Bike Camping Trip

Bike camping trip 7/19 Friday. Got up not too early around 8:30. Started working on getting everything together. Took quite a while and cleaning up apt. I was kinda ready around 3pm but a severe T-storm came in and I just sat there watching TV. I weighed each wheel and it added up to nearly 70 pound bike.  The TV had a news special about shooting in Colorado movie theater I had not heard about.  I had to relook at map and rethink.   I left right before 5pm.  I headed to Travelers Rest on sometimes busy State Park Road. A few quick stops to adjust. To TR/US 25 at 5:30.  Kept going to US 276 and up to SC 11. Rain was light but not bad. Over to Table Rock State Park at 7:30 pm. Office closed, but posting said $16 for primitive campsite. Also a notice about black bears.  Got the tent up by 8:30 and started eating. Can of ravioli and a banana. The rain was falling pretty good now. By 9 it was getting low light.  Hike to pit toilet. 1000 flys; Yuck. Had a plastic tablecloth for an impromptu rain shield thru the woods on narrow muddy trail. A weird site if seen.  Couldn't get asleep. Noisy neighbors. Listened to NOAA weather, then Rock Racing radio show, then Ira Glass on NPR about amusement park and "games". Maybe 11 pm. got to sleep. Rain was starting to ease up. Got out of tent around 9 am.  Noisy neighbors woke me up. Front of tent inside was all wet. Pack it up wet. Walked out at 10am and by 10:20 was on the road. Stop for adjustments and shoe change.  Before long I got to US 178 at SC 11. I had cell service so made call to mom to let her (someone) know where I was. Then headed toward Rosman with lots of climbing thru Rocky Bottom and Eastern continental divide. Just before the divide I stopped at a roadside pipe that was streaming out pencil thin water and filled up a bottle. A family in a car stopped to do same thing too and the man offered me bottle of water. Weird but nice. It was getting real hot and I needed any water I could get.  At Middle Fork Baptist Church right before Rosman I stopped and filled up more on water. Drank 22 oz of Powerade in under 60 seconds.   Dark clouds all around as I went thru Rosman. Short leg on rt. 64 and then on 215 north!  Guy in GMC Jimmy stopped on 215 in other lane  I thought "what the heck?". Later he came by me slow. Ater that he was way up road, out of Jimmy and waved me down. He was maybe 80 years old. Earl from Balsam Grove.  He was a former bike tourer. Biked Europe, australia.  Across america (San Diego to St. Augustine FL ). Talked a good while. He offered me his used panniers. Later wished I got his address or contact info. Onward.  Hit balsom grove at 2:25.  I had been doing lots of climbing all day, but now the hard climbing would hit. 9 miles to the BRP said Earl. Climb slow in my 28 x 28 gear usually. Heart rate hits red zone and I back off. Rest. Repeat. Very little traffic, almost no mans land.   I could have rode naked...but I didn't. Dark dense forest. Sheer granite rock walls with water falling down. Birds whistling. Sweat pouring. Dark clouds appearing. Getting very dark. put on rain jacket. Sweat inside it. Take it off.  The rain started at 4:05 maybe. It let loose dramatically and I was quickly as wet as I could be. Took 20 sec to get rain jacket back on. In a few minutes I hit a bridge underpass.  A moto guy on a "Pacific Coast" and his wife were there. We talked a while. He was looking to buy a Goldwing. He recently bought a $5000 trek bicycle for only $1800 at Liberty Bicycle shop (Asheville). I was skeptical. The rain let up and he left. I got out my gloves and went onto the blue ridge parkway. So glad I brought gloves (even though it got to mid 90's at home). I was on the parkway at 4:15. Almost 2 hours climbing from Balsam Grove. As it is basically up "on top of it all" it is a wonderful view, but not so much with the dark sky.  Soon into devils courthouse tunnel. Kinda scary.  I had rear flasher, but I was trapped once inside and pedaled hard to reach the other end where I stopped a minute. I rode on and began to feel cold from the wind and wet. Soon saw Looking Glass Rock, a Plutonite mountain that is round and huge. When wet or ice covered it reflects the sun dramatically. Wow. Cool.  Lots of downhill. Stop at "The graveyard" overlook. Like 500 years ago a strong wind blew all the trees down. Then like 90 years ago a fire burned everything down. Guy from Charleston and maybe his dad were there on bikes. Doing the whole BRP (470 miles) in 10 days. He just graduated from college of charleston where Jessica is headed. We talked awhile. Onward. Rain had let up but totally cloudy and windy.  Was done with the 12 miles  on the BRP and on 276 down toward Brevard at 5:40. Road was wet but no rain.  Miles of coasting and braking.   Got to sliding rock recreation area and wanted to ask a ranger about camping, but no one there.  Parking lot jammed full. From roadside I watched people in a long waiting line wait their turn to slide down a huge slanted rockface with rushing water flowing on it and into a pool.  Weeee. That was 6:05 pm.  To ranger station building 6:30. They were closed. Study maps on the bulliten boards. Then to Davidson River Campground - 20 bucks for a site. Noisy neighbors. Went back to ranger station. It said it was legal to backcountry camp anywhere 1000 feet from a road. Also bury your human waste - but I forgot my shovel!  Panic began to set in. I thought; like Winney the Pooh. Think! Went to group camping area road back up the hill a mile. It was a gravel road. Big group at first site. Keep going.  See another site in 5 minutes. Cross over stream on narrow wood bridge. By reservation and fee area sign. Noone there!  Nice pit toilet building and pretty clean. Decided to risk it. Nice array of gravel tent pads. Get tent up by 8 pm. Then I ate can of soup, can of fruit, apple sauce, chocolate protein bar for dessert.  750 calories. Time enough to count calories. Getting dusk. Hang up food again tonight and hope bears cant reach it. Organize and brush teeth. Dim at 9.  In tent laying down at 9:20.  Water pump was double crank like a bicycle!  Had to crank it alot to get water. As soon as you stop cranking the water stopped. Got arm workout.  In tent on iPod writing this stuff till 10:45.  Had rain fly pulled back and could see stars real well. Hope no rain. Or bears.  Woke up fully at 7:45 Sunday morning. The mountains hid the early sun I guess. Took til 9:30 to be ready to leave. Went down the gravel road along Avery Creek.  I was at White Pines campground. Another night of free camping. Don't tell.  Went a mile or two to ranger station to use bathroom, change shoes, and put on sunscreen. Watched the multitude of hummingbirds there at the feeders by porch. So many they fought over the feeder holes.  They chirp at each other while arguing.  Headed down to get on 64 at Pisgah forest. Went into a bike shop slash hiking & camping store called Hub City. Kinda shopped around at all the wonderful toys (I mean equipment).  First purchase of trip was a Honey Stinger waffle. Outside was so hot already. I was wilting after maybe 3 miles.  Headed to Hendersonville on 64. Nice wide shoulder til I got to Horseshoe. Stop at a Dollar General in Etowah to oil chain in shade and swap a water bottle. Lady with 2 or 3 year old girl talked about "big bike".  Guy from store talked. Found 21¢ laying on rock in wall. I'm lucky.  Down the road and I stop at a fire station and got water. Fireman offered me a cold bottle.  Made more Powerade. Hot!  Got into Hendersonville and headed south on 225. Stop in shade and rest and fill up bottles and make more Powerade. Got to Flatrock  went to The Wrinkled Egg bakery and after long wait got 2 scones: blueberry and chocolate chip. Ate the blueberry immediately & hoped the starch and sugar would power me up.  Took two Advil for my neck ache. Long climb out of Flatrock. Zoom down past Zirconia and into Tuxedo. Then a long climb out of there to state line; got to state line and zoom down watershed. At Les Mullinax Park ate other scone.  Made more Powerade. Hot. 4 Harley riders pulled in. All us "bikers" Went to Tigerville. Started on last food item I had. A Clif bar. One bottle left. Less than an hour from home hopefully.  Went past lake Robinson and stopped at 290. Rest in shade.  Got home at 5:10 pm. Really I was gone slightly over 48 hours. So was it a three day ride?   Got in and took a cool shower. Soon I was asleep in my big comfy chair.  For FB 48 hour bike camping tour up  to Blue Ridge Parkway (215 to 276) was mini adventure. Primitive camping and no black bears woke me up.  Www.taylorspeach.blogspot.com