Dan River Valley Wed, 27 Oct 2004 It's another sprinkly, dreary day. I had meant to walk from US58 southeast to Eden NC, but after 7-8 miles of sprinkles and drizzle and fighting the poncho, I settled into a motel here in Ridgeway VA. I'll try for Eden tomorrow. I am taking a slight detour from US58 because all the motels in Martinsville are way up to the northeast of town which would have forced some retracing and probably some shuttle assistance. The topography here forces the road from the west to enter the town from the south, so I would have been walking a fishhook shape route. The distance from Martinsville lodging to Danville lodging using US58 is too far for a single day walk and there is no other lodging along the way. So down to Eden and then northeast up to Danville. I had lunch in the restaurant next door. When I walked in, I lowered the average age of the customer base...something I can't often say anymore! Thursday, 28 Oct 2004 Tonight I am in Eden NC...official nickname, "Land of Two Rivers." Smith and Dan Rivers, as best I can tell. I left the motel in Ridgeway about 7:30 in a heavy, heavy mist. There was no falling water, but the 100% humidity was collecting on everything including enough on the roads for vehicles to throw up spray. (Actually, that is probably the right choice of the last four words!) The motel lady gave a couple of trash bags. I used one modified with a couple of strategically placed cuts to cover the pack and carried the other as a spare sit-upon. I decided to forgo the poncho and just let the sweatshirt absorb a little mist. And southeast on VA87 I walked. For the first hour there were many northbound trucks, but very few southbound. For my first break, there appeared not one, but two, churches with covered entries. One had a covered entry that cars could drive up under. There is a fancy French architectural term for that, but I can't dredge it up. The leaves here in the piedmont seem brighter than they were on the mountain. Maybe it's earlier in the cycle here. The soil has changed too. I see a lot of good old red clay! The second hour brought on the northbound trucks. This is a major truck route. Fortunately, for the most part the road lanes were wide with good broad shoulders as well. I know the American free market economic system is one the wonders of the modern world. But is it really efficient? Every day, for example, I may meet a truckload of logs, lumber, or building materials and minutes later a truck of logs, lumber or building materials will pass in the opposite direction. It's also true for bread, beer, and soda pop. Commodities moving in opposite directions at the same time. That's a lot of duplicate distribution costs. I hope my cousin, Ruby, remembers to pick me up tomorrow afternoon at the Berry Hill road intersection just west of Danville. For those of you who may be following my trek on the web site maps. Eden is just off the bottom of the map. You should be able to see VA87 running SE from Ridgeway and NC770/VA863 running NE toward Danville. They intersect in Eden...NC, that is.