June Curry aka "Cookie Lady"

in this photo: Jim Sayer and June Curry
photo courtesy of Jim Sayer

Many words have been said and written about June Curry, the Cookie Lady of Afton, Virginia, and the namesake of our Trail Angel Award. Since Bikecentennial in 1976, she has been greeting and feeding TransAmerica Trail cyclists at what has become known as the "Bike House". It is chock full of memorabilia including endless Polaroid shots of cyclists and the post cards that they have sent her from the road. She also tries to keep it stocked with some basic food stuffs for current travelers.

If you do a Google search for "Cookie Lady Afton", you'll find over 5000 links relevant to her. Everything from the self-published book written by a relative, to blogs both current and not-so-current. In my search, I even saw a link to a map up the hill to her house! And if you've wondered what this legend sounds like, check out the story public radio station WVTF-FM did about her in 2008.

Jim Sayer, Adventure Cycling's executive director, recently rode to June's house at the top of the hill while out in Virginia. He says, "It was a gorgeous day and June's spirit was bright." This is great to hear as June will be celebrating her 89th birthday later this year. In support of her, there have been several fundraising efforts to help keep the Bike House open. If you're interested in assisting her in covering these costs, contact either the Richmond Area Bicyclists Association or the Milepost Zero Bicycle Club, both based nearby and longstanding supporters of this grand lady and her mission.

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GeoPoints Bulletin is written by Jennifer 'Jenn' Milyko, an Adventure Cycling cartographer, and appears weekly, highlighting curious facts, figures and persons from Adventure Cycling's route network with tips and hints for personal route creation thrown in for good measure.