May 2006 Trip

Biking the Blue Ridge Parkway

May 13-20, 2006

We did it! We had 14 cyclists on this year’s trip, with between 8 and 11 cyclists on any given day as some of the cyclists only joined us for part of the trip. In spite of challenging weather, we had a great time. It was a pleasure to meet so many new cyclists that all shared an appreciation for the beauty of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The weather was a bit on the cold and rainy side with temperatures in the upper 30’s for 4 of our nights camping, but even on rainy days we would have periods where the sun broke through and the skies cleared. Most of our daytime highs were in the 50’s and 60’s. The parkway was absolutely beautiful as trees and flowers were blooming everywhere and we were treated to one stunning view after another. The pictures below tell the real story.

Day 1 (Sat, May 13) – Rockfish Gap, VA – Milepost 0 (MP0) We met at the Rockfish Gap Visitor Center on Saturday morning at 8am. Pictured from left to right are: Kent (Ada, MI), Rick (Ithaca, MI), Becca (Boone, NC), Paul (Virginia Beach, VA), Dean (Bar Harbor, ME), Beth (Boone, NC), Dennis (Boone, NC), and Bruce (Virginia Beach, VA).	Day 1 (Sat, May 13) – MP 19 – 20 Minute Overlook Becca and Beth stop for a break at 20 Minute Overlook. There are over 200 overlooks on the Blue Ridge Parkway and we stop at many of them to enjoy the views and to give our legs a rest!	Day 1 (Sat, May 13) The speed limit on the parkway is 45 mph and we would often fly down the mountains at 35-40 mph. However; signs like the one shown above should definitely been heeded!
Day 1 (Sat, May 13) – Whetstone Ridge – MP 29 The group stops for lunch at Whetstone Ridge. Cycling on the Blue Ridge Parkway is very physically demanding and we eat a lot!	Day 1 (Sat, May 13) – MP 61–Wildwood Campground Each cyclist carried about 40-45 lb of gear, including tent, sleeping bag, clothes, stove to boil water, dehydrated meals & other food, tools, etc. We had quite a bit of rain on the trip and were grateful for this dry night. Bruce is shown devouring a Mountain House meal after a long day of cycling.	Day 1 (Sat, May 13) – MP 61 – Wildwood Campground Dean, Beth, and Becca found a nice spot for dinner in the campground. Becca ran her first marathon two weeks before the trip, but still found climbing 6000 ft/day on a bicycle to be quite a challenge.
Day 2 (Sun, May 14) – MP 63 - James River Dean crosses the James River just before beginning a 13-mile, 3350 ft climb to the top of Old Apple Orchard Mountain (also called Thunder Ridge). It had just started raining, but we were prepared with rain gear.	Day 2 (Sun, May 14) – MP 76.5 - Old Apple Orchard Mountain It took 3 hours of climbing, but Dean, Paul, and Bruce make it to the top of Old Apple Orchard. It stopped raining and the sun came out for a while before we were hit by some severe thunderstorms in the afternoon.	Day 2 (Sun, May 14) – MP 76.5 - Old Apple Orchard Mountain Paul and Bruce pause for a photo at the top of Old Apple Orchard before beginning the pleasant (mostly downhill) ride to Peaks of Otter for lunch.
Day 2 (Sun, May 14) – MP 85 – Peaks of Otter We stopped at the Peaks of Otter restaurant for lunch. This is a beautiful spot as it overlooks Abbott lake with Sharp Top Mountain in the background.	Day 2 (Sun, May 14) – MP 85 – Peaks of Otter Restaurant Pictured (left to right) are Rick (MI), Tod (NC), and John (NC). John had a family emergency and had to leave us after three days.	Day 2 (Sun, May 14) – MP 95 Stormy skies warned us of the approaching thunderstorms. Lightening is scary as it rare to find shelter since the parkway runs along the ridge of the mountains. We were pelted by heavy rain, which can be quite painful on fast downhills.
Day 2 (Sun, May 14) – MP 120 – Roanoke Mountain Campground We had a lot of rain on Day 2 and it was still raining off and on when we reached the campground. Most of us cooked our dinners under the shelter and Tod & John even slept there (one of Tod’s many “secret spots” on the Blue Ridge Parkway). Rick and his tent are shown in the foreground.	Day 3 (Monday, May 15) The orange “flame azaleas” are a common and beautiful sight on the Blue Ridge Parkway in May.	Days 1-8 – Various spots on the Blue Ridge Parkway May is a great time to cycle the Blue Ridge Parkway as many trees and wildflowers are in bloom. The Pink Lady’s Slippers shown in the top left were a rare find!
Day 3 (Mon, May 15) – MP 165 – Tuggle’s Gap Restaurants and stores are not always available on the parkway, so we have to carry most of our food. However, we eat out maybe 25% of the time, primarily when something is available. Day three was cold (37 degrees in the morning and only 42 degrees by lunch time) and a bit rainy, so this stop was welcome.	Day 4 (Tues, May 16) – MP 178 – Meadows of Dan, VA We started the day with a trip to the nearby Poor Farmer’s Market in Meadows of Dan, VA. This is a great store and it provided a rare chance to stock up of fresh fruit and other items.	Day 4 (Tues, May 16) – MP 176 – Mabry Mill Some of us cycled back two miles to Mabry Mill for breakfast. One of their specialties is buckwheat pancakes (after trying them, Tom said they “taste like dirt”). Pictured from left to right are Bruce (Virginia Beach, VA), Rick (Ithaca, MI), Dean (Bar Harbor, ME), Paul (Virginia Beach, VA), and Tom (Traverse City, MI).
Day 4 (Tues, May 16) – MP 176 – Mabry Mill A quick photo after breakfast before hitting the road.	Day 4 (Tues, May 16) – MP 189 Bruce and Dean approach Groundhog Mountain. The Blue Ridge Parkway is almost never flat, but at least Day 4 featured relatively short climbs, making it one of the easier days.	Days 1-8 – Various spots on the Blue Ridge Parkway We were always on the lookout for wildlife, although it is sometimes hard to get the camera out in time. Pictured above are a deer and a turkey.
Day 4 (Tues, May 16) – MP 193 – Orchard Gap Day 4 had a few places to stop and the Orchard Gap Market & Deli was one of our favorites. The owners are very friendly and really welcome cyclists. Bruce, Becca, Beth, and Dennis are shown here enjoying a break in the store. Most of us bought sandwiches to eat later in the day – a rare treat!	Day 4 (Tues, May 16) – MP 193 – Orchard Gap Before leaving we paused for a photo in front of the store, but waited as we spotted Rick approaching. Just after Rick arrived, we spotted Tom approaching! The owner of the store was nice enough to wait unti we were all ready and even took photos with 8 different cameras! Left to right are: Rick, Beth, Tom, Becca, Bruce, Paul, Dennis, and Dean.	Day 4 (Tues, May 16) – MP 194 Almost 200 miles completed! Dennis, Beth, Becca, and Dean are shown going by MP194.
Day 4 (Tues, May 16) – MP 198 A horse from a neaby farm trotted over to see us as we cycled by. Of course, Paul was holding up an apple!	Day 4 (Tues, May 16) – MP198 Dennis shares an apple with one of the horses along the parkway.	Day 4 (Tues, May 16) – MP 216 – VA/NC line We finally crossed into NC on Day 4. We had cycled 216 miles on the parkway and still had 253 to go. The NC mountains are much higher (3000 – 6000 ft typically) so we knew that harder climbs were coming.
Day 4 (Tuesday, May 16) – MP 229 Tom (Traverse City, MI) cycles by. Hey, where’s your helmet?	Day 5 (Wed, May 17) – MP 243 – Doughton Park, NC The rugged area around Doughton Park features many rock walls where the parkway was carved into the side of the mountain.	Day 5 (Wed, May 17) –MP 248–Laurel Springs, NC After a nice downhill from Doughton Park, Dennis and Dean pass by Laurel Springs, NC.
Day 5 (Wednesday, May 17) – Milepost 296 Day 5 ended with a 5-mile detour as bridge work was being done near Julian Price Park. Near the end of the detour, Paul and Tod stopped by Grandfather Mountain Grocery.	Day 5 – (Wednesday, May 17) – MP 296 - Julian Price Park, NC Dennis, Becca, and Beth ended their trip after 5 days as planned. They all lived in nearby Boone, NC. They cycled to their houses and came back to the campground with pizza and other items for dinner. What a treat after 5 days on the road and too many dehydrated dinners! We had a great party and were sad to see them go. Shown left to right standing are Dennis (Boone, NC), Dean (Bar Harbor, ME), Anthony (Chattanooga, TN), Tod (Carrboro, NC), Tom (Traverse City, MI), Paul (Virginia Beach, VA), Bruce (Virginia Beach, VA), and Rick (Ithaca, MI). Shown seated left to right are Becca (Boone, NC), Beth (Boone, NC), and Tom (Chattanooga, TN).	Day 6 – (Thursday, May 18) – MP 300 Dean, Anthony, and Tom cycling uphill towards Grandfather Mountain. It was getting windy and we later learned that Grandfather Mountain (somewhat of a tourist attraction) was closed during the morning due to high winds.
Day 6 – (Thursday, May 18) – MP 303 Dean and Tom stop to view the Linn Cove Viaduct in the distance. The Linn Cove Viaduct, a bridge in partial suspension, is something of an engineering wonder. It was added to the parkway in 1987 to complete a gap in the parkway where it goes around Grandfather Mountain.	Day 6 – (Thur, May 18) – Crabtree Meadows - MP 339 A beautiful sunset just before reaching the Crabtree Meadows Campground. The winds were getting strong and almost blew a couple of us off of our bicycles at this overlook. That night it dropped to 38 degrees and we had 50 mph winds!	Day 7 – (Friday, May 19) – around MP 339 Day 7 was the most difficult. We started with the tough climb up Mt. Mitchell (about 20 uphill miles), raced downhill into Asheville, and then finished with a 15-mile climb up Mt. Pisgah. We climbed a total of about 8000 ft for the day. Paul and Bruce are pictured above at an overlook on the way up to Mt. Mitchell.
Day 7 – (Friday, May 19) – Craggy Gardens - MP 364 Paul, Tom, Bruce, and Dean are pictured at the CraggyGardens Visitor Center (elev. 5500 ft) near the top of Mt. Mitchell. The temperature was only 38 degrees and we had winds gusting to 30 mph. Some of us huddled around the wood stove in the visitor center to get warm.	Day 8 – (Saturday, May 20) – Mt. Pisgah Inn - MP 408 We camped at the Mt. Pisgah Campground (4850 ft), but several of us gathered for breakfast at the scenic restaurant in the Mt. Pisgah Inn. Pictured (front, then clockwise) are Paul (VA), Tom (MI), Dean (ME), Tom (TN), Tod (NC), and David (NC). David, a friend of Tod’s, only joined us for Day 8 of the tour.	Day 8 – (Saturday, May 20) – MP 409-415 On Day 8 we cycled from Mt. Pisgah to Cherokee, NC. This is a rugged part of the parkway with no nearby towns, stores, etc. We did a lot of climbing and kept going up and down with elevations between 2000 and 6000 ft.
Day 8 – (Saturday, May 20) – Devil’s Courthouse Tunnel - MP 422 We went through 9 tunnels on Day 8. This tunnel was picturesque with the azaleas at the entrance. It was also a little treacherous as we had 30 mph winds and they were directed right through this tunnel.	Day 8 – (Saturday, May 20) – MP 420-440 The views on Day 8 were amazing – at least until we climbed into the fog!	Day 8 – (Saturday, May 20) – MP 420-440 We saw many spruce and balsam as we climbed above 5000 ft. The trees were even beautiful in the fog!
Day 8 – (Saturday, May 20) – MP 431.4 Paul reaches Richland Balsam, the highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway at 6053 ft. The cyclists were often spread out during the day as each cyclist makes the climbs at slightly different rates. However, we would regroup often, particularly for meals and at points of interest.	Day 8 – (Sat, May 20) – End of the Blue Ridge Parkway - MP 469 Bruce raises a fist in victory as he crosses MP469 at the end of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Cycling the Blue Ridge Parkway is a thrilling adventure, but is also extremely demanding physically. It was so nice to reach the end!	Day 8 – (Sat, May 20) – End of the Blue Ridge Parkway - MP 469 Paul and Anthony pictured at MP469 at the end of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Anthony, of course, is pictured with his trailer “Bob.” We teased Anthony about carrying so much last year, although we did enjoy using his floor pump!

Daily Schedule (starting and stopping points, campgrounds, miles per day, # feet climbed per day, etc.)

Paul’s statistics – I was probably an average speed climber on this trip. Check out my daily miles, averages, max speeds, and time in the saddle shown below.

Day	Rated Miles	Actual Miles	Max	Time	Average	Rated Vertical Feet Climbed	Rated Climb per 10-Mile Section
1	60	64.77	35.5	5:28:19	11.8	4802	800
2	60	62.77	39.5	5:49:59	10.7	6322	1054
3	57	63.06	35.5	5:55:46	10.3	6435	1129
4	62	71.10	39.0	6:30:34	10.8	5617	906
5	57	64.63	40.0	6:15:31	10.3	6660	1168
6	43	53.73	34.5	5:13:36	10.2	4680	1088
7	69	71.78	41.0	7:30:31	9.5	7860	1139
8	61	65.62	38.5	6:21:42	10.3	6225	1020
Total	469	517.46	41.0	49:05:58	10.49	48601	1038

Summary of the 14 cyclists involved in this year’s trip:

Name	City	Days Cycled
Paul	Virginia Beach, VA	Days 1-8
Bruce	Virginia Beach, VA	Days 1-8
Dean	Bar Harbor, ME	Days 1-8
Tod	Carrboro, NC	Days 1-8
Rick	Ithaca, MI	Days 1-8 (Also began 2 days early to bike the Skyline Drive)
Tom	Traverse City, MI	Days 1-7 (Stopped 1 day early due to knee pain, but also began 2 days early to bike the Skyline Drive)
Dennis	Boone, NC	Days 1-5 (as planned)
Becca	Boone, NC	Days 1-5 (as planned)
Beth	Boone, NC	Days 1-5 (as planned)
Anthony	Chattanooga, TN	Days 5-8 (as planned)
Tom	Chattanooga, TN	Days 5-8 (as planned)
John	Chapel Hill, NC	Days 1-3 (had to leave due to family emergency)
Kent	Ada, MI	Days 1-2 (decided to stop after 2 days as he had hoped to find more food available on the BRP)
David	Durham, NC	Day 8 (as planned)

Future trips? It is likely that I will keep scheduling this trip as an annual event.
However, I need a couple of months (for the memory of those long climbs to dim) before I decide for sure!
Feel free to send me an email anytime if you have any questions or are interested in future trips.

Author: Paul Gordy
Email: blueridgecyclist@cox.net