Troutville

No sign of Rodney yet at our rendezvous, the town park here in Troutville with free camping, showers and laundry.
Instead I meet a young Swede named Daniel who's biking on the Bikecentennial Trail to Portland.
Yesterday was Easter, and my personal Easter bunny was in the form of a portly proud Republican in a bright green shirt who lives near one of the shelters I passed. He was sitting on a green bucket seat, and we chatted about his book on his 2 tours in Vietnam ("flying helicopters and killing people"), how much he hates Obama, and how even at 71 he still hopes to shoot a bear. But he treated me to a chocolate mint energy bar and some juicy candy much like jelly beans.
Continuing the ex-military theme, 2 nights ago I shared a shelter with 2 former marines, complete opposites. "Tuesday" is hiking the trail with ultra light high tech gear--he enlisted in 1968, 2 tours in Vietnam, then career as recruiter and information management. Retired and worked a decade in Silicon Valley, cashing out before the crash, consulting since then. Lou is local out for the weekend, brakeman at a train freight yard, carrying all ancient g.i. gear, including his Civil War reenactor axe.