Every morning just a few miles into riding, Darwin would ask me how I was feeling. I’m not sure why he did this because I would give him a full list of my pains and discomforts. This list basically stayed the same however the order would change. I would end this list with a question of how many miles we would be riding that particular day and a request that Darwin lie to me regardless and never tell me how many miles we had already ridden or had left to go. After this morning routine of complaining, I would then tell both Darwin, and myself I just needed to make it to our friend Roub’s house in Roanoke, VA and then I could quit.

I watched as the numbers next to Roanoke on road signs got smaller and tried to make sure I stopped and enjoyed the views, cabins, and other interesting stops along the way. We rode past Mt. Mitchell one day with not even a thought to ride the extra five miles to the top, passed by some pretty waterfalls and I was shocked to have their cold water splashed in my face as I rode over the streams they left flowing over the road. Another morning we stopped to take in some history at a Mineral Museum, got disappointed by arriving at a closed Apple Orchard and then to got turned away at Little Switzerland Inn when we tried to eat second breakfast. We were thankful to finally find Christa’s Country Corner later in the day where I ate a large amount of food and then seriously considered asking if I could just sleep there on their hardwood floor; a weird fantasy of mine that would continue for the rest of our tour.

We rode in rain and fog, enjoyed the sun when it was out but also appreciated the coolness of an overcast day. We missed the Linn Cove Viaduct, one of the most iconic parts of the parkway due to thick fog and dropping temperatures. We rode right over it and couldn’t tell you anything about it. Our toes and fingers had gone numb and we were soaked thanks to a previous downpour. It was this day I screamed out to the parkway, “I hate you!” “I hate this!” as I climbed another steep mountain dripping and soggy with rain, before giving up completely and just pushing my bike onward.

We found a sanctuary that day in Moses Cone Memorial Park where I was comforted by history and the warmth spurting from old furnace vents. Everyone else inside was warm and dry, polished and primed for a day on the parkway regardless of the weather as they traveled by car. Although they looked at both Darwin and me in our saturated and unkempt state, no one dared to question us. We were both at such a raw, inhuman state at the time, I doubt they had the nerve. When we returned to our human forms, we somehow managed the courage to head back out for a few more miles into Blowing Rock, NC. Where our efforts were rewarded at Camp Coffee. It was here that I started planning a way out, I felt I was holding Darwin back, and I wasn’t adjusting to the ride.

Part III Of The BRP Bike Tour Will Be Posted Next Week! 

(A Picture Outside Of Camp Coffee in Blowing Rock, NC) 

Things To Expect In Up Coming Blog Posts & Other Recent Stuffs:

Happy Halloween! I hope everyone has a SPOOKY Day!

Darwin has released a another limited edition T-Shirt along with re-releasing another an old one..Check them both out here!

Cool Thingys That I Also Do:

Our Etsy Store: TravelandTrail 

Instagram: The_snuggle_diaries

Recent Posts You May Have Missed:

Blue Ridge Parkway Tour Part I

Between Two Worlds

Riding The Climb

 

It was hard. This bike tour was never once easy for me. Having only a small amount of commuting experience via bicycle before I was not exactly sure what I was getting into; ignorance is bliss as the old saying goes.

The first day was a slap in the face. It wasn’t like I was not warned, an information sign at the start of the parkway, proudly explained to Darwin and I, we were starting out on the steepest part of the parkway. I had to stop every half mile to just breathe. The reality of the obstacles the parkway presented me set heavy on my chest that night and stung my sore ass.

The next morning we saddled up and as soon as I started to pedal, my legs ached and my saddle turned into a hot poker. The training rides around my hometown and the short rides around Gatlinburg, TN were basically a waste of time. My inexperience and out of shape-ness were undeniable.

The first day in I started questioning if I could actually ride the full parkway. Darwin felt I could but did I? By day two I was considering already hopping off in Asheville, NC but the long-distance hiker in me told me “never quit on a bad day”, and so I kept pedaling, boosted by the energy of old friends from the AT (Cider) and new ones in Asheville (Einstein) not to mention a zero day spent with Joe and Kippy, wonderful couple who housed us while we waited out bad weather. Sharing stories, wine, dinner, and laughter with these two made it hard to leave them but gave me what I needed to keep going. I actually rode out of Asheville, back on the parkway. The day before, I thought I was toast.

The next couple of days of our tour were a roller coaster both physically in the terrain (ups and downs) and emotionally. I would bitch a lot and just when I felt like my sit bones were going to pop out, my legs were going to explode, or my lady parts were simply going to fall off, the parkway would provide an amazing view, a glimpse of grazing cows or deer, a fall pumpkin patch, a chance conversation with strangers that we would have never met otherwise, a fried apple pie, or the simplicity of a decent… a delicious downhill coast. The parkway like the trail, provided me just enough to keep me going.

Part II Of The BRP Tour Next Week! 

 

(Back On The Parkway with Einstein In Tow; Family Pic with Joe and Kippy)

My knees ache.

I’m cold but we have only gone a few miles, I’m still warming up.

The road is wet and slick, glittering reflections back to me as I pass.

I glance over to see an Autumn Scene. Trees rich with hues of Orange mix with hints of Red, mix with Green. Clouds like smoke, hover and intertwine within the colors.

The view is gone now, long behind me but still in my mind.

I focus on what’s ahead of me, back to the gray sky and black glittering asphalt.

I hit a puddle and the cold water flies from my front wheel into my face.

My back wheel hits the puddle and the cold water sprays out soaking my legs and back.

I am dripping with secondhand rain, splattered with mud, and grit from the road.

I feel otherworldly, not solely immersed in the wilderness I ride past, but also not apart of the people who drive past me.

Things To Expect In Up Coming Blog Posts & Other Recent Stuffs:

The diary may go up a little later than normal do to WiFi connections/signal or a lack there of while out on the bike tour!

Cool Thingys That I Also Do:

Our Etsy Store: TravelandTrail  – The store will be closed for the duration of our bike tour! 

Instagram: The_snuggle_diaries

Recent Posts You May Have Missed:

Riding The Climb

Challenging The Comfort Zone

Backpacking Gear and Those Who Use It

I’ve just begun and I’m already tired.

My head acknowledges the climb and accepts its challenge.

My legs anticipate the push, the struggle, the pain.

My lungs fill with air and then release it all, my brows dip, and my eyes squint, narrowing to the road in front of me.

I feel the muscles in my legs strain, working…

I shift. I push. I shift. I push again.

I pedal more and the Prince works harder, doing a majority of the work for me.

I feel the sweat run down from my scalp and want to wipe it away, but my whole body is engaged. I have to focus on getting to the top.

My quads feel like they may explode at any moment, my breath cannot give me enough air, I’m almost there.

Just when I feel I cannot push anymore, I’m there at the top.

I’ve made it.

Only Darwin is there to see what I have achieved but it’s enough.

I have earned the reward of now going down.

I coast freeing my legs from their work.

Following the curvy road down from the climb, the wind cools my heated body and I forget about the pain.

Looking on, I’m cleansed and ready to accept the next challenge.

 

Things To Expect In Up Coming Blog Posts & Other Recent Stuffs:

The diary may go up a little later then normal do to WiFi connections/signal or a lack there of while out on the bike tour!

Cool Thingys That I Also Do:

Our Etsy Store: TravelandTrail  – The store will be closed for the duration of our bike tour! 

Instagram: The_snuggle_diaries

Recent Posts You May Have Missed:

Challenging The Comfort Zone

Backpacking Gear and Those Who Use It

Hometown Changes