Bumpass Bound

This Saturday Henry and I are heading south to the town of Bumpass Virginia for the Rumpus in Bumpass Triathlon (yes, that’s what it’s really called, and that is the real name of the town). The event takes place Saturday morning, and includes a 1500 meter swim, followed by a 24 mile bike ride, and ends with a 10k run. This will be Henry’s first triathlon type event, and I of course will be coming along as the trusty photographer and spectator. Henry has been in his final stages of training this week. I’m proud of how hard he has been working. Every day after work he has been going to the gym at the Pentagon to swim and/or run, and biking in the evenings when he gets home. While I would never think to attempt any event like this myself, it is fun to watch him prepare because he gets so energized by the training. Naturally when I found out we were going to be traveling to a town named Bumpass I wanted to find out a little more about it. In researching I found out all sorts of little fact, like that the town was named after the first family to settle there in the 1800s, the current population is approximately 6,350, and it is most known for its unusual name, many farms, defunct ice cream spoon factory, alpaca ranches, and lumbering operations. While all this research was mildly interesting, when I went to the Bumpass, VA website I had to laugh. The main page shows a road sign with the statement “Enter Bumpass, VA Leave Everything” and is captioned with the following quote: “You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's the signpost up ahead... ” —Rod Serling. Hmm…sounds like they have a rather high opinion of their little town. I am now officially intrigued. After a very busy week I am ready for the weekend and a chance to get away for the day. Let the Rumpus in Bumpass begin!