Let’s be
very clear: this is an extremely difficult physical challenge for almost all of
us. There are practically no services
readily available on the parkway itself.
Unless you are that rare breed of pannier-laden self-supporters, you
need all the help you can get. I refer
readers to the September 28, 2011 blog for my first, ill-fated attempt at the
Blue Ridge Parkway (henceforth BRP). More
at the end, but let’s just say my guardian angel connected me to Black Bear
Adventures so I could have an outstanding adventure.
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| Staunton, Virginia from hotel room |
This is
a linear ride, in that you start at one end and finish at the other. Paul, the owner, and Rod, staff person,
shuttled riders from Asheville, NC to Staunton, VA to begin our journey. Staunton is a small, historic town near
Rockfish Gap (elevation 1909 ft), the start of the BRP and coincidentally, the end
of Skyline Drive. It is a continuous
road.
We had
ideal weather to start: slightly chilly, with a breeze at our backs. This was an 86 mile, 9,000 feet of climbing
day, so I moderated my enthusiasm somewhat as we slowly rolled out. In our group of seven, no one kept a similar uphill
pace, thus within minutes we had spread out.
It stayed that way for the whole trip, with some minor, short exceptions. The first six miles were up to Humpback Rocks
(elevation 2,360), then on to Raven’s Roost (elevation 3,200). We rolled up and down awhile, then dropped down
to the James River, the lowest point on the BRP.
Well, we
had “less” of a day for our next foray; a mere 79.6 miles and 7,773 feet of
climbing for me. Rather than “sing for
your supper” we had to “work for your lunch” by way of an eight-mile climb; then
lunch, followed by a one-mile climb, followed by a three-mile climb. We rolled up and down an additional thirty
miles. I spent the spring training for
time-trialing, foregoing long rides. I
only had a few sixty-five mile days in the legs. This second tough day pretty much zapped me,
so I shuttled the seven miles from the BRP to Hotel Floyd.
On this
second day Thurman waxed ecstatic over an eight-foot black snake. It seems the snake was sunning itself,
stretched across one lane of traffic.
Knowing its fate if it stayed there, Thurman stopped the bike, picked up
the snake and placed it on the side of the road. All was well.
I, too, saw a black snake, about two feet long and only a foot into the
road. I gave no thought of stopping.
After
showering, we had some time before dinner.
Dave found a place for a cool brew and invited me along. Apparently Floyd is a country/folk-music hotspot,
and they had some sort of festival in the park next to our establishment. We sipped our beer and let
the day slide away before walking up the street to eat. Dinner tonight was at Odd Fellows, a highly
recommended eatery. The waitress said
her aunt was on a plant-based diet and understood exactly what I required. Great!
Unfortunately, the cook wasn’t on the same page, and the enchiladas were
filled with nice chicken. The rest of
the entrée was legal and very good. The
receptionist at Hotel Floyd rated an A+ from me for being extremely helpful and
solicitous. You shouldn’t do the BRP and
not stop in Floyd.
Day Four
included six tough climbs and a few others totaling 7,569 feet, inside 67
miles. Peter and I had physical challenges,
his different from mine, and we were really suffering up the last two
climbs. As usual, we were not cycling
together, but were within minutes of each other. Finally, the last downhill and turn off the BRP and another down
into Blowing Rock and the Chetola Inn and Spa and a rest day.
However,
there was no rest for me. After
showering, I inquired if Blowing Rock had an Urgent Care facility. No, but Boone does. The hostess was quite solicitous, advised she
would call Security to have someone drive me there. I had prepared to call Paul to see what he
could do, but this offer easily topped that idea. Within minutes the security guard drove up
and we made it the eight miles to Boone and the Urgent Care facility. He gave me a number to call when I was ready
to get picked up. Long story, short:
given the symptoms, I self-diagnosed a urinary infection. Within an hour, I had given a sample, seen
the doctor, and picked up a prescription.
Another forty-five minutes had me, prescription in hand, back at the Inn
and ready for dinner.
The
waitress and chef really out-did themselves in supplying a very tasty, legal
alternative to what was on their menu. I
no longer am surprised what a good chef can conjure when requested.
Rather
than explore Blowing Rock, I spent the rest day in my room watching the World
Cup, three matches. However, the
medication worked quickly, and I felt good enough to join Paul, Rod, and
Thurman for dinner at the Mellow Mushroom.
The next day I mounted up for Day Five of riding. Today’s scheduled ride was only 48 miles with
two big climbs. But either the
medication or what it was curing seemed to zap me, so I made it 27.2 miles and
2,147 feet. The big visual of the day turned into a big
disappointment.
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| Linville Falls |
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| Me, Dave, Sam, Jim, Martha |
The Linn Cove
Viaduct presents the rider with a spectacular view. There are large signs indicating No
Pedestrians. Had I known that the ONLY
view was from the middle of the viaduct, I’d have dismounted and taken my chances and shot several
pictures. Overwhelmingly scenic. But I ASSUMED there would be an overlook at
the end giving a similar scene. Nope, no
overlook. Surely the Linn Cove Information Center would surely have a great
view. Nope, but nice rest rooms. If you go, stop and take the picture. We cycled a mile-and-a-half over to Linville Falls for our break, making the one-plus mile hike up to take in the view.
Our lodging for the night was the Little Switzerland Inn, another place with great scenery.
We had a
thrilling descent into Asheville to end the day. Mine wasn’t so thrilling. I was bombing down the technical descent when
I came upon a local couple taking the curves slower than me. When we came to a straight stretch, I shouted
out “on you left” and cruised on past and prepared for the next series of
curves. However, Mr. was a very strong
rider and dragged his female companion back past me before the descents. After having to brake for her slowness on
several turns, I just stopped for maybe thirty seconds to get her out of my way
before enjoying the rest of the downhill.
It isn’t often I get upset about lack of protocol, but that rude
behavior certainly set me off. A very
nice dinner helped soothe away the ruffled feathers.
The last
day of riding I logged 62 miles and 6,726 feet of climbing , including an eight
and a half-miler and a three-miler. But
it also had thirteen miles of downhill, most of it steep enough to be above
35mph. I can gain at least two miles per
hour speed when I get into my aero position (I can’t call it a “tuck”). But after so many days in the saddle and many
minutes in that position, my knotted neck could only take so much. I suffered, but kept my speed. What a great ride. An end-of-ride observation: what a clean
road! Most of the asphalt was smooth,
and the bike picked up very little dirt.
Now a
post-script. It is my opinion that this
ride requires a minimum of four riders and a sag wagon in order to be a
positive experience. Most of us, like
me, don’t have a cycling circle large enough to meet that requirement, thus we
turn to the obvious solution: a paid tour.
It doesn’t take long on a search engine to realize that Black Bear Adventures is the premier BRP provider.
Now that I have taken their tour, I attest that yes, you cannot find a
better experience. Paul Wood, the owner,
enjoys good food, wine, lodging, and cycling challenges and provides all of
these to the cyclists who join him. He
rides the routes, not quite like a sweep, but starting at the back and
carefully monitoring the riders as he passes.
Before
signing up, I inquired about the ability to accommodate my plant-based
diet. Paul assured me he could. Shortly before the start, I received an email
from Rod, staff person in charge of the sag vehicle, asking specifics as to
what I ate and didn’t eat. He prepared
snacks and lunch, and each day I was pleasantly surprised at the vegan fuel he
had for me. He even had Almond milk
rather than real milk for the granola/blueberry snack. For
dinner, all of the chefs adjusted their entrees for me. Most of the time, breakfast consisted of
oatmeal and fruit, with bread of some sort.
Paul had
the break and lunch stops set up so after more or less two hours of riding, we
could refuel and refresh. Given the
amount of energy expended, this was perfect timing. Feel free to contact me if you have
additional questions.
