On the Blue Ridge Parkway, just short of the top today
A history lesson
And the view; just spectacular!
More Smoky Mountains in the Autumn
A view of the colorful hills from Maggie ValleyThis was one frigid morning - 30 degrees when we pulled out of the hotel in Cherokee. We decided to leave early to beat the traffic and get to Asheville earlier in the afternoon for a nice long relaxation period, besides it wasn't going to warm up much in one hour.
The air was crisp, no fog, and very light traffic on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We got on the BRP at its southern most end outside of Cherokee heading fro Asheville. Today we would have one big climb up to 5,206'. The climb took 10.4 miles; the descent 6.5! Needless to say the climb was at a tough grade, the descent was significantly steeper. We passed through 5 short tunnels on this climb. The absence of fog and traffic made this climb much more enjoyable thanks to the views.
I took time at one of the mid point stops on the way up to take in the view - the colors were awesome. At this point I was fourth up the hill, however my photo break dropped me to 7th. It was worth it!
On the way down signs posted warnings to trucks alerting them to a 9% grade. I'm not sure which is harder, climbing a grade like that of descending one. You work your legs on the uphill; on the downhill its your upperbody and focus that gets the strain. This descent seemed never ending and it was bitter cold to boot. My arms and legs were shaking as I gentle applied the brakes sporadically on this long downhill. The cold wind didn't help as keeping focus on the road ahead and control of the bike kept the muscles tense.
At the bottom of the hill was Maggie Valley, a nice picturesque setting that has become popular with Floridians moving north. From here we had 40 miles of cycling left to reach Asheville. First however was a stop into the van to thaw out. I wore several layers on the uphill; I added one more, my trust GoreTex jacket for the downhill. My toes needed thawing, the rest of me just needed warmth. After a cup of hot chocolate, banana, and Mojo bar I put enough calories in my core to generate some heat.
Now that we were on relatively flat land, pedaling helped to warm the body along with the bright sunshine. The remainder of the ride went well.
Today's key stats:
66 miles
6,339' of climbing
3,723 kcals burned
nearly 5 hours in the saddle; 13.7 mph
Tomorrow, South Carolina!
3 comments:
Mark,
Tomorrow you should be out of the mountains and in warmer territory. When your teeth aren't rattling you will enjoy a much more tense free ride. Am very excited for you as you pedal the last couple hundred miles.
Happy biking!
Hi Mark!
This will be short as it is time for bed and I have a busy day ahead. Ah, to have nothing to do for the day but to pedal a bike! I did a 1 1/2 hour ride this weekend then mowed the lawn and afterwards did a 6 mile ride with Sal, so I got a decent workout. I have been on the Blue Ridge, but only in a car. It was must be totally different from the perspective of a slower speed on the seat of a bike. The descents sound scary. I don't want to imagine what a wipeout would be like at 20+, 30+, or, God forbid, 40+ mph. As they used to say on Hill Street Blues, "Let's be careful out there". Your group seems to be pretty cautious and I know you are a careful rider. Enjoy the warmth of tonight's hotel and have a great day tomorrow.
Ride on.......(can't say this too much longer)
Rick
Hopefully today was a little warmer as you start turning toward the south on your way to Charleston. Our heat kicked on for the first time of the season last night, but we're back in the high 60's today. I hate riding in the cold - one trick I discovered is to use the hand warmers (the kind we use for skiing) in your shoe covers and gloves. They make kiddie hand warmers which are smaller and fit nicely in the shoe covers. They'll probably be hard to find now that you're out of Asheville. It's hard to believe you were in 100 degree weather just a few weeks ago!
Hang in there - only TWO more days of riding by the time you read this!!! Treasure every last pedal revolution - you'll be seeing the Atlantic in no time! We have the champagne ready for your arrival in Durham on Thursday : )
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