Fifty Plus (50+) - Blueridge Parkway - America's Greatest Balcony :- )

Am 57 and new to your forum. Are there by any chance folks interested in riding the southern part of the Blueridge Parkway, supported OR not supported, for a few days this late spring or early summer? The pace that I am talking about is 'slow enough to see what we are doing :- ) !'.... that means just slow enough to not tip over going up the hills, in other words, and having a great time really enjoying the glorious beauty that is out there on The BRP.

When you figure out the dates, why don't you post them. There are some of us on this board that live close enough that we may join you for day trips along your route. Marion, NC is about 2 hours by car from my home. Once in Marion, it's only about a 50 minute climb up Hwy 80 to the Parkway and another couple of hours up to Mt. Mitchell. Down the other side of Hwy 80 from Marion, heading towards Burnsville is a great Bed and Breakfast called the Celo Inn. The Proprietor (Randy) is a bike enthusiast and may ride out with you part of the next day.

Thank you Serotta. Appreciate you taking time to post your thoughts... subject to the level of response, will do so...... so far have had two 'private' messages in addition to your thoughts. Fred (NorthAtlanta).

Hello Bikepackin. I am heading down to North and South Carolina in mid March. I guess this is a bit early for cycling on the parkway. HOw about the coast. Is it worth my time at this time of year to tour N/S Carolina and Georgia. Your thoughts are appreciated.
Hockey :)

Hello there Hockey,
The challenge with the Blue Ridge Parkway in March is that not all facilities are open til Memorial Day... and as you may know there are precious few of even those even when open and leaving one the only alternative to ride with a support vehicle at hand or drop off The Ridge via the typical 5%-7% grade downhill for a few miles to civilization (while remembering that you gotta do something about coming back up :- )...this site is good for providing current status on what is and is not open: http://www.nps.gov/blri/pphtml/news.html
Meanwhile, on the outside chance that you have zero familiarity with the next two notions I will go ahead and suggest exploring each for North Carolina and South Carolina riding in March:
The East Coast Greenway.... not yet well/thoroughly connected but getting there .... your riding the non-documented parts and reporting might be real helpful to the org:
http://www.greenway.org/
Also, about 15 miles (ck. me on this) northwest of Charleston, SC, there is the Francis Marion Park - haven't ridden it yet but has miles of bike tails..and, hey, in March you won't so much have to be lookin' out for the gators and related critters !!!!!!
The Adventure Cycling Association, as you probably know, will offer the best cycling data for the coastal area and you can get at them by heading for:
http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/atlanticcoast.cfm
Later, Fred/Atlanta.

Hey Bikepackin
I interested in riding the BRP (even though my wife thinks I'm crazy). How far do you plan to ride each day? Another ride I'm trying to arrange for this spring or fall is to do the Natchez Trace. It runs from near Nashville to Natchez MS (about 440 miles). It's a national park similiar to the BRP but without the mountains.

Dan in Buckhead(proper)

Hello there DTHOMAN,
Thanks for letting me know of your interest in doing some riding of the Blue Ridge Parkway..... I am waiting about one more week to see if any additional folks might have an interest and then get back with all based on degree of common interest in riding style as I am best able to determine. Including 'private' BikeForum messages 4 or 5 people have expressed interest at this time.
Have never ridden The Natchez, but have heard lots of great things about it via BikeLists.org.
Will be in touch,
Fred.

Hey Bikepackin
I interested in riding the BRP (even though my wife thinks I'm crazy). How far do you plan to ride each day? Another ride I'm trying to arrange for this spring or fall is to do the Natchez Trace. It runs from near Nashville to Natchez MS (about 440 miles). It's a national park similiar to the BRP but without the mountains.

Dan in Buckhead(proper)


Dan, I joined a group that was riding the Trace last year. They did the northern part the first two days, and I met them in Kosciusko and rode to Jackson the first day, and Natchez the second day. Be sure to check with the parkway authority for detours along the way. Last year there were several stretches just before and after Jackson that were gravel because of an improvement project underway. It totaled about 20 miles. The section I did was very flat and very easy. The group said there were some rolling hills in the northern section. Pleasant riding, not as many "hysterical" markers as I suspected I might find. Don't miss the Coon dog cemetery in the northern section, and the Indian Mound in the southern section.
If you stop in Kosciusko, there's a little place less than a mile from the Trace that sells the best porkchop breakfast biscuit you every ate. Can't remember the name, but ask around at one of the first hotels when you get off the trace, they directed us to the place about a block or two away. If I talk with some of the other people that did the ride I'll try to get more information on the location.

Thanks for the infor Bikepackin. I will check out the links you provided. Hopefully I'll have a great experience in this neck of the woods.
Hockey

Kosciusko You wouldn't be thinking of Gaff's next to the Best Western Motel? About .5 mile from visitor's center.

Kosciusko You wouldn't be thinking of Gaff's next to the Best Western Motel? About .5 mile from visitor's center.

That could be the place. It is a little place in a semi-permenantly anchored mobile home that is run by a black woman and her daughter? It was about 1/4 mile from the Kosicusko Days Inn at the Trace parkway exit 160 mile marker.
I didn't see a Best Western Motel, but we got there after dark, and left in a hurry the next morning right after eating at dawn.

Serotta

Thanks for the info on the Natchez Trace. It sounds like my kind of ride, flat. Actually, I do like the hills :eek: (only after I finish them).

Dan

Hey,
This is intended as the promised general reply to all who expressed interest in forming a group to ride the BRP (regarding my 1/13 original posting).
1. THANK you all for replying.
2. I do not see enough general interest or compatibility in the interests that were posted + sent privately.
So, this is a no go.
Later.

Serotta,

Then that isn't place you are talking about. Gaf's is a family sit down type of restaurant. They have a breakfast buffet and supper buffet. Food is excellent. The Day's Inn is still farther down the road.

BikeP-If you do wind up doing the southern part of the BRP I'd love to hear what you think about that stretch. I've done a good bit of other parts of the parkway but none South of Mt Mitchell. If things work out with the family this summer, we might try to bike the entire 470 miles in July.

Currently, due to the severe flooding in the mountains, the section of the Blue Ridge Parkway from Route 80 north of Mt. Mitchell to the area around Mt. Mitchell is closed. the areas south of Mt. Mitchell past Craggy Gardens to Asheville is still open.

BikeP-If you do wind up doing the southern part of the BRP I'd love to hear what you think about that stretch. I've done a good bit of other parts of the parkway but none South of Mt Mitchell. If things work out with the family this summer, we might try to bike the entire 470 miles in July.

Will do.

Please post your dates; I do a MS150 in the middle of July and this sounds like a nice final training ride.

Am 57 and new to your forum. Are there by any chance folks interested in riding the southern part of the Blueridge Parkway, supported OR not supported, for a few days this late spring or early summer? The pace that I am talking about is 'slow enough to see what we are doing :- ) !'.... that means just slow enough to not tip over going up the hills, in other words, and having a great time really enjoying the glorious beauty that is out there on The BRP.

I would be very interested in joining for a BRP ride. I'm out of shape now, maybe I can fix that a little before then. :-) I will always be interested in riding with a group who are not interested in how fast they can get there.

Rick Rorie in Charlotte
rick@rickdesign.com

Repeating my 1/28 posting, at this point I am unable to participate in the organizing or sagging of this propective ride..... hopefully someone else could take the lead ??????
Fred/Atlanta(EastCobb).

i have been riding the BRP each summer for the last three years. i have usually stayed at a hotel in front royal and bicycled what i could each day. i'd be happy to drive further south , meet and stay at a hotel/motel somewhere for a few days and do daily rides. if anyone is interested , please let me know.
thankyou.
mike rawlings
iandcteck@comcast.net