Recap of Day 9 4/26/2012 In and around Asheville
Today sucked balls.
The weather has not been a good friend on this trip. The first few days were pretty good. Actually very good. Kind of like the porridge: Not too hot, not too cold. But as things change quickly and often do, the weather has been no exception.
I'm sure most, if not all will agree that cold is better than rain. Last three days I've experienced snow, a bit of sleet, and plenty of the wet stuff. Yesterday was by far the worst.
Arose early and by about 8:30 made it up to McD's for wifi. I saw a bad storm a risin'. I really saw trouble up ahead. Made it back to camp and within minutes it was here. About two hours later, it finally passed, and the blue skies and sun appeared. It was even warming up! No need for the thermals today!! Even was thinking about ditching the chaps.
By the time I was ready to "go", it was 12:45PM. A late start to the day, but it was looking very promising. That was until I got back to the McDonalds to check on a few routes and the radar. As soon as the intellicast map loaded I said to myself, NO F$%#$ WAY!! Another pretty big cell had developed, and was minutes from Asheville. DEJA FREAKIN' VU!! Well, I really didn't want to go back and hang in an RV, (now if Cheryl Hines was around, that would have been a different story)....I decided to do something really smart, (not) and outrun the storm. I've done it a few times out West and it is fun. At least one has a legible excuse if pulled over for speeding. As I wanted to do a run called Diamond Back Lake James Loop, I found I40 and hauled ass East to Marion. From there I found the McD's and was riding the storm out!! HA!! I think I was there for about 4 hours. The first storm passed, but as soon as it would clear, another had developed coming over Black Mountain and I was stuck. Worst thing was I was having connectivity issues with the WIFI. Drank about a gallon of water and soda. O yes, I took a couple pictures. Enjoy. These are really special.
About 6:00 PM, I had had enough waiting, donned the rain suit, and headed back to camp. It was pretty dry but something about that stretch of 40 between Black Mountain and Asheville is a little unerving. One would think having three lanes would be more comfortable, but it was not. Perhaps it was the runaway truck lanes, wet pavement, dark looming skies and a bit of spray that added to the apprehension. I was relieved to make it through the pass.
Hey, only about 15 miles to go. No rain yet, but dark to the East. A connection to the BRP was ahead, and I opted for it, as I would bypass 191 and the stop and go traffic. Getting darker, still no rain. Made it all the way to the turn for the campground and that is when it opened up. 2.3 miles to go in a pretty good downpour. I thought to myself at least the effort of doing the one footed hop in the parking lot putting on my rainsuit was not wasted!! Pulled in qucikly, and got under cover. In just a few minutes, here is the campsite.
It is 5:50 AM, and I've been up for about two hours. Early to bed, early to rise. Leaving Asheville today.
Perhaps will make it to Virginia and the Meadows of Dan MC Camp. I think it is called Willville?? A few stars are barely visible, so it is not entirely cloudy. Hoping tonight will be a starry, starry night.
Day 10.....Departed Asheville to Meadows of Dan, VA at Willville Bike Camp.
Very tired. Long day on the road. Awoke about 4:00am in anticipation of leaving Asheville and continuing my journey. Got packed up, coffee, etc...and was on the road about 9:15. Pete was being pretty nice. Perhaps he had a shred of remorse regarding the desertion/abondonment. I got over it. Life goes on. Here is an image of all the stuff I needed to pack.
The BRP near Asheville is pretty tame, compared with the previous 80 miles. Very easy ride, and stopped at the Vistor Center/HQ of the Parkway to try to speak with a marketing person or such regardging my photography. Dropped off a card and got a name. Perhaps some postcards are in the future at some of the locations along the way.
Last year I did the Natchez Trace Parkway. I think it had two scenic lookouts. The BRP is most definetely not lacking in that department. I think there are over 200 pullouts along the way. Most are pretty nice. Some are overgrown and not even worthy of a stop.
Shortly after the easy peaceful stretch north of Asheville, the terrain quickly changed, and the nice climb up the next range was here!! Cloudy, cold, and very gray. Or was it grey?
Fully loaded once again. So far, the new steel welded on last week seems to be working. No more saggy carrier!!
Didn't take a bunch of shots today. Mostly was enjoying the ride, and glad to be finally back on the road. Actually, after reviewing my images, I did take more than I remembered. On average, I will have about 400 images. Now that figure is a bit misleading, as when shooting for HDR photography, every time I "click" the shutter, the camera records three images. And I will often take at least "two" series of a shot, so I can very well end up with 6 total images for one "scene". Here are a few more from the day.
Stopped at Linville Falls. A bit of a letdown after looking glass falls. Not sure if it was worth the 1.5 mile trek....
Just into Virginia, I pulled into Piedmont Lookout and found this couple waiting for some friends to have prom pics taken. I obliged and got this.
The girls name was Sierra. Can't remember the guys name. Wonder why that is??? I'll just call him vest boy
The BRP is beautiful, but quite time consuming as well, as so many stop are available. Only rode about 200 miles today, yet it took over 9 hours!! And I wasn't staying at 45mph!!
Arrived in Meadows of Dan and located the Willville Bike Camp. Gravel Road. Wasn't expecting that for a bike camp. But it is pretty nice. Alongside a little creek.
I'm being the loner dork working on a laptop while many others are shooting the caca near the fire. Got a few strange looks while coming in. Not the most welcoming group I will say. Shortly after I unloaded, I drove into town, which consists of a gas station./grocery and a cafe to pick up some beer and something to cook.
Thus far I've ammased 1670 miles. Tomorrow will be head back South to Winston Salem to hook up with some old friends. Perhaps a stop in Mt. Airy to check out the Goobers!!
Saturday Willville Bike Camp to Winston Salem...........
Not a bad night....No rain, but a bit windy. All went well, even my 12V SLA battery I brought along to power my CPAP.
Another view of the Willville Bike Camp
On a recommendation from another rider at the camp, I took off North on the BRP to hookup with Highway 8, or the "Old Salem Highway". On the way, the most photographed spot on the BRP, the Mabry Mill....
It was another cold morning, about 50 degrees so I didn't stop for much, I wanted to make WS as soon as possible. Found this one old store....
Mechanical issues started yesterday, as mentioned in another post, my front breaks were making noise. As soon as I arrived in WS at my friends house, I tried to take off the brakes to inspect the pads. Unfortunately, my 4.99 HF tool kit was not worthy, and the socket adapter snapped off. Called the Honda dealer and they were able to fit me in. Determined it was not only the pads that were in need of replacement. With the Valk up on the rack, we were looking at the front tire. He said it was going to be replaced soon, but it was not as bad as the back tire. A bit confused as this tire was replaced on my last road trip after a blow out. Not more than 5000 miles on this tire. The mechanic said it was a RTB Tire. Never heard of that model. I said what is an RTB tire? Ready to blow!!
Wow, this tire wore fast. The only tire in stock? An Elite 3. Didn't have a choice. The dealership was nice, Tons of new and used bikes. At least 500 used bikes, and just as many new ones. Even saw a Valk Ruin. On Saturdays the cook up dogs and burgers. No burgers left, but a plenty of dogs. To even the pain of the unexpected costs, I obliged myself to about 5 dogs. Averaged it out, and the "price" of the dogs came out to approximately $88.00 each. New tire, new pads.
I'm up to date. Going to explore WS on what is supposed to be a day with a high of 81.
