North Carolina

Greetings from the western portion of the state of North Carolina, that little inset on your atlas which shows the corner of the state. We are staying in an RV park west of Asheville near Waynesville, NC along the Jonathan Creek. Haywood County is situated between the Blue Ridge and Smokey Mountains so most drives and bike rides involve going up and over hills to the next valley.

The two bikes needed some attention after weeks of exposure to the elements; I could not even get the road bike to shift into gear. Ron at Waynesville Bicycle Company seemed to identify immediately that the shifter had locked up as we had not penetrated the cable with lubrication as was needed. We left the bikes in his hands for an hour as we walked through the historic (lots of bricks Mom) downtown Waynesville in search of a haircut and something to drink. We found a barber who shortened our locks (a bit too much for Bill...but it will grow back) and a tavern on Main street who had a couple of cold cervezas waiting for us. One of the bikes was able to go home (and be ridden) while the other was left behind with some more extensive cable replacement needed.

Did I mention that their were hills in this neck of the woods? Oh my--the ride I took into the Pisgah National Forest kicked my butt! First, let me point out that the scenery is stunning. I was riding alongside a river for a third of my ride--past dairy farms on mountain roads with hardly a car in sight. The bike shop had directed me over here for roads with not much traffic. However, the ride was not without a few encounters with dogs who seemed intent to bite at my ankle on the downstroke. When I mentioned this at the bike shop today I was handed a can of pepper spray for use on rural roads; his own wife he explained, carries a gun when riding as the dogs can be menacing. Welcome to Appalachia!

Tomorrow we are heading to the Great Smokey National Park for a moment of hiking along the Appalachian Trail and lots of pictures we hope to post for all to enjoy. We are going to a nearby town of Hot Springs, NC on Saturday for a Bluegrass music festival. I hope to get into Asheville on Sunday or Monday to enjoy the city and see the Thomas Wolfe Memorial as well as get in a few more miles on the bike. I'll let you know in a few days how the weather cooperates for all of these plans as there is a chance of thunderstorms on the horizon.