10/2020

Many, many years ago we set out on a bicycle tour from Richmond, Virginia and headed north on what was to become a defining experience of our lives together. Thirty three years on, we mounted our fully loaded bikes on the outskirts of Knoxville, TN and set out on another journey of discovery. As we wait out the gale force winds and torrential rains from hurricane Zeta in the safety of a Quality Inn, I thought I would share bits and pieces of our journey. Following the lead of uber bicycle tourists/friends Rob and Ruth, I’m just going to give brief day by day updates on our progress.

Day 1: We were twelve days driving across the country, visiting kids and grandkids before arriving in Knoxville. A kind and generous “Warmshowers” couple (Glenn and Suzi) allowed us to park our vehicle for the 3+ weeks we would be biking. Along with some local history and color, they provided detailed route information that allowed us to negotiate our way safely through the outskirts of the city, across the Tennessee River and south toward the Great Smoky Mountains.

Thanks to excellent instructions and Google maps, we wound our way south through beautiful countryside to Townsend. $34 to camp was a shock to the system, but late in the day we didn’t feel like spending the time finding an…”undeveloped” campsite. The shower was nice! An excellent first day.

Day 2: Our “no plan” plan means endlessly changing our “plans”. After exploring lots of options, we decided for a long day pedaling through and over the Great Smoky Mountains. The first 20+ miles were stunning as we climbed up along the Little River as it made its way out of the mountains.

Things changed when we arrived at the visitor center. Did you know that the Great Smoky Mountains NP is the most visited National Park in the country? And apparently we arrived on what most agreed was the busiest day they’d ever seen. We started riding the 13 miles and 4500′ vertical feet to the top. Three miles on and we were ready to throw in the towel. No shoulder, an insane amount of traffic, car mirrors whizzing by inches from our  heads. We were definitely at risk and were clearly posing a hazard as some cars made ill-advised and poorly executed passing attempts. Out went the thumbs and in less than ten minutes Alan and Sharon ferried us to the top of Newfound Gap. The views were amazing, and all things considered, quite nice from the back of a plush pickup truck. We also clearly made the right call. Hundreds and hundreds of cars were parked along the road….often sticking out onto the road. Traffic was a nightmare as people walked on the road, cars pulled out or slowed to find places to park. Once at the top, we enjoyed the views and chatted with a few other folks. Then came the glorious downhill ride. Always the highlight of any uphill effort.

Days end found us in Cherokee looking for a place to camp. The one campground we visited was disgusting, so we decided to find our own. A few miles up the road we came across a likely spot. While we were having dinner, we got chatting with a young couple from Asheville. After getting some local suggestions for places to visit there, they left us with samples of the local beer. Trail magic #2.

Day 3: Hurricane Zeta was forecast to make its arrival, bringing torrential rain and wind for several days. In true hardcore camper fashion, we made reservations at a Quality Inn a few miles down the road. Brilliant. We just had to get there. As promised the rain started at 7am. Even though it was still dark, we quickly broke camp, affixed lights, and pedaled off into the dark and stormy morning. As promised, the rain was pretty intense. In what was clearly a design flaw, the road climbed many thousand feet up to Soco gap before dropping back into Maggie Valley.  It was a pretty brutal day of riding, made better by the knowledge that we had a warm, dry room waiting for us. Again, we chose wisely. Even with the poor conditions, it really was beautiful country to ride through.

Day 4: Rest day while rain does what rain does and local rivers rage. Laundry. Visit to “Wheels through Time” vintage motorcycle museum. So far we’ve covered 107 miles and climbed 8,300′ feet. Lots of poring over maps deciding on the next phase of our journey. Given that we’ll probably change our mind a dozen times before heading on to who knows where, I’m not even going to speculate on where we’ll end up. Thanks for coming along on the journey so far. Every few days as we have opportunity, I’ll add a few more photos and left you know where we’ve been. Sign up below to get email updates.