Bike 76 VA: The Virginia Bikecentennial Route 76 Podcast

30. Breaks

In the spring of 1976, as Bikecentennial riders began to cross the United States on two wheels, a very different procession began a similar journey from the Pacific Coast to the eastern United States. The Trail of Self-Determination was an attempt by American Indian activists to call attention to more than two hundred years of broken promises by the United States government. The 1976 Trail was inspired by several years of activism by the American Indian Movement, founded in the late 1960s to advocate for the rights of indigenous people. The juxtaposition of these two transcontinental trips in 1976, one a recreational tour celebrating two hundred years of American independence and the other a political campaign calling attention to two hundred years of violence, displacement, and oppression, provides an important perspective on this exploration of Virginia history along Route 76. While the Trail of Self-Determination did not cross Virginia, the issues highlighted by this political movement are particularly relevant to the history of Native Americans in the Appalachian region. Exploring this complicated history is particularly timely as the United States looks ahead to the commemoration of 250 years since the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776. This episode is connected to Breaks Interstate Park, the starting point for eastbound riders in Virginia, and about 550 miles from Yorktown, where westbound riders begin their journey.

29. Davenport

About two miles north of Davenport, Route 76 crosses Russell Fork, a mountain creek that winds along the side of the road for nearly thirty miles close to the Kentucky border. Or, to be more historically accurate, the road winds along the path of the river, as the waterway existed in this land long before these routes were established by people walking, riding on horseback, traveling in wagons, driving cars, or riding bicycles. Across Virginia, Route 76 is inseparably connected to waterways. Over and over again, cyclists cross rivers and streams on bridges. Even more commonly, as in the case of Russell Fork near Davenport, cyclists spend considerable time riding alongside the river before they actually cross over the water. It may not be obvious to a cyclist in the mountains of southwest Virginia, but every stream is connected to a broader waterway that shapes the contours of the entire country. In fact, Russell Fork near Davenport is part of the same Mississippi drainage system as the entire length of Route 76 across Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, and the eastern part of Colorado. All of the waterways crossed along this route ultimately drain into the Mississippi River and then the Gulf of Mexico. An exploration of how Route 76 is connected to Virginia’s waterways thus provides a basis for thinking about how lands and people are connected by water in ways that can be observed as well as experienced. This episode is connected to the community of Davenport, located just over 530 miles from Yorktown, the starting point for the westbound route, and about twenty miles from the Kentucky border, where eastbound riders enter Virginia.

28. Honaker

In southwestern Virginia, traditional forms of Appalachian culture are celebrated along the Crooked Road, an 333 mile driving route that includes many milestones in the history of American popular music. The designated stops along the Crooked Road include recording studios, birthplaces of famous musicians, and key moments in performances for public audiences. The road also includes sites of musical festivals, including the Redbud festival each spring in Honecker, a town located along route 76. The Crooked Road recognizes music known by various names, including country, folk, bluegrass, traditional, or Appalachian. In 1976, as cyclists rode through the mountains of Virginia during the Bikecentennial, they often observed local musicians playing along the route. This tradition continues, as music remains integral to the identity and beliefs of Appalachian Virginia as well as contributing to the recreational tourism industry. An appreciation of the complex history of this music provides insights into the synthetic nature of Appalachian culture in the past as well as the present. This episode is connected to the town of Honaker, located just over 520 miles from Yorktown, the starting point for the westbound route, and just under 30 miles from the Kentucky border, where eastbound riders enter Virginia.

27. Logan Creek

As cyclists ride through the valleys of southwestern Virginia, the hills are almost entirely covered with trees. It is easy to think that this natural environment has been in place for centuries, since before humans settled the American continent. In fact, across most of the Appalachian region, including southwest Virginia, the forests were almost entirely cut in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The forests that cyclists pass day and day as they ride through western Virginia are relatively recent growths, mostly from the last century or so. The history of clearcutting Appalachian forests reflects the powerful intersection of industrial capitalism and resource extraction. The impact of clearcutting was evident in the destruction of old growth forests, the destabilization of the land, the contamination of creeks and rivers, and the disruption of community identities and individual lives. A few owners of land, mills, and processing sites became very wealthy, many thousands of workers contributed their labor, and the natural resources of the mountains were distributed across the country for use in buildings, ships, and fuel. Clearcutting forests was just the first stage in a history of environmental destruction in pursuit of profit that continues to shape Appalachian communities and cultures.  This episode is connected to the area where the route crosses Logan Creek, located nearly 500 miles from Yorktown, the starting point for the westbound route, and just about 50 miles from the Kentucky border, where eastbound rides enter Virginia.

26. Damascus

In the town of Damascus, Route 76 intersects with the Appalachian Trail in the center of town. Once a year, in May, an estimated 25,000 people attend Appalachian Trail Days in this small town with a regular population of just 650 people. Camping is encouraged in a designated tent city in a town park, hundreds of vendors sell crafts, food, and hiking gear, and a full schedule of music, including many local and regional performers, fills out the days and nights. A highlight of each weekend is the Hiker Parade through the downtown, with thousands walking and other cheering. Spraying hikers with water guns is encouraged. For about forty years, this festival has allowed Damascus to demonstrate its designation as “the friendliest town on the trail,” with the goal of welcoming new hikers and welcoming back hikers and community members who attend regularly. This episode uses the location of Damascus, in far southwestern Virginia, close to the border with North Carolina, to explore the parallel development and divergent paths of two major routes: Route 76 for cyclists and Appalachian Trail for hikers. This episode is connected to the city of Damascus, about four hundred seventy five miles from Yorktown, the starting point for the westbound route, and about seventy five miles from the Kentucky border, where eastbound riders enter Virginia.