  At first I wasn't sure if it was thunder or a jet.  We started riding again and I saw a flash.  I developed a healthy respect for thunderstorms after my experience in John Brown Canyon.  

Storm
The storm approaches Rock Fish Gap.
The last place I wanted to be in a thunderstorm is an exposed ridge.  Dave wasn't the least bit concerned.  We were only a few miles from Rock Fish Gap. I hammered up the last short climb and down the long descent down to Rock Fish Gap.  I arrived at Rock Fish Gap about 15 minutes before the storm hit.  Dave got there about 10 minutes after I did.   We ended up with about 55 miles for the day.  Dave and I watched the storm from the comfort of the motel.  We ate supper in the motel's restaurant.

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