Campers sleeping outside @ spot #1 w/ no tent. Warm night, low heat inside.

Met Scott @ fish hatchery. Technical ride. Beautiful day; got to almost 70 degs which started driving out the winter frost as it is. Some trail pieces were downright slippery: Steer the front wheel & body English the rear to follow. I forgot how technical the ride on Daniel’s Ridge is and the climb was a lung hurler. Great 16.14 mile ride for 2471′ vert.

Hung in the fish hatchery parking lot after Scott left. I walked along a pen about 5 feet across and 100 feet long that was stuffed w/ brook trout about 6″ long. A feed lot for fish. Lots of fly fisher people in Davidson River just downstream from hatchery.

I was wearing my Pisgah jersey when a younger rider asked about it. He said that he is a friend of Bruce’s & raced w/ him at the time trial on Sat in GA where I will be riding someday after Brevard.

Made good recipe dinner @ camp spot and made a good meal but a bit of a mess to clean up.

Yesterday’s ride left me w/ the feeling that something was “wrong” w/ my bike but couldn’t pin it down. The wheels wanted to track differently and felt squirrely. Yesterday Scott thought I had too much air in my tires but per my pump gage I was at 37psi. Yesterday we let air out and made the tires even softer. Today Scott used his better pressure gauge and learned that my pump reads 5 psi soft which explains the squishy ride because the tire sidewalls were flexing. Today I pumped to the “real” 37 psi and discovered that the bike literally flew. All this time I have been riding soft tires w/ greater rolling resistance. part of the trail was like a FATS section going uphill and I just jumped on it. I flew. The traction & control in the technical was even better. Pump gages are suspect. Harder tires (more air) have lower rolling resistance but bounce the rider more making for harder control.

We both forgot our cameras for today’s ride.

Zags got blown out against Memphis last night.

Beautiful day, warmed up but chilled off as afternoon wore on.

Bought propane from building supply co, 5.1 gals in a 5.7 gal tank. I turned the heat off last night not knowing my contents. Fortunately for that I had a hot Bfast.

We rode from Yellow Gap out to Squirrel gap to S Mills River and then dirt road ride back to Yellow Gap. Ran out of h2o again. The ice falls that formed 2 days earlier are melting away. the ground in some shady places was still frozen.

Beat wheels back into Brevard for shower @ laundromat & then to woods for camp which was open.

Adventure race going on nearby, the Most Horrible Thing Ever race. Scott spent night near race headquarters & got the skinny on the event.

Chilly night but way warmer than last 2.

Part way thru bfast i looked out the window and saw Scott’s camper at spot #1. Kept looking for van movement indicating he was up. About 9:00 he emerged.

We rode out of parking about 11:30 for a route around the basin we are in. Getting warmer. All snow from Monday is dried up.  We rode up short section of Avery Creek & then picked up Buckhorn trail. Shorter way to buckhorn gap but some hike a bike & technical.

Fun riding. Did better. Trail is way more technical, most since I left here back in Jan.

Good exposure to pisgah:

At Gap front tire flatted. Appears tube seam split. Very warm, by now I doffed my booties, big gloves, & wool long underwear top. Snow in few isolated spots. Down to Club Gap, uphill & down hill to Bennett gap and climb out before final descent to Avery Creek where we are camped.

A stick jammed thru my rear spokes and broke a nipple right off rim. Scott zip tied it out of way. Rode a bit more cautiously. Some tread is in freeze thaw slippery mud. Going downhill the front wheel went a different line than rear. Just let front slide and crab w/ rear wheel to keep line straight. Scott saves his energy for the downhills  which makes the uphills almost leisurely for me.

Parts of lower Bennett’s were still frozen because of shade & a creek bottom. Slippery mud then frozen then covered w/ leaves and maybe some roots and rocks thrown in made downhill exciting.

Back @ van i hustle into town to The Hub to repair the rear wheel. Arrive just b4 5 and Alex turns to. Wheel remained true making a simple fix.

Dinner @ Dolly’s. Saw noticeable number of rigs w/ bikes on. Forecast is for sunny 60’s temp.

Scott has a long ride planned for tomorrow his long ride day. Might entail riding thru closed area @ Pink Beds.

Heat was off all day. It’s 8:45PM and I am a bit cold but trying to delay turning on propane. I think I can make it to Monday but I would feel warmer if I finished the ride today in time to hit the fuel store.

Creeks are deicing.