Welcome to the Mission Velocipede "Heart of Appalachia" Web Site. This site is the official place for information about "The Heart of Appalachia" project that will be taking place from September 28 to October 2, 1998.

The Heart of Appalachia Bike Route runs from Burke's Garden in Tazewell County to the Guest River Gorge in Wise County. The Virginia Tourism web site says " This route is fresh off the design desk and awaits its first bikers to christen it with gusto." Well wait no longer, Mission Velocipede is here for the christening! Check out the map for a view of the route.

Use the links in the table on the left to navigate to the different areas of the site.

• Read the Mission Velocipede mission statement to find out about the project objectives and goals. You might even find out what a Velocipede is! 
• The Itinerary lists our daily schedule and contains the links to many of the regional historic and natural places that the tour will be visiting. This is where you'll find background information about some of the places we will visit. We'll tell you the rest of the story after we get there!
• Daily Journal will be updated daily and contain musings from the road. This page will be the place where the Mission Velocipede participants will post thoughts and observations as we travel along the route. Hopefully we won't be posting any information about bad dogs who bite bikers!
• Chat will take you to the live chat area that we will be using to discuss the mission on-line and real-time with area school systems. We have a great Chat session scheduled on Wednesday morning with the Nature Conservancy.  If your class is not involved but want to be, give us an e-mail right away and we'll get you set up!
• Send us some e-mail while we're on the road. Do you know of a really beautiful spot, historical place or friendly person along our route? Want us to pay  a visit to that person or place? Well e-mail us and tell us about it and we just might be able to check it out. That's part of the interactive fun of this trip. Tell us where you want us to go (careful) and we'll do what we can, within reason, to accommodate that request. (Especially if it involves food!)
• Do you want to know more about who the Mission Velocipede participants are? Check out the Biographies link and you'll find out!
• Want to read some background information about the places I will be biking to? Go to the Itinerary and click the links under each days schedule.
• Check out the on going slide show to see some images of the "Heart of Appalachia" ride and the Indian Paintings on Paint Lick Mountain near Tazewell.
• To go back to the Mountain Biking Damascus & the MR National Recreation Area Web Site click here