Sunday, October 19, 2008

Day 36: Cherokee, TN to Asheville, NC – October 19, 2008


Hollywood 2008 10 19_2429, originally uploaded by rhanke.

Miles: 69 Miles
Ride Time: 4 hours 49 minutes
Avg. Speed: 14.4 Mph
Total Climbing: 5,900 feet
Work: 2840 kJ

Waking up to frost on the ground is not a good sign. This morning it was 32 degrees outside and we would have to climb to 5100 feet to get out of the Smoky Mountains. We set off at 7:45 once it was light enough to see. Waiting for it to warm up was not an option since it wasn’t forecast to warm up any time soon. The high would only be 50 degrees. Also since it was prime viewing time for the fall color change we wanted to finish the narrow roads before too many cars were on them.

I set a fast pace out of Cherokee and soon had dropped the Colorado boys once we started to climbed. I kept the pace up all the way to the top just to stay warm. Once at the top I added a wind breaker to my soaked cloths. Hollywood was next at the top and we rode down together. He did not need to stop since he had all the clothes on and did not have any more to add. By the time we had descended into Maggie Valley we had to find a place to warm up. We found a gas station and ducked in for some hot chocolate. Hollywood was shivering so badly, I had to make it for him since he could not open it. After about 15 minutes we continued on since riding would help to keep us warm. We never saw anyone else in our group until after we arrived at the hotel. Later we learned that they had all stopped at different places in their struggles to stay warm.

The scenery along the ride today was the best. The sun was out in full force and the leaves were changing colors. It was just beautiful to ride and look around. In spite of the cold this was one of the best rides of the trip.

Ricky Bobby Asheville Bridge 2008 10 19_2438 Fall Colors 2008 10 19_2439

Blue Ridge Parkway 2008 10 19_2423 Hollywood 2008 10 19_2431



In the afternoon I walked around Asheville’s downtown. It was very cute. It was another great day in our cross country trip.

Asheville Court House 2008 10 19_2441 Old Europe Asheville 2008 10 19_2446

I hope you get a chance to check out the other photos from today on Flickr.

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