In the Mountains of Appalachia

Here we are, up high in the sky, climbin through rain and wind. We took two separate routes yesterday to experience the separation. It was nice in some ways, Kate didn't feel slow, Emilie got to climb the mountain real fast, but in the end we've decided to ride together. We met a biker who just came in from SF and is two days away from the end of his tour. It took him 50days, with only two days off. We stayed at a lovely little hostel in Damascus, The Place and cooked a meal on our little stove which we packed up this morning and sent off with our computer, the film camera, Kate's sleeping bag liner, Emilie's eye-liner, some clothes, and a couple of tools. Kate's bike is much lighter now and Emilie has a new, true tire. We ripped our the states we needed from the road atlas and ditched the rest. People had been asking us if we were riding for something, and Kate said, without thinking, "We're riding for peace." And that seemed about right since we started riding on September 11th. People ask, "What does it mean to ride for peace?" And we don't have a great answer. It seems like riding for peace means you put a sign on the back of your bike that people see, and simply that seeing makes them feel something or think something. There are signs all over this damn country talkin about Love Jesus and Support The Troops, and so far I think we're the only sign that says anything about Peace. Kate passed a church sign that said, "The things you do in this life, will echo throughout eternity." So maybe our peace signs will echo a little, maybe it means the same thing as Support The Troops, just from a different angle. They also ask, "Do you have a gun? Pepper spray?" We don't have any weapons 'cept our own wit. So far we're doing okay. Keep us in mind, and imagine blowing at our backs to help us battle the headwinds. Love, Both