ASHLAND, Va.—Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan made their second appearance together as the GOP ticket, stopping at a local pie store here ahead of a campaign rally nearby.

Hundreds of supporters had gathered outside Homemades by Suzanne, where Romney and Ryan stopped in to buy pie and do a little retail politicking. As the two candidates passed by the press pool covering the event, Ryan, who accepted Romney's invitation to join the ticket on Aug. 5, was asked if it was hard to keep the news a secret.

"It was fine," Ryan said, adding it was an easy decision to accept Romney's offer. "It was… We've got to save the country."

Asked how he came to his decision, Romney demurred, telling reporters he would get into the tale another time. But speaking at a rally at nearby Randolph Macon College, Romney called Ryan a "man who appeals to the better angels of America" and called today a "big day" for the country.

In a dig at President Barack Obama's campaign, Romney vowed that he and Ryan would keep their focus on issues, rather than personal attacks.

"We're going to talk about issues and a vision for America and not drag down in the dirt like you're seeing from the Obama campaign," Romney declared.