Jane and I participated in the 24th annual Great Peanut Bicycle Tour, September 5-8, 2002. This tour is sponsored by the Emporia Bicycle Club of Emporia, Virginia near the North Carolina border. We were first clued in to the Great Peanut Tour by Wendy and her Weekend Warrior stories for the September, 2001 tour.

Jane and I drove to Emporia on Wednesday and set up camp at the Cattail Creek campgrounds which serves as the ride headquarters. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour, saw some old friends and made some new friends. The rest of the story is in the pictures below. If you see yourself in a picture and want to add your name to the caption, or if you want to correct an error, send some email!

	We set up camp at the Cattail Creek Campgrounds way in the back by the "pond" where there was room to set up a lot of gear. Here's Jane on Thursday afternoon enjoying a quiet moment.		Another view of our campsite.
	Here I am getting ready to ride Thursday's 25 mile loop. Registration opens Thursday afternoon, and there's a short ride to occupy the afternoon.		After walking my bike up to campground headquarters, I'm ready to go. The registration tent is behind me to the left. It's also used for breakfasts and dinners.
	The first rest stop on Thursday's ride.		Our hostess at the first rest stop. She had all sorts of goodies - cookies, chips and dip, vegetables and dip, and I thnk she had sandwiches she hadn't put out yet.
	Mr. Peanut at the second rest stop.		Some of the riders at the second rest stop.
	Here I am at the second rest stop.		The third rest stop - this stop had fudge!
	Relaxing at camp after Thursday's ride, we spotted a heron trying to perch on top of a tree. The heron quickly decided the perch was too unstable and flew away.		An accordian player entertained during dinner Thursday night.
	After dinner, Bob (just barely at the left), Donna, me, and Delia. (I'm not sure who the fellow in the green shirt is.) Bob and Donna are from Canada, we met Bob at the Great Finger Lakes Bike Tour in June, 2002. Delia's from western New York. We met her on the Erie Canal ride in August, 2000.		Karen at the left, Carroll, Carol, and Wilf. Karen is the organizer of the FANY ride across New York state. We first met her on the ride in 2001. We met Wilf on that same ride. And yes, it's a husband and wife with essentially the same name.
	Jane and Carroll after dinner which included pork barbecue (or spaghetti), beans, salad and watermelon for dessert.		Jane and Jenn kept the accordion player busy with their requests. Jenn is the head SAG wagon driver for the FANY ride.
	After dinner, there was a bonfire and marshmallow roast. Here, I'm roasting a couple.		Delia's grandchildren, Anne and Henry, roast marshmallows.
	Here I am ready to start on Friday's ride: the loop around Lake Gaston.		On the Saturday ride, I skipped some of the rest stops, so the first one I stopped at was when we finally got to view Lake Gaston after about 30 miles.
	Here's a causeway over Lake Gaston as seen from the rest stop.		A closer view of the rest stop also showing the wheel chair bicycle. It's hard to believe that the fellow sitting on the ground can do the whole ride pedalling only with his arms. This rest stop had lots of food!
	The peanut sign for the next rest stop I stopped at. Among other things there were lots of cupcakes and cookies at this rest stop.		The rest stop also had lots of chairs under a big shade tree.
	After Friday's ride, Jane made some hors d'oeuvres and we were visited by our neighbors at the camp site. Here are Leslie, Kit, and me. Leslie, Kit, and later, Fran and Brenda are from the Richmond area.		Here's Leslie, headed away from the camera, and Fran and Kit with Wilf just in the left corner. If you run into Fran, ask her the meaning of the words "pulchritude" and "callipygian!"
	Brenda and I discuss the meaning of "pulchritude."		At dinner Friday, we ran into Pat and Joe from Connecticut. We met them on the Erie Canal ride in 2000.
	The dinner entertainment on Friday was this bagpipe player.		Jenn and Wilf at dinner. The main course Friday was either grilled catfish or spaghetti.
	Here I am with Karen at Friday's dinner.		Leslie and Kit at dinner.
	We can't remember the name of the fellow in the yellow shirt, but next to him are Fran and Brenda at Friday's dinner.		It's Saturday morning and there are lots of peanut products for sale.
	Here I am ready to set out on the North Carolina metric century Saturday morning.		I'm finally ready to go.
	While I was out riding, Jane took some photos of tents and campsites at the Cattail Creek Campgrounds.		Here's part of the SWVACians camp site. The Southwest Virgina Cyclists (SWVAC) club attends the Peanut Tour as a group.
	Here are some of tents of our neighbors.		Jane followed the "hikers only" trail that left the camp near our tent and found this farm behind the campgrounds.
	Here's the farm house.		The farm had a much nicer pond than the one we were next to.
	Donna and Bob visited Jane while I was out on the road.		Meanwhile, back on the road, here's the first rest stop on Saturday morning.
	Here are some riders arriving at the rest stop.		What do you suppose all these people are in line for? Hint: it's not food nor water!
	The lines for food and water were shorter. This is at the second rest stop I visited (which was the 3rd rest stop of the day, I think).		Another rest stop on Saturday's North Carolina metric.
	This rest stop had a huge selection of cookies!		After finishing Saturday's main ride, we had some time to kill before the group photo and the actual peanut tour. Here's Jane under the food/registration tent.
	Exercise for the mind as well as the body?		The photographer goes up in a cherry picker to take the group photo.
	Here are the captions (and reserved VIP space) for the group photo.		After the group photo, Jane watches people leave on the peanut tour. Normally it's a 13 mile ride with two stops: one at a farm where all sorts of goodies made with peanuts are available and the second at a different farm where peanut farming is described. This year's tour was shortened by road construction.
	On the peanut tour, here are Christine and Bill, Delia's daughter and son-in-law, and Anne, Delia, and Henry.		Jenn and Karen at the rest stop. Karen's making the point that Jenn is riding and NOT driving the SAG wagon!
	The driveway leading to the rest stop.		The tents at the rest stop. Under the tents are just about every kind of peanut snack you can imagine.
	The police ride bicycles, too.		After the peanut tour, we had a few hours until dinner. So, Jane made some more hors d'ouerves. Here I am with Fran and Brenda.
	Wilf and Karen enjoy the snacks.		Brenda, Kit and Wilf.
	Fran wanted to try out the digital camera and took this picture of me. Didn't break the camera, did I?!?		She also wanted to see how it did with foreground/background arrangements. So, here we have Sammy with Leslie and Brenda.
	Wilf and Fran (modeling a new hat!).		At Saturday's dinner, a harpist entertained. Dinner was grilled chicken (or spaghetti) followed by a banana split bar.
	Jenn and Karen volunteered to help out with the banana split bar.		Jenn and Karen show us their weapons!
	The food and registration tents.		Delia and her grandson, Henry, at the banana split bar.
	After dinner, there was entertainment and then a bonfire and marshmallow roast.		Here are the SWVACians getting to ride Sunday morning.
	Here's the SWVACians "totem pole."		Breakfast on Sunday morning. Christine, Henry, Bill, Anne, and Delia.
	Jenn and Karen turned into peanuts on Sunday morning!		This bike might be just a little hard to ride.
	Here I am with Karen and Jenn getting ready to start out on Sunday's 25 mile loop (with lots of rest stops!).		Sunday morning's ride is a 25-miler with lots of rest stops. Here's the first and last stop: the watermelon pickle stop. Delicious watermelon pickles and relish. This is put on by Sol and Ginny Wren. Sol is Bobby Wren's brother and of course, Bobby organizes the whole peanut tour!
	Here are Karen and Jenn at the pickle stop.		The cucumber stop. Anyway you can think of to have cucumbers, you'll find here.
	Another view of the cucumber stop.		Thw SWVACians got together for a group photo at the cucumber stop.
	Our hostess at the next rest stop. Lots of cookies at this stop. Later in the day, there would be a "Low Ground Hoe Down" on this field.		The SWVACians again - this time at the store on Low Ground Road.
	Back at the watermelon pickle stop (for the second time), the SWVACians pose yet again!		All good things come to an end, as they say. Here I am getting ready to put the bike on the rack for the trip home.
	Here I am studying the map before we set out for home. We decided to go the long way and see the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel.		The altitude and total climb profile as recorded by my GPS for Thursday's 25 mile loop. There were a few ups and downs!
	The altitude and total climb profile as recorded by my GPS for Friday's Lake Gaston loop. Even though the altitude doesn't change very much, there are a lot of ups and downs - so the total climb is fairly substantial. This is the kind of ride that wears out your shifters!		The altitude and total climb profile as recorded by my GPS for Friday's North Carolina metric and the abbreviated Peanut Tour. The North Carolina metric is really flat!
	The altitude and total climb profile as recorded by my GPS for Sunday's 25 mile loop. This is a pretty flat ride. I believe the low elevations in the middle are along "Low Ground Road!"