Pisgah: Day 2

Day two begins with a much more ambitious plan.  We will leave two cars in the parking area for Turkey Pen trail head on the east side of the Pisgah National Forest, and then drive a third car to the Pink Beds trail head on the west side.  Then we will ride the 20 or so miles from Pink to Turkey thru Squirrel Gap, benefiting through our car ferrying antics by having to only climb about half as much elevation gain as we will enjoy rolling down.  Who says cars don't come in handy when you are biking!

Pink Beds Trail Head

Right up the road from the Cradle of Forestry.  No word on where the Dradle of Forestry is located, and I'm not even sure if North Carolina allows for that sort of non-Baptist type of thinking.  Of course, Ashville would be all over it, being the blue city in a red state.  But then again they roll for everything so that isn't saying much.

"You mean to tell me these improvements were funded with Obamy Money?!"  WWJD?*

A weather/water monitoring station of some ilk.  And a Turner.  I'm not insane enough to roll a vintage 26 at Pisgah, or even a rigid 29.  Nope, I want travel.

Back side of the station.

Charlie motors off into the distance.

Many of these bridges in the Pisgah National Forest. Ride them while you can, because I'm sure that there won't be new ones built under the current Tea Party, Small Government, Public Servants Suck kind of mentality painfully prevalent in government today.  They will be whining like bitches when the bridges are gone though, probably still blaming government for not building replacement facilities out of rope braided in darkened government offices out of the hair of released employees.  "Don't tread on me" my ass.  You get what you pay for.

Soap box aside, the views were spectacular, and the leaves were just beginning to hint at their fall colors soon to be in full force.  They were plenty colorful by Floridian standards, but not prime for the Appalachians. 

This was the Grape's first run at glory on a biking trip, and it performed flawlessly.  As a long time Rover owner, no trouble codes or warning lights or chimes left me wondering if the car was even running.  Even the gas mileage hinted that it seemed to run on air.

Looking Glass Falls, on the road back from Pink Beds after dropping off driver number two at car number three

Next up, a not so happy day on the trail...

* Jesse Helms