Camped out of internet access last 2 days. Came into Brevard, NC to do a wash and found a $3.00 shower also. Clean clothes, clean body. And washed the KY & TN mud off the Turner.
Rode Haw Ridge near Oak Ridge, TN on Wed for a counter. I will swing back into TN for another ride. Rode w/ 2 college students taking a break b4 finals: Allan and drew who was a summer interin w/ Bike Magazine, the one with the article about the typical rides in each state. They are guilty of Jim Thorpe.
Allan invited me to shower @ his mom’s house. Don’t pass up those offers. Clean again.
Grocery shop and headed towards Asheville, NC. Parked in empty shopping center parking lot. Fixed dinner. Turned stove on to heat h2o for clean up. No propane. Just ran out. Used gps to find gas station w/ plan to ask location for propane @ 8:0PM. Found Flying J seveal miles away. GPS routes over some interesting roads, some of which, my druthers would be to not drive: narrow, gravel, 1 lane bridges & underpass. But I always arrived in 1 piece.
Filled 5.5 gal of propane in 7 gal tank. Didn’t think I was such a fuel pig. Attendant said pump shuts off @ 80% to allow for expansion.
Picked up I40 for Asheville in the dark. Plan was to drive to E outskirts of town & hunt for a motel parking lot because it would be the most dependable sleeping spot to find in the dark. Checked out 2 locations before settling on suitable spot.
Up early & drove to a more public spot in Burger King parking lot to fix bfast in the rain.
Drove I-40 into Asheville, NC. Over time I have read articles that laist Asheville as a top spot to live. Good bagel bakery right off I-40. Found credit union to deposit checks. Found Liberty Bike to inquire of Pisgah NF rides. Out of maps, drove down to Diamond Brand, bought maps, & drove back to Liberty to mark up newly purchased maps. Got some skinny.
Drove dfown to Brevard, NC right in the Pisgah. Walked into a backpacking shop & flirted w/ a cute clerk w/ a N Georgia accent. I asked about camping and she steered me right. I found a spot that was right on today’s ride. So happy to sleep in the dead quiet and legal also. Back there again tonight.
Today I slept in waiting out the rising sun & burning off the frost. Camped in a creek bottom so it took a while for the sun to crest the ridge.
Headed out on severely muddy bike. Gravel road frozen & ice in puddles. Rode passed the horse stables & climbed on gated sledom used logging road. Back to the Western rides of big road climbs. Climbed for 54 mins to Black Mtn trail intersection. ST but all trails here are hiking trails. Some sections were almost treacherous to walk down. trail dropped down onto road. I mis interpretted map to say the next trail was a short distance down road. Made several false startes before I realized that map scale was small & trail junction was almost right where I entered road. Corrected my blunder. This is where the trail turned walking challenging sliding a bike on dry oak leaves that are slippery in their own medium. I will post the ride on the rides page using GOGGLE earth from the Garmin EDGE 305.
Again, wash completed & wool & synthetic material clothes are drying in the back of van. It will take several days for all to dry because it is too cold inside van.
Draw back to heater: it produces h2o vapor. Wet clothes produce more when drying. Need to open vents more to let vapor escape but so does heat.
Off to camp & no internet. No proof reading. Just bang on keys & click publish
Hello IRA,
Mars has been keeping me upto date on your travels, health issues, cheap showers and political expose’s. Sounds like a true adventure.
I spent 3 weeks in the 4 Corners area in October. Made it down to Gallup,NM. Some interesting riding but free water is a big issue there. I tried all the usual sources to no avail. Ended up having to purchase it in plastic 1 gallon jugs. What a waste!!!
I returned home for carpal tunnel surgery (x’s 2) and 6 weeks of recouperation.
I’m considering buying a bigger canopy for the truck and adding a bed/storage area for winter ski traveling. What kind of propane usage are you experiencing?
I’m heading to CDA Mt. today to begin trail layout for next years project. This year I built a bypass on the Carlin Bay side of 257. I’m adding another next year in hopes of promoting more trail usage by avoiding two of the more heinous climbs out of the hole.
I also have a sweet traverse layed out on Beacon that avoids the trail that tresspasses the property that is signed and has the gate. It uses mostly faint game trails with some interest lines through rock features- you should like!
Biking is off the brain and skiing is at the forefront. Roger’s Pass beckons. I’ll make a few turns for you -But only on the second run!!!
RV
RV,
I was perplexed for a few minutes with IRA, but then it hit.
I look forward to riding your trails. I would help if I were there but being there is right up with you making a turn for me but only on the second run.
Propane: I have an Olympian 6100 catalytic heater and a 7 gallon tank. The propane also runs the stove and frige meaning I can not seperated the heater. the catalytic heater produces co2 & h2o vapor that can be a problem in winter with your wet gear. I would investigate a real furnace that runs on diesel from the tank and might have to revisit the battery issue then. Also suggest that you have a vent fan to suck out the wet vapor to keep things dry and smelling good.
Your replacement frame treated you well?
JP.