To Black Mountain Campground

11 Jun 2019 Blue Ridge Parkway

Today was great. It was the start of our tour with Michae and Collin, thus forming the baddest biker gang in North Carolina: The Blue Ridge Posse.

The first order of business for the Posse was to get supplies at Walmart and a bike shop in town. We then met at the Folk Art Center on the BRP and started pedaling. We had a big day ahead of us: 5500 feet of elevation gain in 50 miles. Even on a road race bike that’s a big day.

Despite the challenging terrain, we enjoyed the sunshine, mild temperatures, great views, and good company. It’s nice to have some bonus travel companions.

At an Overlook we stopped to admire the view and to give our weary legs a rest.

There are quite a few tunnels along the North Carolina portion of the Parkway.

This bridge passed over a raging creek on our way to the evening’s campsite.

Near the end of the day we had a choice to make. Do we ride down a gravel road of unknown quality to get to our campground or continue on the smooth Parkway asphalt an extra 9 miles to reach the same destination. Carrie voted for smooth. The rest of us wanted chunky.

The gravel road turned out to be a delight. We followed a raging creek, crossing it several times over some well made old bridges. Collin bombed down the road with Michae on his tail while I escorted Carrie down slowly. Carrie doesn’t do bumpy, but she made it all the same.

The campgrounds so far have been excellent, and this national forest campground was no exception. It had showers with hot water, flat sites well spaced apart, trees, and a low price tag. It’s amazing how often these simple campground ingredients aren’t combined.