After eating breakfast at the Korner Shop Cafe in Franklin and picking up Subway sandwiches for lunch, we headed south on section 3 of the BDR in the George Washington National Forest.

Little Fork Rd and NF-61 included four water crossings. This area has had little rain over the past three months so the crossings were trivial, but we could see that they could be adventurous when the water level is high. NF-61 and Nelson Draft / Sugar Tree are fun forest service roads leading down to Hwy 39, where we ate lunch at a picnic table near Warm Springs VA.

After lunch, we travelled more good gravel roads through Douthat State Park to Covington VA. From Covington we started section 2 of the MABDR, mostly paved twisty roads in the Jefferson National Forest to Hwy 311. I was leading on Barbours Creek Rd (Hwy 617) and Terry, who was next in line, shouted “Bear, Bear” (we use Cardo Packtalk Edge communicators) just as I glanced in my right mirror to make sure the group was together. I looked to my left to see a large black bear (Terry estimated 175 pounds) sliding on all four paws about two feet away, heading toward my front wheel. At the last instant, the bear was somehow able to turn and miss me, slipping between my bike and Terry’s. It had run full tilt out of the woods onto the road and slammed on the brakes when he saw us! No one was running video on this trip, but it happened too quickly for me to react – good thing it bear-ly missed me!

After our bear scare, we rode Tub Run. The first third was large, deep, loose gravel, then turned to mostly dirt as we reached the twisty part. That run was a blast! The road is now closed for major upgrade work and hopefully they’ll use smaller rock that packs down. Next up was Mountain Lake Rd leading to Mountain Lake Lodge near Pembroke, VA, where the movie Dirty Dancing was filmed. Sadly, the lake has dried up, hopefully it will return someday.

Completing a 215-mile day at the end of MABDR section 2, we gratefully checked into our Eggleston VA Airbnb, started laundry, and proceeded to a fabulous supper at The Palisades Restaurant, two doors down from our accommodations. I cannot say enough good things about this restaurant – the food was amazing, and the service was impeccable. Make reservations as this place is packed, for good reason! Stepanie had us covered; otherwise, we’d have been relegated to eating beef jerky and protein bars.

Our host Shaena owns both the restaurant and the Airbnb, a cool, eclectic old house that’s been updated (mini splits in the bedrooms and modern kitchen & baths). You have to be good with steps as 3 bedrooms were on the 1st floor, 2 bedrooms on the 2nd floor, and the kitchen, living room, & laundry room in the walk-out basement. Don’t forget your earplugs – the house backs up to train tracks that run all night long.

We ended our evening folding laundry, sipping whiskey, and watching a few trains roll by. I kept thinking about O Brother, Where Art Thou? – “The only good thing you ever did for the gals was get hit by that train!“.