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08-09-04, 04:37 PM
Had to share this awesome ride I had this weekend:
First, some background. My mother passed away 13 years ago when I was only 21 years old after a long battle with cancer. We were very close, so I still have a hard time with it sometimes. When I was a young lad, we used to go every fall and drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway. As luck would have it, last year I married a wonderful woman from North Carolina so I get to go there every month or so and spend some time on my bike in the mountains.
This weekend got off to a great start, the weather was unbelievable. The highs were in the mid 70's and the sun was beaming. I hadn't planned on that, so I didn't pack any cool weather clothes (it was in the lower 50's in the morning) so I had to wait for the afternoon to ride. We headed to the local bakery to pick up a birthday cake and I saw this awesome little treat called a Napolean (pastry, with chocolate and custard cream) which I used to always get on my childhood vacations with my mother. So, I had one and it started me remeniscing on those old vacations.
I tried to find an organized ride, but I just missed the only one in the area that was heading out that day by less than 1/2 hour. So, I downloaded a couple of maps of local routes and pieced together a nice ride that looked like it would be around 65 or 70 miles. With mountain climbs that's a pretty solid day in the saddle, especially when you're riding alone.
Well, I headed out into the foothils of the smokey's and the old farms and rolling landscape were amazing under the clear cool day. It felt like fall and I was jazzed and loving it. Finally I hit the initial ascent to the top of the mountains to connect to the parkway. Undoubtedly this was the most enjoyable long climb I have ever done. The road twisted and coiled up the side of the mountain under a canopy of old growth trees. The pavement was new and smooth and I felt blessed to be peddling up this noble mountain.
I crested the climb and a friendly tourist in a convertible rolled beside me and congratulated me on my accomplishment, I thanked him and reminded him that I stll had a lot of "up" left. On top of the parkway, the air was cool and unusually clear. They call them the Smokies for a reason, and the trademark haze was not present today. I was riding on top of the world and could see clearly all the way to the horizon in every direction. As awesome as all this was, there was still one last suprise for me.
As I turned one of the sinewy corners, off in the clear distance I saw this beautiful dome of granite and I was transported back to my childhood again. I have countless pictures of me as a young boy wearing the latest in bad 70's fashion trends with Looking Glass Rock looming in the background, and here it was again. I had no idea that I would be riding on the stretch of road that overlooked this climbing mecca and natural beauty.
I parked at an empty overlook and sat and thought of my mother while I ate a snack. I soaked up the glory of this day that felt so different than it ever could have driving to this destination. I thought of those days hiking in the mountains with her, and of the days riding bikes together around Macinac Island. Though my legs ached and my back was tight from the nearly 6000 feet of climbing, I imagined my mother their beside me, her enthusiasm for life glowing from her as she egged me on "We're not to the top yet, there's so much more to see." I hopped on my bike and rode off and with each pedal stroke that led me farther up, I no longer thought of the pain in my legs, instead I thought of the blessing of each tired breath of clear mountain air that I was blessed enough to breath. I smiled to know that my mother was there riding beside me.
First, some background. My mother passed away 13 years ago when I was only 21 years old after a long battle with cancer. We were very close, so I still have a hard time with it sometimes. When I was a young lad, we used to go every fall and drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway. As luck would have it, last year I married a wonderful woman from North Carolina so I get to go there every month or so and spend some time on my bike in the mountains.
This weekend got off to a great start, the weather was unbelievable. The highs were in the mid 70's and the sun was beaming. I hadn't planned on that, so I didn't pack any cool weather clothes (it was in the lower 50's in the morning) so I had to wait for the afternoon to ride. We headed to the local bakery to pick up a birthday cake and I saw this awesome little treat called a Napolean (pastry, with chocolate and custard cream) which I used to always get on my childhood vacations with my mother. So, I had one and it started me remeniscing on those old vacations.
I tried to find an organized ride, but I just missed the only one in the area that was heading out that day by less than 1/2 hour. So, I downloaded a couple of maps of local routes and pieced together a nice ride that looked like it would be around 65 or 70 miles. With mountain climbs that's a pretty solid day in the saddle, especially when you're riding alone.
Well, I headed out into the foothils of the smokey's and the old farms and rolling landscape were amazing under the clear cool day. It felt like fall and I was jazzed and loving it. Finally I hit the initial ascent to the top of the mountains to connect to the parkway. Undoubtedly this was the most enjoyable long climb I have ever done. The road twisted and coiled up the side of the mountain under a canopy of old growth trees. The pavement was new and smooth and I felt blessed to be peddling up this noble mountain.
I crested the climb and a friendly tourist in a convertible rolled beside me and congratulated me on my accomplishment, I thanked him and reminded him that I stll had a lot of "up" left. On top of the parkway, the air was cool and unusually clear. They call them the Smokies for a reason, and the trademark haze was not present today. I was riding on top of the world and could see clearly all the way to the horizon in every direction. As awesome as all this was, there was still one last suprise for me.
As I turned one of the sinewy corners, off in the clear distance I saw this beautiful dome of granite and I was transported back to my childhood again. I have countless pictures of me as a young boy wearing the latest in bad 70's fashion trends with Looking Glass Rock looming in the background, and here it was again. I had no idea that I would be riding on the stretch of road that overlooked this climbing mecca and natural beauty.
I parked at an empty overlook and sat and thought of my mother while I ate a snack. I soaked up the glory of this day that felt so different than it ever could have driving to this destination. I thought of those days hiking in the mountains with her, and of the days riding bikes together around Macinac Island. Though my legs ached and my back was tight from the nearly 6000 feet of climbing, I imagined my mother their beside me, her enthusiasm for life glowing from her as she egged me on "We're not to the top yet, there's so much more to see." I hopped on my bike and rode off and with each pedal stroke that led me farther up, I no longer thought of the pain in my legs, instead I thought of the blessing of each tired breath of clear mountain air that I was blessed enough to breath. I smiled to know that my mother was there riding beside me.