Southeast - Clingman's Dome with BikeWNC

So...I've been just itchin' to get back up to WNC and get some riding in...went into work yesterday and "told" the boss that I'd like to take the 30th off in addition to the 31st & 1st, which I already had approval for. Got the ok for that, so this morning I left the house around 7:30 headed west.....

The plan for today was to drive over to the entrance to Clingman's Dome and ride the 7mi to the parking lot and then the 0.5mi on the paved pathway up to the observatory tower. BikeWNC was riding his mtb (for who know's why??) and I on my trusty Fuji. He was all loaded up with a backpack as well that contained some more clothes in it for the return trip down the mtn.

I felt absolutely great today. It was almost an effortless climb until the pathway. And, this is the first ride EVAH that I was able to ride ahead of BWNC and pull away (only because he was riding a heavy mtb). Any other ride/time, and I am the one bringing up the rear! :p That pathway was a ***** and a half. I had to stop 2x and walk a bit and rest and find a lung. I don't think I've ridden anything that hard in a long time or ever. After stopping for the 2nd time, there was one more section to get up...BWNC had just breezed by me on this pathway. I think he was sandbagging on the other 7mi. ;) So, back on the bike and trying to get up to the top w/o stopping again. Couldn't stop anyways cause I knew he was gonna be waitng with the camera to get that pic of me suffering....

So, here are the pics from the ride....

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f75/khgulledge/Clingmans%20Dome%2012302008/DSC03373800x600.jpg

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f75/khgulledge/Clingmans%20Dome%2012302008/DSC03374800x600.jpg

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f75/khgulledge/Clingmans%20Dome%2012302008/DSC03381800x600.jpg

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f75/khgulledge/Clingmans%20Dome%2012302008/DSC03379800x600.jpg

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f75/khgulledge/Clingmans%20Dome%2012302008/DSC03385800x600.jpg


http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f75/khgulledge/Clingmans%20Dome%2012302008/DSC03391800x600.jpg

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f75/khgulledge/Clingmans%20Dome%2012302008/DSC03390800x600.jpg

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f75/khgulledge/Clingmans%20Dome%2012302008/DSC03389800x600.jpg

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f75/khgulledge/Clingmans%20Dome%2012302008/DSC03388800x600.jpg

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f75/khgulledge/Clingmans%20Dome%2012302008/DSC03393800x600.jpg

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f75/khgulledge/Clingmans%20Dome%2012302008/DSC03394800x600.jpg

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f75/khgulledge/Clingmans%20Dome%2012302008/DSC03396800x600.jpg

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f75/khgulledge/Clingmans%20Dome%2012302008/DSC03397800x600.jpg

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f75/khgulledge/Clingmans%20Dome%2012302008/DSC03399800x600.jpg

Looks awesome! Glad you had fun. ;)

hell yea! after the way i felt last night, today was absolutely Fing great! gonna wait and see what happens with that situation tho....

LOL. At lunch today I felt like I was coming down with the flu, hot flashes, vertigo and malaise. That passed but the ride up the hill still made me suffer more than I'm used to. Guess I'm out of shape, heavier and generally older.

It was a beautiful day near 50F to start though the temps really differed depending on whether we rode in the sun or shade. The icy rock walls made for a chilly refrigerator effect. The climb is a pretty steady 5-6% until the last half mile up to the tower which tops out at 6700'. This is the highest point one can ride a bike to in Eastern N.A. The grade up the paved trail is over 20% in 3 separate pitches with breaks to 10-12% between. It's a tough climb and I was glad to have mtb gearing today. Great ride though.

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p37/apadyk/IMG_1944.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p37/apadyk/IMG_1946.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p37/apadyk/IMG_1948.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p37/apadyk/IMG_1950.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p37/apadyk/IMG_1951.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p37/apadyk/IMG_1952.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p37/apadyk/IMG_1954.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p37/apadyk/IMG_1956.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p37/apadyk/IMG_1957.jpg

Looks like a beautiful ride...Thanks for sharing with us. Did I say I am jealous?

Wow, that's some amazing scenery and an awesome walking/biking bridge. Back to my trainer downstairs :(

Wow, that's some amazing scenery and an awesome walking/biking bridge. Back to my trainer downstairs :(

http://web.mst.edu/~mstauter/highpoint/cling.jpg

view of observation tower from the main road...
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f75/khgulledge/Clingmans%20Dome%2012302008/DSC03380800x600-1.jpg

Nice photos.

Burr. It can be cold up there even in the summer.

There's a small part of me that says it would be interesting riding up the road when it is closed to traffic. But I can never get past the thought of the cold descent.

At least this time of year you don't get crazy looks from people when riding up the trail to the tower. Heh.

Why is BWNC riding a mountain bike?

Awesome pics. :beer:
I wish they'd close some roads around here for part of the year. Must be great having the road to yourself.

I'll be there Sunday morning! I'm driving down from Ohio. Thanks for the pictures...can't wait to get there!

Again, great pics. I've got to get back down there.

You guys weren't kidding about that climb up to the tower-good stuff!! I rode up from downtown Gatlinburg this morning. The view from the tower (and the descent back down through the park) were well worth the 6 hour drive down here. Thanks again for the pix!

You guys weren't kidding about that climb up to the tower-good stuff!! I rode up from downtown Gatlinburg this morning. The view from the tower (and the descent back down through the park) were well worth the 6 hour drive down here. Thanks again for the pix!

Hey, good job! I just can't deal with the traffic during the holiday periods. It will get better soon though.

Almost forgot. I did manage to snap a few photos with my phone-although I'll admit they aren't as good as what has already been posted. At any rate, one shows a view from the tower looking down on Clingman Road and the other was taken from the parking lot. Notice how the second one is above the clouds...

How is the traffic on 441 this time of year? I almost never go down there during the winter.

The traffic was pretty steady yesterday on 441. I would venture to guess that the majority of it was holiday traffic going through the park though.

Park is a LOT quieter in Jan than later in the year IME, but there will still be
a moderate amount of traffic on the main roads. One problem with 441 is
they spread sand and gravel for ice on the road and this can make descents
around curves really dicey. It used to take about 100-120min to go from
Gburg to the Gap but only about 30min from the gap back down if traffic wasn't
a problem. A tolerance for hot brake fumes is a must (people don't seem to
know what D1 and D2 are for). Another aspect is the thermocline about
4000' above which it is noticeable cooler. I find it helpful to pack a dry under
layer and change it out at the top before turning around and flying back
down. A lot more comfy with a dry layer next to the skin after sweating out
the skin layer on the way up. Also Gap will be 12-20*F cooler than Gburg or
Cherokee. Clingman's Dome another few degrees below that at 2200' or so
higher than the Gap.
The sanded roads tend to self clear with traffic and rain by May or so but
even in April you have to be careful.