The Blue Ridge Mountains, Day 13 -19

I'm currently biking along the Blue Ridge Mountains to Asheville, NC and they are kicking my my butt. I'm seeing some amazing views though and really challenging myself.

Day 13
I left Waynesboro, VA after a full days rest with my legs feeling much fresher than when I arrived. After staying in a hotel, my mind and body was feels relaxed, at ease and ready to take on the mountains. Some decent climbs today, but nothing too strenuous. Found a nice hidden place along the parkway to camp for the night.

Day 14

Woke up early and was at it again. Rode down into the valley of the James River(elevation 649ft) then immediately climbed back up Apple Orchard Mountain(elevation 3950ft) over the course of ~7 miles. One of the longest most difficult climbs so far! Made it about 60 miles through the mountains to a campground called Peaks of Otter.

Day 15

Got up at the crack of dawn headed for Roanoke, VA. I made it to Roanoke around two and sat down on the sidewalk at a random outlet to charge my phone and eat some grub. It turned out I was sitting outside an Optometrist's office and when he came out for a smoke we ended up talking for about an hour and a half. He lived about 30 miles down along the parkway in the town of Floyd and invited me to stop by for a burger the next day. I told him I'd see him tomorrow and continued on

for another 15 miles before finding a place to camp out.

Day 16
John the Optometrist ended up offering me a ride to Floyd in the morning after a cold rainy night. I accepted and ended up spending a most of the day with John and his black lab Maggie. He offered me a much needed warm shower, which I accepted. I then helped him with some yard work

while he smoked a turkey breast and some burgers. He was an intelligent guy and very interesting person to talk with. He didn't go to school until he was in his 40s and drove home the importance of education. He was also into HAM radio which was cool to see. He very generously gave me some food for the road and a place to camp for the night at a friends country store along the parkway.

Day 17
I set out with the goal of making it to the Doughton Park Campground, which was 65 miles away. I passed the Blue Ridge Music Center, which happened to be having live music going at the time, so listened for a bit while I warmed up inside. I biked hard all day and made it to the campground as the sun was starting to set. It was on top of Bluff Mountain and snow was starting to fall when I biked in. I knew I was in for a cold night.

Day 18
I woke up surrounded by snow, not wanting to leave the warmth of my sleeping bag. I knew I had to get moving, which would in turn warm me up, but Imust not have warmed me up much since I soon discovered the awkward sensation of biking with numb feet. I knew if I stopped it would only get worse, so I had to keep moving. There was a town along the parkway about 55 miles away. It was supposed to get down to 22 degrees the next

night so a hotel room sounded almost necessary at that point. Riding was not very enjoyable throughout the day and when I was 5 miles from the town I broke a spoke in my rear tire. I was still able to ride, but the tire was way out of balance. I found a hotel to warm up and called it a night.

Day 19
Feeling warm and clean again I headed down to the local bike shop. They weren't able to replace the broken spoke, but they did re-balance the tire. In reality I should get a new rear wheelset, but they didn't have a replacement for me. The tire as it is should get me to Asheville where I can get the parts I need. I'm planning a very light riding day today to recover a bit and get ready for Mount Mitchell in couple days. Blowing rock has been a really nice town to stay, I really like the vibe of it.