Noticed lush green yards w/ no sprinkler systems here in Brevard, NC.

Yesterday was a special handshake ride w/ pursed lips for a description other than to say it was on twisty single track in the forest near NC / SC border. Rode a piece called Whale’s back which looked more like a roach haircut, either name appropriate; it was bare rock on an incline that off road vehicles had stripped the soil from. Fast and sure. Earlier in the ride we heard thunder and forecast called for t-storms, it was just a question if the storm path would seek us out. We were down in deep tree cover when the wind speed hit the charts, I was concerned about what might blow down. Gritted teeth and fixed my stare for down trail. Rain fell in small buckets, thunder from just a little ways away, and the trail flooded. And then the sun came out like all classic T storms I like. Vegetation dripped h2o, I was 3rd which lessened my wetness, the first rider was sopped. I rolled into the parking lot in sunshine and dry pavement.  racking the bikes and changing out of wet clothes is so much more enjoyable in sunshine. Rode w/ Todd & Rachael, Glenn a friend of Todd’s, & Shrimper’s wife, Noel. 26. 34 miles in 3 hrs 53 mins ride time, burned 5014 cals & climbed 3865. The ride dumped us out on a dead end hard road that we climbed up to Sassafras mtn, the gps calculated 22% grade. Baby chain ring, 32 teeth rear, just ground it away. Shuttle ride. Drove back to Shrimper’s house way back up in mtns. My Sprinter would not drive up his lane.My wet riding clothes are in a pile in my van. Such high humidity can’t absorb any more.

Spectacular scenery. Love affair w/ Appalachia again. Hollers (Hollows)  abound. Verdant as Sedona was dessicated.

Another night in the Faith Chapel parking lot & visiting w/ Todd & Heather. Heather is feeding me dinners.

Rain was falling @ Todd’s when we got home after the ride. My bike has seen more wetness than any other bike I have ever owned. I don’t like getting them wet as I have in these last 2 rides.

Comment: trails shed rain quickly & don’t show damage when riding wet except for very few wet spots that are very short.

Listened to thunder & rain pelting on van roof as I fell asleep. Rain stayed outside.

This AM was clear. Today is my own. I drove back into Brevard searching for a new pepper grinder @ The Proper Pot. No luck. I hung in town on line and waited for chocolate story to open. Dark chocolate treats.

Visited Sycamore Bikes & Wes. We are good and play well together. I asked him about tires as my 2.3 Ardents feel like leaded slugs. Will prolly spring for a pair of Specialized Purgatory, 2.2 wide. These will be faster rolling than my Sedona tires better for eastern riding. Save the big meat for Sedona.

Tues is a special ride w/ Bruce in Pisgah, a 6 hour marathon. Wed. I plan on going to where Todd is building trail to watch and learn then head west to Panthertown to ride w/ Shrimper, another trail builder.

Speaking of trail builders: the southwest is just busrting w/ trails made by mtn bikers for mtn bikers. Way different experience than riding hiking trails that bikers have taken over. Way more miles of trail are smooshed in to a given pice of land; more miles of trail per amount of land. If only the west could get on the same bandwagon. Tourist dollars is economic engine.

Parked in front of a computer store that has wireless internet I can access as there is no cell phone coverage here or just a short ways to Todd’s.

Fast & furious. Staying out & Todd & Heather’s place out of internet connection. hanging in town @ Ingles grocery store parking lot.

Yesterday rode Todd’s loop in DuPont, some trails I had ridden b4. Fun and chalenging to be  back on these trails. Last year the trees were bare and all leaves were on the ground. Now the trees are leafed out creating darkness of a broad leaf forest and the leaves went trhu 1 winter of break down allowing the tread to be read.  We rode out bikes up bridal veil falls, carefully walked on dry patches of rock clinging to tree branches to avoid slipping on slippery rock and going on a wet bouncing ride to smash into rock @ bottom. Crawled under the falls where a scene from Last of the Mohicans was filmed. Rode down the dry stuff, big slab of granite.

Spent night again in parking lot below Todd’s place. Tadd is a race promotor for Assault on MT Mitchell and Pisgah mtn bike stage race. he is o owner w/ Bill Victor in Long Cane trail builders. Heather fed me again.

Today plan was to drive into Brevard, Todd get his rear wheel fixed, pile into his car and drive up to Parkway for big ride. Forecast was for T-storms, but that is a forecast. Hot and muggy up on Parkway. A few large drops of rain spattered on pavement. Rationalization: it is warm, rain will cool us off. Besides, this is NC and weather is finicky. Finicky it was as we headed for sunshine. T-storm settled in on MT Pisgah that we were underneath. It poured, then hailed mixed in w/ thunderclaps right after the lightning flash. We were right in middle of storm. We were sort of climbing & slipping on roots and getting soaked. My miracle wicking fabric clothing gave up once saturated. i had water puddles in my shorts. Our route was to Pisgah Inn on parkway but amount and proximitity of lightning caused our decision to retrace our route. As we did, we rode out of strorm. Temp dropped and we started loosing body heat until we stopped and pulled on our rain coats. Hail covered the trail and ground. Water flooded off trail. Crossed a raging small stream torent running brown w/ woods dirt. Lots of last winter’s ice storm damagae. Forest canopy was stripped allowing sunlight in to normally dark woods. Rhodendron tunnels common  to NC.

We rode back to car to consider riding the 2nd loop. We were sopping wet but warm. We drove down parkway to next TH but the spector of black clouds turned us back to Brevard. Got up to 5000′, Brevard is ike 2300′.

More T-storms are forecast. Have a special shuttle ride tomorrow.

Going back to Todd’s for the night. Need to do dishes then drive out up into mtns where temps are lower and in woods.

Let this fly.

Consequence of riding in hot humid weather: wet air won’t absorb sweat from wicking bike shorts keeping butt cheeks moist and rub against the saddle which creates abraded red sores, hence Monkey Butt. Post ride Bag Balm provides relief and healing.

Rest day today as I drove from Bill’s to Brevard. Its 83 and 49% humidity.

Again, some babbling to record events and thoughts.

Monday i rode 4 loops of FATS and stayed @ Bill & Liz’s. Bill told me of a ride on Long Cane horse trails w/ a group of Greenwood riders. I drove an hour N of Bill’s. He called me w/ some info on the ride. He net worked w/ Tom, one of the group riders to expect me. I met 6 local riders for ride. Again, I am the oldest. The pace was furious. Great easy trails, most big chain ring. Bill’s company built a section of trail and it rode like their FATS. Several were single speeders. Rode till woods were almost too dark to see. Riders are all buddies who enjoy each others’ company as heard in their verbal  barbs will sipping beers in the parking lot. We all headed back into town for Mexican dinner. Tom is a lawyer. Inside the restaurant their were 2 deputies. Tom told me I was golden in the county if I parked somewhere. He invited me to his house for a shower and a flat spot. Tom & Bill are old riding friends.

Tom engaged me in conversation after my shower and sipping Marker’s Mark bourbon. He asked me what makes me the happiest, and what has been my greatest experience. i didn’t have answers. Perhaps what makes me happiest is every thing I do, everything is positive, nothing stands out. For the most part everything is good. I could find things that are negative that would make the good stuff better but I am not that way.

Hot & humid.

Yesterday drove back to south and crossed back into GA to ride the Bartram trail on Army Corp of engineering lands, Strom Thurmond lake.  Part of the trail was brand new, the Keg loop was old hand made trail. Supplied mileage added up to 32 miles, my gps said 24 as it frequently lost reception in the trees. 2 1/2 hours of riding in sweatted shorts. Towards the end I found it more comfortable to stand up. 83 degrees.

The Corps has a XG just down road from TH so I decided to give their showers a go. Talked w/ elderly woman staffing the entrance. After a pleasant & engaging conversation she waived the $3.00 fee.

Started sweating right out of cool shower. Plan is to buy local strawberries, fix my dinner then drive to Bill & Liz’s for desert of strawberries dipped in chocolate then whipping cream. Bill called me b4 I started dinner & invited me to dinner. I accepted. Played baseball catch w/ the 4 year old twins, Coleman & Ava. Enjoyed family company.

Today i bid the Victors adieu again. May I return again. Bill said his next project is raising his kids.

Headed North to Brevard. Up into mtns.

I’m hooking up w/ Todd & Heather for several local rides. Staying @ their house.