Day 10, Riding the Blue Ridge Parkway
Check out my road cycling activity on Garmin Connect.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1809415387
Forgive me for such a light post this evening, but I am camping and running out of light.
The ride out of Boone was a pleasure. I had to go north away from the Parkway at first to avoid a highway I didn't want to cycle on. Consequently I ended up riding into the campus for the Appalachian State College. What a pretty place! There's even a statue of - you guessed it - Daniel Boone.
I made it back to the Parkway without too much effort - it's amazing how much harder things are at the end of a day of long ride than they are at the beginning. The eggs and waffles I ate on the way up probably helped.
All in all, it was a fairly easy day, although there is work in following a ridge from pass to saddle to pass all day. I did a lot of climbing. But because each run (up or down) lasts a few miles, I was also able to get in some great downhill runs (and the opportunity to rest that comes with it). I can definitely feel my legs become stronger and more responsive each day.
The views were as superlative today as they were yesterday and the day before.
When I am going due north, there's an interesting difference in the way light illuminates the mountains looking east and west. The picture directly above is to the west, the two above it are looking to the east.
This is is one of the more interesting signs along the route. I wonder when, and why, the name of the mountain was changed?
I found a pleasant campground in Racoon Hollar, where I am spending the night.
Some campgrounds are enhanced by chazke. And some are not.
More to come,
Michael