Plan Fri was to ride N Mills river on Spencer’s Ridge that Todd laid out for me. However, the skies darkened, illuminated w/ lightning flashes, and peals of thunder up where the ride was to be. Area receives lots of T-storms. Two years ago  Todd and I were up near MT Pisgah in a T-storm that was right over us: crack of lightning, crash of thunder, and hail. I decided to be safe and took another day off. I had another beer in Brevard Brew pub.

I drove to Joey’s carpet cleaning service in Brevard for him to perform his wonders on my dirty carpet. He speaks w/ a country drawl. I called him on cell asking for directions. I struggled to comprehend his directions while I was driving w/ the window down. He cleaned the carpet.

Sat AM I drove to Bracken mtn TH to help on a trail project that Todd is building. Effort today is to cut out roots exposed by blade of ditch witch. Todd made almost an engineering marvel swinging the trail back and forth on the steep slope in a narrow right of way corridor. The resulting trail is not something you want to start right on as it is a gut buster. We walked over a mile to where we started work. The trail is 6 miles long. Todd is a professional trail builder, he is partner w/ Bill Victor in Long Cane Trail Construction. Another hot and humid day. Shrimper is a friend of Todd’s and a trail builder using a small excavator. Wes, owner of Sycamore Cycles, and Chris, running for Pisgah SORBA chairman, Mike, and me cut roots for 3 hours.

Todd was going to lead me on the unopened trail. The tread is freshly cut and still greasey. While we hung in the parking lot a micro T-storm dumped  rain making the trail even slipperier. We changed plans to go ride the ride I wanted to do yesterday. DuPont was getting dumped on to the East.

I drove putting Todd’s clean bike inside. We rode off on typical Pisgah trails. We climbed up an abandoned logging road to Spencer Ridge trail. We dropped down another eroded fall line trail swinging across a small creek. Horses had muddied the trail. We were pretty muddy. I rode across the main creek at our trail junction to wash off some mud. Skillful pedaling and balance kept me upright w/ only wet feet from the bottom of the pedal stroke. Trail became an old railroad bed w/ some rotting cross ties complete w/ rail spikes sticking up. We dropped down a reconstructed piece of trail complete w/ machine cut dirt features. We finished our ride after 7 muddy and content. I put Todd’s dirty bike inside on my clean carpet.

We drove into Asheville to this new modern shopping and residence center, REI is a business here. I shopped REI  2 weeks prior but did not venture further into the project. This time we went in further to a wild pedestrian mall. We ate at a cool build your own burrito place and watched people.

Back @ Todd’s a last shower and visit. Sunday I planned on heading N. I bid a fond farewell to Todd.

Sunday I headed N to Boone and Rocky Knob trail. Shrimper worked on part of it. I miscomprehended the location. After not finding the TH where I drove to I drove back and found it right off the main highway, not .7 miles down Bamboo rd. A rider drove in and spotted my van. Paul had read about me. He was a main spark plug in making the trails happen here. He rode off to do trail work. I made my way up later. Trails are almost all machine cut switchbacking across the treed mountainside. The tread is over small rock that could not be bladed out making the tread fun to ride.

Several places on the trail required wooden bridges to go over wet spots:

Thunder announced another storm. I let gravity pull me down the stunt slope. Amazing, I rode for 65 mins and saw only 2 riders yet there were maybe 10 cars in the lot. Trail has 4 loops stacked w/ the higher loops being harder that winnows out abilities. Nicely laid out and executed. The community got behind the effort w/ funding and land.

I then headed N to town of Jefferson. I saw New River state park; research revealed showers were near by. After another sweating hot humid ride I wanted clean. I found a XG in the park but it was for river runners. A female ranger on crutches gave me directions to a car camp. On the way I saw a sign for Airport which are great places to free camp. I drove to a mid sized airport w/ no tower. I parked on gravel out of the way. I saw purple flowers: Knapweed. The airport was closed. A car was parked in front of the building. I pulled down my bike to work on it. A guy walked over, he works @ the place. I asked if there would be a problem, he said no.

I was parked in full sun. Another spot was further west off the gravel partially shaded by short black locust trees. I moved over to that spot. I was inside on the floor fixing a drawer slide when I heared a greeting. Another guy saw my van and was curious. I shared van details w/ him. Both of these guys go to the airport to walk or run around the runway. I fixed my solar shower and hung it in the sun. After dinner I had a tepid shower in the heat.

Hot and humid, temp 66 @ bedtime. I didn’t sleep well. Before sunrise I heard traffic in the paved parking lot. Soon voices. I discretely got out of bed and dressed @ 6:15. I finally got out and walked over to a group of men. They were working on extending the runway. They left @ 7:00 and I fixed B-fast.

Today’s plan is to drive N to VA and Douthat SP above Clifton Forge. The park name seemed familiar but I couldn’t place it. I researched my ride log and found that I rode it back in 2010.  None the less I drove N on twisting hilly rt 221. No shoulder w/ lots of driver input. 88 degrees.

I drove to road leading into park and parked under a tree to create this. I slept in a parking lot a few feet away rather than camp in State Park. SPs are non drinker friendly, meaning beer is discretely consumed. And cost $ that my Forever Federal pass won’t apply meaning full price. At least VA SP allow drinking inside a residence or rv. I am debating where to stay tonight then get an early start on the ride. I will repeat last ride on the race course: 17 miles and 3277′ climbing.

 

That’s Wednesday Night Drinking Club, and that’s what is was to most others. Local group Jonathon invited me to attend. Most of he guys pounded down macro beer b4, during, and after the hard ride. I waited until back in the parking lot although the first hand crafted beer was spilled inside my van. Today I have a carpet cleaning appointment. We rode DuPont from Fawn Lake. Those guys really flew, I pedaled as I was able to and joined the group @ the intersections. My theoretical aerobic max HR is 136, The average HR for the 1 hr 36 min ride was 138, I spent 50 mins anaerobic. We crossed Little River 2X, I kept my shoes on and slithered across the slippery bottom, I didn’t take the time to remove my shoes and cross in grippy socks. Even riding in early evening the temp was still in the 80s and the humidity was close to matching. Our final leg took us to a swim @ Fawn Lake. I took off my top and baggies to swim in my lycra shorts. Ahhh, the h20 dropped my core temp. I picked up my discarded clothes that were drenched, I couldn’t tell if they were swimming wet or sweat, it was the latter.

I took yesterday off as a rest day to let my body heal from 2 days of hard riding.

David Turner, the maker of my 5 Spot,  and I exchange emails occasionally. Years ago he visited Pisgah were a young guy, whom I met somewhere, lead David on a ride of Black Mtn that I rode 2 days ago. Only the guy rode the gravel road to Buckhorn gap. David was pissed that he traveled across the country and didn’t appreciate riding a gravel road. Then they got on nasty Black Mtn. I didn’t hear how he changed his tune. I mentioned my Black Mtn ride to him and he is still upset. Turner is working on a 650B bike.

Tomorrow i will help on a trail project, Bracken mtn, maybe ride w/ Todd. Sun I am leaving here for Boone, NC and Rocky Knob park.

Got to go for PT session on right SI.

And only 1 beer down the hatch.

Today I sacked up and rode real Pisgah. Nature can extract the full measure or pull her punches. Today, I looked into the sun and pedaled off from the bottom of Black Mtn trail, where I would be finishing my ride. My route was simple: road to Avery Creek trail to Black Mtn home. Hey, potential for navigational blunders was level 2 as there really aren’t rake and ride trails in this part of Pisgah and I followed it correctly. Two words describe Pisgah: 1)wet, 2) roots.

I pedaled roads about 3 miles to the Avery Creek trail head. Something for me to pedal the road for so long, great conditioning. The trail dropped down to the creek and played footsie for many crossings on sketchy heartwood logs; I lacked the skills to ride a skinny and not slip off. I carried my bike over and finished w/ non water wet shoes. Later my shoes and socks would be wetted from liquid cooling fluid: Sweat. Wet and roots down low, just roots out of immediate drainage. I rode and hike a biked up to Club Gap to Black Mtn trail. Today I rode Avery creek for the first time. Black Mtn started w/ a climb up a washed out double track up over various water bars. These bars create a falls on the downhill side meaning a step up move. I didn’t make many. I have ridden Black Mtn maybe 4 times. Today to me it appeared to be abused by water flowing down fall line which is the trail. Lots of pushing. Finally I pushed up onto a ridge that dropped down to Buckhorn Gap. Along the downhill section while on my bike I startled a bear that proceed w/ its escape route paralleling my techy down hill. I’m here and the bear is prolly doing what bears do. They really do shit in the woods.

So Black Mtn from Buckhorn is a series of to most people too tight switchbacks, roots, and rhododendron canopy. Dark under the vegetation. More intense hike a biking. Even the first downhill section was a tease before the next peak on the ridge. I passed a big group of teenage boys w/ mtn bikes, they were heading down what i would be on. Rain trough, roots, wheel drops, choices to be made and skills practiced. Sure like the seat dropper. I keep my speed under control, like my Formula brakes for modulation and locking up. The downhill was taxing. Finished back @ van. Ride was 13.43 miles in 2 hrs 37 mins moving time, total time was 3hrs 45 mins from the starting stop data collection of GPS; burned 2363 cals during climbing 3162′

Yesterday Heather said she was not “Pisgah tough” as she had been off her bike for many days and less conditioned. Man, i sacked it up and toughened during the ride. I will be comatose early this eve. Pisgah is the hardest place I have ridden on my odyssey. Nobody asks me to pick the toughest rides.

Still staying @ Todd and Heather’s. She keeps setting an extra plate in front of me. Last night I sharpened 2 of her kitchen knives that she appreciated.