General Cycling Discussion - I found a music festival so... Any good cycling routes near Chapel Hill, NC????

I'm heading down to the Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival in April...4 days of great music, dance, etc. in Silk Hope, NC.

Since business will be slow this time of year, I don't have to be back until May. Can anyone suggest any good cycling routes in the Chapel Hill area, or any other part of North Carolina. I'll most likely be camping...and will need to end up back to wherever I can
leave my van.

It will be soooooo good to get out of this cold & snow for a while!!!

If anyone is interested in the music festival here's the web address:

http://www.grassrootsfest.org/shakori/shakorihome.html

See this site for maps.

North Carolina Bicycling Highways (http://www.ncdot.org/transit/bicycle/maps/highways.html)

Contact these folks for info.

The Carolina Tarwheels (http://www.tarwheels.org/)

And, since Sothern hospitality is real, you can also email me if you'd like to ride with my wife and I on one of your weekends. We'll be glad to put you up in exchange for some help feeding the livestock (which in our case is parrots).

Well, check out Merlefest (http://www.merlefest.org/) if you're going to be in NC around the end of April. If you make that trip, there are some cool rides around Boone, in NW NC. PM me and let me know what you're interested in, and I can make some suggestions.

Thanks for the info. Amerpie, I took a quick look...'cause I'm on my way out the door to a Zydeco Mardi Gras Party (3+ hour drive from here, and I still have to drop the dog off somewhere). The maps look like just what I need. I'll give it a better
look tomorrow, when I get back.

Roadbuzz, the Merlefest looks to be huge! What a lineup! I'll pull out my maps to try and get some ideas and will be in touch.

Thanks to both of you.

Hi WhiteMtnWench,
You're going to be right in my neck of the woods. I'm in Swepsonville, just north of the grassroots fest. There is a lot of great riding around. Let me know which you prefer, road or mountain, and I'll post some specific rides for you to check out while you're here. I'd love to ride with a fellow poster.

Many safe miles,

Noloft

I'll also second the Merlefest suggestion.

Well, I came back from Mardi Gras with the flu and have been dragging ever since. Problem with running my own business and my only help quit two weeks ago is that I get no sick days...still had to cook dinner for 27 last Saturday night. Anyway, I'm slowly coming back to life.

Amerpie, thanks for the offer...I probably won't be in NC until the 6th or 7th and will be helping the festival get set up. I also volunteered to work the kitchen over the weekend, (10th through the 13th) just to get a feel for how a high volume kitchen works (What! Am I nuts???) Unfortunately, once I get on the road I most likely will not have internet access and won't be able to get in touch with you.

Noloft, I have a road bike...I am imagining that I might have some time mid-week to get out and ride. The way this winter is hanging on here, it may be my first chance to ride this year. I probably will be done helping out at the festival on Monday (the 14th) or Tuesday (the 15th)...after that I haven't figured out just how long I can stay around. I'd love ride recommendations for that part of NC...especially if I can just leave my van parked at the festival site.

I'd love to ride with any of you when I'm in NC...but I may not be able to keep up. I haven't been able to ride since late October, so I'll probably be rather slow. I should be able to get phone messages...if there is cellular service in Silk Hope. Maybe we can work something out.

I do know that I need to get a better highway map of North Carolina. My road atlas doesn't seem to do the state justice.

later

I like the Silk Hope Snow Camp area. Check out the Sword Of Peace Museum. The Quakers are showing how they helped with the underground RR over in Snow Camp. It's not spectular senery but it's nice and folks are friendly. The country restrunt next to the museum has good food cheap. I think there is another restruant near there if I remember from my last visit (I have relatives in Snow Camp)

Joe
:beer:

There are at leat two of the NC DOT Bike Highways within an hours road bike ride from Snow Camp. Have fun - you can email us for more info or contact stuff if you'd like.

If you want, the DOT will send you maps of the Bike Highways. The order form is on the web site.

BTW, I've been hearing PSA's on NPR about the music festival all week. We might just have to catch a bit of it too.

Peace,
Lou