Author: mmbowden60

Craggy Gardens – Blue Ridge Parkway Bicycle Ride Day 10

Today I blasted through the 5000 ft elevation barrier having three long climbs along the way. The first big climb started at the Burger King in Spruce Pine. I was up early having camped on a steep slope near the Spruce Pine exit. I used the uphill side of a large oak tree to give myself about 3 feet of flat space under the tarp. I had camped in a rhododendron thicket. I sped down to the BK and had a couple of egg and cheese croissants and pancakes and coffee. I was on my climb shortly after 7 am. As I reached Little Switzerland, my dad and Minnie called. Soon after I was going through the first of a number of tunnels for the day. I rode the rest of thisajor ascent with a couple of guys wearing US Army bike jerseys.

The 2nd major climb began where Hwy 80 intersects. This is also where the Assault on Mt Mitchell joins the Parkway. Now I am reminded why the Assault was so tough. The higher portion of this climb crossed to the sunny side of the ridge as temps increased and my water ran low. There was another drop, then the final major climb to Mt Mitchell State Park.

I chose to bypass the Mt Mitchell climb and headed on up the Parkway with what little water remained. Fortunately it wasn’t long before I saw a stream of water coming from the rock face road cut. I filled bottles and added chlorine. Farther up the road I took a refreshing shower under the rocks to completely cool off.

I cooked rice and sardines at the scenic Glassmine falls overlook.

I saw beautiful stands of flowering Galax for the first time on this trip. I also saw some sort of blue phlox that I hadn’t yet seen. See photo. Phlox?

Now I relax in a Starbucks waiting the hour when darkness will fall so I can secretly retire to a nearby patch of Parkway woods. A couple of policemen sit nearby cheerfully sipping cafe lattes as if to remind me of the perils of my sleeping arrangements.

May 30, 2011
Grandfather Mountain – Blue Ridge Parkway Bicycle Ride Day 9

I woke up weak and hungry. Only a can of sardines for supper last night and now I was enjoying a couple of fig newtons and a dry granola bar for breakfast. With 12 miles to Blowing Rock and breakfast, I felt like a dead man on wheels. There were repeated short ascents with annoyingly tough grades. It seems like the hills are worse than the long mountain climbs.

I finally reached town and ordered a veggie omelet with grits and biscuits. They put an entire coffee pot carafe on your table. I emptied it twice and ordered a banana nut muffin when the regular breakfast didn’t succeed in conquering my hunger. I was smothering everything with honey and orange marmalade.

I did a moderate amount of riding around town. Grocery shopped at Food Lion to replenish oatmeal, bananas, fig newtons, and sardines. Bought some Claritin store brand for allergies and vitamin C packets based on testimony that they cure all.

Went to the town pool for a shower and when I saw that it didn’t open until noon, I used the restroom to wash clothes and soap myself down from head to toe. My bike shorts are really a hybrid bathing suit – cargo shorts so after washing these I put them back on and stepped outside to douse the soap off my body with my water bottle. I repeated this with several refills of the water bottle. This gave me a good bath without flooding the bathroom floor 🙂

There were three major challenges of the day. The empty stomach short steep hills of the morning, a climb to over 4200 feet around GrandFather Mountain, and to finish the day a grueling hot afternoon long steep climb up a mountain and around Linville Gorge. The payoff on the last was an incredible drop off view into the gorge that reminded me of Glacier Point in Yosemite.

The real milestone was to exceed 4000 feet elevation. During the entire journey I would climb while overlook signs informed me that I was reaching elevations increasing toward the magic 4k. Alas, as soon as I neared this milestone, I would enter a steep hair blowing descent only to try again on the next hill.

With the spectacular views, tourist attractions, thousands of people, and cliff clinging viaducts, this day was exciting. Today i wasn’t counting mileposts while pushing up long slopes.

The negative was the constant stream of holiday weekend traffic along this popular section. I was constantly passed by long lines of motorcycles. Cars and trucks often passed on blind curves. I was always checking EVERYTHING mirror and in front. This was by far the busiest traffic day so far.

Now I am at Burger King in Spruce King, NC.. I am charging my external battery pack and washing bike shirt in the Burger King sink. I just ate at the Subway in the Wal-Mart across the street. Bought a new bike helmet at Wal-Mart to replace the one I lost 3 days ago.

I think I will try to camp close to this exit so I can ride the mile to Subway for breakfast tomorrow.

May 29, 2011
What Detour? – Blue Ridge Parkway Bicycle Ride Day 8

I am out of oatmeal, but was still able to have fig newtons, banana, and coffee for breakfast.

It had rained all night and was still raining when I woke up. With rain pattering on my tent, I tried to sleep some more and was able to doze a little longer. It looked like I would be riding in fog so set up my bike lights. The skies cleared quickly.

The highlight of the day was going around the detour signs at Doughton Park. This gave me a private road for nearly 20 miles. Restoration was being performed on the rock walls that line the parkway. Thèse were built in 1935 and were showing signs of aging with numerous freeze thaw cycles. I am always coming up on wildlife without the animal being aware. I could have many photos of deer, but I only observe. I had a good view of a couple of turkeys. They didn’t see me so it was interesting to stop and watch. I would have snapped a photo, but a car made the pair take cover.

Over the course of the ride I have seen many dead snakes and a few live ones. Today I went zooming past a large black snake.

On the hwy 18 exit toward Laurel Springs I had my choice of restaurants. I ate spaghetti with marinara sauce and grilled squash. I ordered a budweiser, then borrowed a wrench to adjust my pannier rack back to an upright position. I use these stops for everything. I also took a sink bath, shaved, washed clothes in sink, layer out my tarp to dry, and brushed teeth.

I rode about 60 miles today and reached the point where less than 200 miles were left. That is 4 days of riding and would have me finish Wednesday.

I am getting very sleepy laying in my hammock writing this.

May 28, 2011
North Carolina! – Blue Ridge Parkway Bicycle Ride Day 7

Day 7

A pretty easy 50 miles from Rocky knob to Cumberland Knob, but my legs are shot. Sleeping late, I was up at 5:55 am. Had breakfast of 3 honey & maple oatmeals with raisins and almonds and coffee. Rode 9 miles to Mabry Mill where I had to try out the famous buckwheat pancakes. Had 2 large pancakes, grits, 3 scrambled egg whites, and coffee. Breakfast number 2.

The route consisted of hill climbs and descents with no real long mountain climbs. Even the shorter climbs had steep enough sections to make my worn out legs ache. I am continuing to fight allergies. By the end of the day every intake of breath during climbs would produce a tiny whistling sound coming from my bronchial tubes. I sound like a smoker hacking away as I ride my bike. My nose runs and eyes water.

The rhodos, mtn laurel, and wild azalea continues to be stunning. I like it when the azalea is found together with the rhododendron or mtn laurel.

At Fancy Gap I ate spaghetti and potato salad with a fantastic coconut cream pie for dessert. The cafe looked like it belonged in the Andy Griffith Show and it was just up the mountain from Mount Airy, NC. (Mayberry).

Peddled the 18 last miles from Fancy Gap to Cumberland Knob. Did laundry in the comfort station sink and cooked brown rice with sardines. I visited this spot over 12 years ago during a break on a business trip. Nice to be back.

Rode my bike a little further and set up tent not far from a pedestrian overlook of the expansive piedmont valley to he east. I am comfortable in the tent with the fog moving in and turning into rain. Still hacking.

May 27, 2011
The Poet – Blue Ridge Parkway Bicycle Ride Day 6

By 7 am I had already left the Apple Motel, ridden the 5 miles back to mileposts 116 where I had attempted to camp and back up past Roanoke Mountain to my room at the Apple. I packed up and checked out of the room. I ate breakfast at the Wal-Mart Subway Sandwich shop across the street. Bet you didn’t know that there was a Wal-Mart on the USA’s crown jewel roadway.

It was a very hot day and I was soon into a long tough climb. There were few places with water so I resorted to using chlorine drops to treat creek water. It didn’t take long for me to go through 4 bottles.

I met a couple of guys bicycling the Blue Ridge Pkwy South to North. One was Vince. Don’t recall the other, maybe Jeff. Jeff had all of the right touring equipment and had done the Parkway 17 times. He explained the rules for camping on the Parkway. Camping is allowed 60 ft off the road where not visible from road or any houses. What a surprise, the night before i had been camping in accordance to all rules.

These two had picked up another day rider who offered to turn around and ride with me. It was Bobby “the poet” Kendricks from Martinsville, VA.. Bobby is 70 years old and rides a top of the line road bike with conventional peddles that he calls “paddles” as best as I can tell. He talks about the guys he rides with from the Mill (now closed) and others that he happens upon on the Parkway and rides with. Bobby is seriously underestimated most of the time. He is careful in sizing up the ability of those he rides with.

I guessed that he could ride pretty well if he had been keeping up with the touring guys. He started slowly as did I. Of course, my primary goal is to pace myself during this long trip so it doesn’t matter how slow I roll. After a half hour of this pace, Bobby said, “don’t worry about me, just go on as fast as you like.” I gradually fell into my normal pace and Bobby was right there no matter how steep or long the hill. He was right with me and talking all the while. He recited a couple of poems that he wrote in rhyming verse. The first was for the grave cover of his deceased wife and the 2nd was entitled “Love”. The poetry was very good. He told me that it had been well received on local “open mic night”. Bobby also knows thus portion of the parkway better than Google Earth. He can recite every ride with a rival (those that don’t show him respect on a bicycle) and provide the terrain with descriptive terms like “carousels to the left”. When in an encounter with a rival, he sizes him up, picks moment, and paddles hard. Bobby’s dream is to be in the Guinness Book of World Records for riding a bike across the USA for 200 miles a day. He would start in San Diego. He asked whether I would like to do it with him.

I guess Bobby and I are somewhat alike in our unconventional ways. We both bike in our own ways, Bobby with his paddles and I with my outsized road bike equipped for touring ( I am told that this shouldn’t be done) I am sure neither of us get respect from the aficionados. It is our quest to prove them wrong.

Bobby and I parted ways at Rocky Mount campground after he told me cycling rivalry stories for another hour and half. Bobby is extremely competitive and would probably rise himself to death without giving up.

I headed up the hill another half mile and chose a campsite on a high ridge. That night there was a lot of wind, thunder and lightening and some occasional heavy rain. The rain blew under my tarp, but I used my jacket as a break and stayed mostly dry. Supper was fig newtons and almonds. I was worried about the poison ivy on the tree that I has used as a tarp support. My palm itched. I washes my hands vigorously with woolite and water.

Bobby told me that he loved his Australian Shepards and that he just might “key” me if I was to do anything to them. He would just “key” me. I thought about keys and keys as a weapon before i understood that “key” was his pronunciation of the word kill.

May 27, 2011
Police Question Me – Blue Ridge Parkway more Day 5

It was well past 9 pm and dark when two police cars with lights flashing pulled up in front on the Parkway. Another car pulled up behind my spot on the dirt road with headlights turned in my direction. I walked up to the dirt road while putting on my shirt and trying to look respectable. The guy on the road was a neighbor. Only the woods are visible and I don’t see a neighborhood. The police join us and tell me that I am on Parkway land and that they don’t have authority to tell me that I can’t camp there and they aren’t even sure what the Park Service Regulations say regarding camping. They say Park Service is closed and they wouldn’t come until morning if at all. ( I might have actually been camping legally, but I doubt it.) We went through the routine checking ID and answering questions. I could tell The neighbor was starting to feel a little bad about causing this ruckus so he began giving reasons that this wasn’t a good place to be. Drug users hang out in these woods. The officer added that the towns top suicide spot was the bridge at the bottom of the hill. I apologized and offered to move on to a motel if given a ride with my bike. I explained that I did not my presence to upset the lady who had been walking her dog with the gentleman a few hours earlier. The neighbor started apologizing for the lady by saying that she was afraid of everything. She worries that a bear will get her when she goes to the mailbox.

The neighbor had a bike rack and offered to take me to the Apple Valley Motel about 8 miles south on the Parkway. I broke camp and as Roy the neighbor dropped me off at the Apple Valley I apologized for the trouble I caused and tried to give him a ten for his gas. I wished him luck in clearing all of the drug users out of his area.

Just a word about stealth camping. I do it and I accept the consequences. It is the act of camping in a spot where there is nobody to ask permission and can include camping in obvious private land or posted spots. I build no fires and I leave the spot untouched. Usually nobody will ever know I was there unless they read my blog and very few people read my blog 😉

Photo: My “Stealth” camp in Vinton, VA. ( I am wearing shorts, not naked. I had just rubbed down with Deet.) I didn’t bother with a very stealthy camp because this area wasn’t posted and it would be dark soon. I was discovered by a man and a woman on a walk. Although they told me I was on public land, the woman must have felt threatened.

May 26, 2011