Today, the group met at the Huddle House in Dillsboro before heading east towards Asheville via I-40 (very boring, but necessary if we were to have time exploring the amazing roads in that area). Click Here for the day's route.
We finally arrived on NC 151 which starts out with gentle sweepers that become increasingly tight. The last few miles of the climb up to The Blue Ridge Parkway are very tight and challenging.
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| Boyd, Lloyd, Bill and Bryan along NC 151 |
Just southeast of Asheville, we picked up US 74A for a run over to Bat Cave, NC where we visited the Old Cider Mill.
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| Unfortunately, we were too early in the season for cider, but the beef jerky is excellent. |
We next trekked up NC 9 to US 70, then on to NC 80 where we made a quick lunch stop at the ice cream shop.
The run up NC 80 to the Blue Ridge Parkway is one of the great rides anywhere. From the bottom, it starts out with some gentle sweepers, but quickly changes to a monster. At the southwestern tip of Lake Tahoma lives the first tight turn - a decreasing radius right that will bite you if you are not prepared. In keeping with my policy of not naming those who commit unforced errors, the member of our group who claims a naked woman jumped out in front of his bike as he attempted to negotiate this curve shall remain nameless. Suffice it to say that he is okay, although his machine had to be retrieved from a vegetation filled ravine on the opposite side of the roadway. After a few roadside repairs, he was able to continue riding.
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| The Eastern Continental Divide where NC 80 meets the Blue Ridge Parkway. |
Following the Blue Ridge Parkway back to Asheville, we made one stop for a few photos.
Once back to Asheville, we grabbed the expressways for a fast return to Sylva, 223 miles from our start.
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