Day 19. 500 mile Journey to Salem. Farmville, VA to Keysville, VA. About 19 miles. 54,000 steps. High 81. Sunshine AM to pouring rain to light steady rain PM. The day stared out simply gorgeous!! Wonderful walk out of Farmville with Liz and Kevin joining us (and Elizabeth was with us a second day!!) hugely anticipating the High Bridge crossing!! After a gorgeous 4 mile walk on the trail, the bridge did not disappoint!! Unreal!! Such rich train, transportation, and civil war history, while today providing the ultimate in hiking experience. Breathtaking! Our videographers/documentarians were there to capture all of it, so you will see much more of this one day!! The morning walk was spectacular. We adopted a rather leisurely pace to fully enjoy it. We walked about 13 miles before lunch, so we’re ready for our GREAT picnic when we stopped. As always, Lisa chose a perfect spot and provided a super picnic!! Shortly after we got back on the trail, the wind picked up and the clouds turned dark. Then, the heavens opened and it poured rain, the first really heavy rain of our journey. Lisa extracted us from the road, concerned about lightning. However, as the rain turned from a downpour to soaking one, and the lightening fear passed, we quickly headed back out to finish our walk. We spent much of that last 3 miles singing – or at least having fun trying!! The sunset tonight was nothing short of spectacular, the buffet dinner off the charts. Really, fried chicken just does not get any better – and all of the vegetables!!! Even the 18 miles did not work off the calories I ate tonight!! Reflecting tonight on a woman, Tayda, who works at our tonight’s motel – the epitome of professionalism, grace, and hard work. She did everything from checking us in, to running the restaurant, to serving in the restaurant, to answering our many questions, and so much more. And she did ALL of that with patience, kindness, and positivity. Sometimes, “thank you” just seems so inadequate… Hope all of you had a wonderful Saturday and wish you a fabulous Sunday! You know where to find us!! We’ll be on the road to Randolph, VA!! #mysalemjourney. #journey2salem
– Lucy Rose C’76
Day 19 Journey to Salem. Just past 370 miles!!! A little rain this afternoon didn’t slow us down. In fact, it was refreshing after the morning sun. The High Bridge was AMAZING!!! Beautiful sunrise from the window of my hotel in FarmVille, VA this morning, and a gorgeous sunset from outside my motel room in Keysville, VA. #mysalemjourney #journey2salem
– Debbie Faires A’82