The Big Big Trip Journal! If you want to make the man (or woman) upstairs laugh, just tell him your plans!

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 42 Thursday October 24, Wild Camp after Cross to Gaston 123km

Let me begin with a rant - I don't want a crappy end to take away from a great day riding and exploring.

I get that an RV site will advertise itself as a campsite - even though it has none of the basic facilities of a campsite - toilets, washroom etc. What I don't get is a farm campsite, active on Facebook & with a full profile on Google Maps, one that responds automatically to messages but never in person and then says "oh, we're not doing that anymore!"

Baaaah!

Anyway, I was awoken at 6 am by somebody unlocking a chain at a gate. They were gone again before I could struggle out of the tent, so I rolled over for another little nap.

A couple of cars had come & gone before midnight, but I wasn't interfered with in any way.

At 7, I got up, packed up as quickly as possible & hit the road.

I was back on Highway 6, nothing like it's maturer version, 17. 2 lanes, reasonable traffic all good. I stopped off in Eutawville at a fish shop come diner for breakfast. There was a little old lady, at least in her 70's who asked me how I was doing. "I'm doing much better now that I've seen you", I told her which had her giggling like a schoolgirl! I was so hungry, apparantly I was flirting with little old ladies!

Food was great - biscuits & gravy & sausage with lots of coffee. I had a couple of chats with different people. One guy was trying to sell me a front wheel motor to zoom up the hills!

When I said I was heading for the Appalachians, he replied "The timing!", and for a moment my heart sank. I had checked a few places for weather info and knew it could be cold (but not fatally so) and wet, probably enough that I may need a hotel to dry out at some stage. But he seemed to be indicating worse.

Then he continued, congratulating me on my timing - that I would see the mountains in all their Fall glory! Himself, his wife & kids were taking their camper up next week! That cheered me up.
He also told me that I most likely scared the alligator yesterday. He said the time to be wary of them was when they don't move! They're getting ready to attack!

At Santee I saw a McDonalds and pulled in for a coffee & internet to update a couple of days here. When I came out, the temperature had really risen.

Then back on the road and I detoured off 6 for a side trip through a State park. Much too early to stop and make camp I continued on, back on 6. This was real, rural South Carolina. The landscape changed between woods and fields, there were hills and bends. So early in the day it was still nice and cool, though if I stopped it was like stepping in to an oven.

After St. Matthews the hills became more prominent. I had stopped in St. Matthews (trying to make contact with the campsite) and was enjoying a cold drink at a filling station when I got chatting to 2 guys. On being told that I was on my way to Nashville having arrived in Norfolk 2,5 weeks ago, one looked at me confused and said I was going the wrong way. Then I told him I went via Charleston and all was good. His friend told me that it was all uphill for me now in South Carolina! That was great to hear! They also told me that a couple of episodes of the Andy Griffiths show were about an Irishman cycling through South Carolina!

Chatting to the two guys I had said that I really wanted to see the cotton being harvested, but that I seemed to keep missing it. One of them shook his head and told me I was leaving cotton country, so it was with great delight that I came across a field of cotton being harvested by a big, kick ass machine that does it all. It removes the cotton from the stalks, whooshes (technical term!) to the back of the machine where it is compressed into a cylinder bale that then gets wrapped in plastic before being pooped out the back of the machine. I got to see it all, except the pooping. Another thing checked off my list I cycled happily on.

The pooping end!

As I rode, I was thinking about the last big hills I had to deal with - the mountains of Wales last year when I rode to Ireland. Short, very steep and invariably with a blind bend at the bottom so I couldn't use my momentum to get up the other side! I hope it isn't an omen that the next town was Swansea! I stopped for another cold drink (temp is 30C) at another filling station and a woman came over to compliment me. She said she saw me in St. Matthews and was surprised that I had made it to Swansea!

Since the campsite was 7km away and there were no other options, I headed off to find it. By now I was running out of puff. Eventually, after 500 meters of pushing down a lane of sand I came to the "campsite". No one around. No phone number. A neighbour came out so I went over to chat to her and she offered to make a call. A few minutes later her husband came out & told me the bad news.

On his advice I headed to the nearest town and looked around. I tried a couple of churches, but none had any numbers listed. I used Google maps to find the Fire Station. GM was wrong. Heading for another church, I passed a trailer park on the side of the road. Turning in, I headed for the one caravan I had seen people at and putting on my most desperate face I explained my predicament.
It was only then that I noticed that 2 of the people sitting there were young, well groomed men and there were 3 Bible's on the table. If pushed, I may just have sold my soul for a place to pitch my tent!

In any case, I was directed to the first caravan, the manager, and after a quick conversation, the exchange of $10, I had a place to pitch my tent and a bush to pee in!

I was able to get out my stove, heat up some beans and enjoy beans, crackers and jerky with relish!!

There's a couple of cats around and one has already jumped on my tent and put holes in the fly!! I'll need to patch that in the morning.

I know I'm only a couple of days into this leg of the trip, but so far, the roads I've been following are far better suited to cycling and more interesting than the ACA route I was following before.

People seem a little friendlier here too. A few times today people have beeped from behind, in what I took to be a friendly "I'm coming past you" kind of a message, although one woman, scared the bejaysus out of me my giving 3 long blasts as she passed me by. She was waving frantically as well, which I'm taking to be well intentioned. She did however, cause me to wobble into the rumble strip.

I'm hoping to make it to another State Park tomorrow night. I think a shower would be good for me - and anyone else I may encounter!

If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-zone-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/
for comments/questions/discussion

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 43 Friday October 25, Gaston to Lake Greenwood State Park 104km (+10-15 not recorded).

Beggars can't be choosers, but the traffic running by my head meant a poor night's sleep and total awakeness at 4:30 am.
I did seriously consider getting up & hitting the road, but I figured it really wasn't a safe option. Traffic is unsure around a bike at the best of times, at 5 am who knows what might happen. Instead I lay awake pondering how when I was trying to find the best tent that I had never considered cat-proofness!

Finally, dragged myself up and out and set about my morning chores, including patching the tent. There's 2 places where the claws went through the material and about 3 or 4 other places I would describe as "stressed". I'll need more patches in Nashville.
Just before I left, while washing my teeth under a tree I managed to drool toothpaste all down my front. An attempt to clean it, only made matters worse. Unwilling to unpack everything again to get a clean top, I simply turned the existing one inside out😀. The simple joys of life on the road!

Since Gaston was away from my route, I had no intention of going all the way back to Swansea so plotted a route to join my original route. This brought me down some a side roads and onto some real, rural South Carolina sand roads. The soil here is a rich orange colour.

In Pelion I joined up with my original route so promptly stopped for a meatball sub. I'll tell you, there's few things as messy to eat, but it really hit the spot.

Onwards now and I was definitely feeling sluggish - probably just the meatballs. This is rolling Hill country, no real flats at all - either ascending or descending. I think it was after Pelion that the shoulder ran out. For a big chunk of yesterday I had a good 1,5 meters of shoulder, outside the rumble strip all to myself. Still, the traffic wasn't too bad and I was really enjoying myself. So much so, in fact, that I forgot to plug Gizmo into the hub charger and ran out of juice! I reckon the km count for the day is down by about 10-15 km while I recharged it.

I did pass a campsite about noon, but decided it was way too early to stop. Onwards & upwards I continued, stopping in Batesburg for another cold drink. I also discovered Little Debbie's, a brand of confectionery. Tasty!

I was heading for another State Park, the only camping option in the vicinity. I was making good time so rolled happily along, enjoying the changing landscape. The trees were different now, and more of them. There were cattle in the fields and crops like cabbage growing in the fields. Except for the hot weather it could be a sunny day in parts of Ireland. I rolled through Saluda thinking of a long, hot shower to come, some nice food cooked before the sun set. I even started thinking about maybe taking a rest day.

Up until this trip I've been chased once by a dog - and that was in the Netherlands where dogs are always well behaved. I was cycling through a really flat part (there's flat and there's really flat!), a farming area when a terrier tore after me. The shock of a dog chasing me almost caused me to fall off. I laughed and went on my way.
Up until today in the U.S. I've had 2 dog chases, neither serious, more a determined effort to guard territory than anything else. However, there have been lots of aggressive dogs behind fences that made it perfectly clear that I was toast if they got out.
Then today, rolling slowly up a hill, getting ready to turn off to the left, I spy 2 big crossbreeds on the other side of the road racing in my direction. There are 3 cars coming up behind me so I point to the dogs trying to alert the drivers to my predicament. If one slows down that will probably cover me and deter the dogs. Not a hope. The cars drive by obliviously.
Now I have a problem. The first is a shepherd cross, probably husky and is racing across the road at me. His compadre, bigger of no discernable mix is a bit lazier. I know I'm supposed to stop and use the bike as a barrier but with 2 dogs I don't want to stop in case one gets behind me. Instead I reach for my water bottle to squirt him with water. Except I forget to pop the nozzle, so no water comes out. My throwing motion and angry yelling though gives him second thoughts so he pulls back. Now his buddy is coming up so I quickly pip the nozzle with my teeth and blast him full in the face about a foot from my foot. He yelps and runs back. Thinking I'm in the clear I try to get out of the middle of the road, build up a bit of speed and try to figure out the best way to make the turn without exciting the two hunters again. Thankfully my head is spinning over and back and I see the first attacker making another run at me. The water bottle to the rescue again. Now all my water is gone so I'm desperately hoping that was the last throw of the dice. As I made my turn I saw the sign for the State Park 15 miles.

I was banjaxed. My legs felt like rubber and after the adrenaline rush faded I was totally out of puff. I didn't want to stop until I had put a bit of distance between me and the dogs. There was no house or property around where I saw them, so if they were strays they might be following me.

It was a real shame because those last 15 miles were very pretty. I could see what the guy was talking about yesterday. Autumn wasn't arriving - I was riding into it.
What should have taken an hour took almost two, so when I saw the turn off for the Park I whooped with joy and rolled down the big hill to it.

It's Halloween weekend at the park, so the only available spot is a primitive spot. Hmmmmm, no shower! No water either. The primitive spots are back up the hill, along the road and back down another hill. I pay my $19, fill up my water bottles and head reluctantly out to the bike to revisit the joyful hill. As I'm leaving the lady tells me that I'm welcome to come back to the main park in the morning for a shower. I ask her if she can read my mind or are her other senses active. She has the good grace to laugh.

Primitive is primitive here in South Carolina. In the North Carolina State Park the primitive site had a composting toilet and water pumps. This one has trees, leaves and a rickety old picnic table.

I threw up the tent as quickly as possible and made some porridge. Since the dog incident I was feeling a bit off and the porridge helped settle me a bit. Then I boiled up some water and had another boil in the bag chicken dinner - thanks big fella!

By now it's dark and I'm exhausted. I was told I may have one guy coming later but no sign. It's just me in a big forest!

Not sure yet what tomorrow will hold. I think rain is on the way and the next campsite is well over 100km away. Cell/data coverage is practically non existent in the rural areas. I may pack up here early, roll back up & down to the main campsite, have a shower, a leisurely breakfast and see how the day pans out.

If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/
for comments/questions/discussion

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 44 Saturday October 26, Lake Greenwood State Park to Springfield Campsite (near Anderson, SC) 104km

Back when I was in primary school, oh dear, about 40 odd years ago, I had to do a project on Autumn. The usual golden leaves stuck to pages of a copybook, but it was then I learned that the Americans called it "The Fall". I remember thinking what fecking eejits! We know they can't spell - leaving the "u" out of colour and all those z's they use instead of s. I became convinced that Autumn was too difficult a word for the trans-atlantic cousins.
Well, today taught me the error of my ways. Fall is actually a perfect description for Autumn in these parts. Picture the scene; sitting at a picnic table in the middle of the forest waiting for a kettle to boil. A gentle breeze ruffles the air and immediately hundreds, if not thousands, of brittle brown leaves start falling together to land on the ground. A snowfall of leaves. It is a surprisingly beautiful sight that was repeated many times today.

Breakfast view

As you may gather, I was in fine form this morning. I was exhausted going to bed, so tired it's the first night I didn't read. Just as I was nodding off, something boldly making it's way through the campsite gave me a jolt. Brazenly it ploughed through the fallen leaves with no regard for my desire to sleep. It may have been a bold squirrel or a raccoon, certainly not large enough to be a bear,so I calmed myself down and went to sleep.

I awoke a little later than usual - it takes time for the sun to penetrate the forest. My first decision was what to do - pack up, cycle the 5km back to the "official" campground, have a shower, make breakfast, then hit the road, or savour a breakfast right where I was? I chose the latter, making porridge & coffee and enjoying the beauty all around me.
Afterwards, I still needed a shower though, but the thoughts of packing, moving, unpacking to wash, repacking and cycling an extra 10km was too off-putting. So I concocted a cunning plan. I took out my hygienic moist tissues, (avert your eyes, ladies), stripped off (except for my runners) and gave myself a vigorous, all over clean! Talk about refreshing! There was nobody for miles around and if anyone approached they'd give lots of notice with the noise of the leaves.
Feeling great I got dressed, packed up & ascended the hill to the main road.

Interesting history

Once out of tree cover it was already hot. 25C by 10am. I felt great after a good night's rest and a delightful morning routine so I powered through the first 30km, before stopping for a burger & fries. They even had two rocking chairs outside, so I sat for a few minutes,acting like a southern gentleman.
In the shop/diner/filling station they had the "Jail News" for sale ($2). It's headline was about 3 unsolved murders, a second story was about a man who strangled his girlfriend and then himself! While the third story was about how a couple's argument progressed to gunfire!

There are little towns every 10-15 miles, so services are not an issue. It was another day of climbing & descending, but the landscape was interesting and constantly changing. Traffic was light on the quieter roads and if the road was busier there was generally a good shoulder so it was all pleasant enough. Until it wasn't.

There was no shoulder so I was riding in the middle of the lane when I heard a car behind me. I pulled over and continued along the white line right at the edge of the asphalt. There was no incoming traffic and I could see the car moving to the middle of the road. Then they started blasting the horn in long blasts, a good 500 meters from me. This didn't sound like encouragement and I had a mental image of a hand jamming itself against the horn again and again. Slowing slightly because I was becoming nervous and also because the edge of these roads can be rough & full of cracks I kept my eyes on the mirror as the car approached. Just as they were behind me they veered from the middle over to my side as if to side swipe me. They missed by inches, the horn blasting all the time.

I was raging! I've never experienced such a blatantly hostile act on the bike. I've had close passes and near misses, but this was in a different league. This was a planned and deliberate act. Once again my puff was gone. I limped on until I came to a sportsfield beside a church and sat on the bleachers snacking on trail mix & jerky and thinking happy thoughts until I was ready to go again.

I rode through Due West and continued on to Belton, definitely a town of two halves. The approach was spectacular, big houses, wonderful gardens - very wealthy. The other side as I rode out was significantly poorer. I stopped on the poorer edge to check out my options. My target for the day was over 70km away and since it was now 3:15pm I decided it was too far away to aim for. Instead I found another campsite closer, although well off my route. With luck I won't have to retrace the whole diversion tomorrow, I'll be able to take a shortcut.
30km to go, I reckoned two hours would see me there.

The route was mainly smaller roads to the town of Anderson, where I thought I was pulled by the police for breaking a red light! But after giving the full lights & siren treatment he drove off, presumably after a more serious criminal. The town itself was dead. The approach was through a very poor area and I have to say I did feel a bit nervous. One house had 4 police cars sitting outside, lights flashing. The thing is, there was no need. Everyone I passed saluted me or said hello. To a man/woman they were all friendly. That's the opposite to some of the "gated communities" I cycled through a few days ago.

Then it was out a 4 lane highway that had so little traffic I could comfortably take a lane all to myself.

When I finally arrived at the campsite, there was a very pleasant older man to check me in. This is a U.S. army (Engineer Corps) campsite on the shores of a lake. It took a long time to process me & get me checked in - the computer system is not very good! Once checked in we had a good chat about my experiences. He's retired & does this for the $ and to meet interesting people. I finally moved off to get myself setup before night falls.

I'm back on gravel again (bah!), have my own tap for water (the joy!) and close to the washrooms.

Dinner was pasta & tomato sauce with tuna. Then a shave and a tepid, long shower and laundry combined. It's amazing how much satisfaction a tepid shower which stops until the button is pressed can give!

There's heavy rain forecast for tonight & tomorrow. There's no shop for miles but I have food enough with me. If it's as bad tomorrow as I'm led to believe, I may just be taking a rest day. There is no wifi in the campground and I can't get a signal on my phone. Bliss! :-)

It's funny how we start to get used to things. Today, I had four dog chases. Two minor, just running beside me, two more serious. One dog got too close and got kicked in the head twice, the other got a faceful of water.
I need to have a positive experience with a dog - soon!

If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/
for comments/questions/discussion

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 45 Sunday October 27, Rest day @ Springfield Campsite (near Anderson, SC) 0km

It rained heavily during the night as expected so I slept later than usual.
When I got up I was surprised to see blue skies - the forecast was for more rain. I dithered about what to do as I set about making breakfast. Then, during breakfast I was entertained by two squirrels chasing each other around me - completely unbothered by me! I took it as a sign to kick back and relax and enjoy the day of rest.

Hanging out avoiding the racoons!

I rolled up to the office to pay for another night and kicked off an unfortunate drama. While the computer system was unfriendly last night, it was downright hostile today! The lady dealing with it gave up, calling her colleague (from last night) for help.
He couldn't get it to work either! Then it was a call to a centralised help centre and the instruction came back to wait an hour before trying again! We were already 45 minutes trying at this stage! Helpfully, he told me I could check in on another site - but that would mean moving my tent and all the gear. I said I'd return in an hour. And I did. This time it was only 15 minutes to process me!
This site is a U.S. army (Engineer Corps) location. If I was American I'd be very worried about my army's abilities! Have to say though the two people trying to help were very friendly if bound by the rules.

Now my laundry had a decent chance to dry, I could charge up all my electronics, reorganise my bags (again!), clean the chain (lots of sand the past few days), retape my bar ends and generally give the bike a once over.

Dinner time!

That pretty much took up the whole day! While I'd been passing the time between check in attempts I discovered I had a phone signal at one of the highest points of the park. This allowed me to call my planned destination for tomorrow night. Due to intermittent opening hours I have to make it there before 5p.m. It's about 75km away, but now I'm really heading into hilly country. I got ready for an early departure.

Sun going down

If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/
for comments/questions/discussion

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 46 Monday October 28, Springfield Campsite (near Anderson, SC) to Keowee Toxaway State Park 75km

This will probably be one of the hardest updates to make, simply because there aren't enough words to describe how simply wonderful today was!

As planned, I was up early, even before the sun was up and multi-tasked making breakfast and packing up.
I enjoyed my porridge and on a whim decided to take my flask of coffee back up to the highpoint where I could get a phone signal. Well, the view was simply incredible! I stopped & savoured my coffee while gazing & savouring the view.

I'm not really doing these parks a proper service by arriving as night falls and heading away early the next day. There is so much more to them than just a campsite.

Went back to finish the packing a little later than planned and got a bit of a shock when I opened it up. There was a bit of a wet patch on the floor! My pee bottle hadn't been fastened properly after my 4am pee! Not quite disaster, but certainly not helpful. I mopped it up as best I could, then moved the tent directly into the sun to dry it out and continued packing up. Jeez! What a dumbass!

Finally, I packed up the tent and hit the road.

And what a road!! I used cycle.travel to plot a route to my night's destination and it did not disappoint! Two lane country roads, either going uphill or down, avoiding Anderson - it was pure cycling bliss! There are no words!

As the day wore on the mountains in the distance became so much closer, the climbs longer and steeper, the descents faster and more exciting! For most of it I had very little traffic to contend with and while the road surfaces were a bit dodgy at times, all was good.

I had two dog encounters - one with a viscous yappy little fella who got a blast of water, the other with a bigger dog who gave a little chase but stopped & wagged his tail!

I did have a nasty encounter with a dumper truck and a car. There was a short section where there were a lot of dumper trucks and one, coming up behind me seemed to take the middle of the road as a car was approaching. It looked like the truck, car & I would all be on the same section of road at the same time so I bailed - off the road and into a little ditch beside the road. There was no collision, but the car driver was still blasting their horn when they went around the next corner!

I picked myself out of the ditch and got going again. There was nothing, I was pretty sure, that could ruin today's vibe.

It was hot (20C at 10 am) and while the wind was wonderful on the descents, the ascents tended to be slow and hot!

I stopped a couple of times for a cold drink and stopped at a store about 20km from the campsite to stock up on some food. I was out of jerky and trail mix which has become my little snack. I stopped a lot today to take photos and missed not having a nibble.

I was on course to arrive well in time at the campground, which was another reason to be in good form. Too often, it seems, I'm racing the light at the end of the day to make camp. It's nice to have time to relax, unwind, cook while it's still daylight. It gets dark a little after 19:00 and I mean really dark.

I was delighted to see a cold drink vending machine when I arrived - not so happy to see it out of order! I checked in, have a beautiful spot amongst the trees - I'm the only person in the tent section. Made dinner (chilli) and can use the WiFi at the office to post this later.

If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/
for comments/questions/discussion

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 46 - some more pictures!

Always look behind you!

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 47 Tuesday October 29, Keowee Toxaway State Park to Ammon's Branch Campground,N.C. 41km


The plan was simple. Head for Highlands - there was a campsite there and at about 55km away the day shouldn't be too taxing. If I was feeling up to it, sure I might even ride on towards Franklin!


Oh, foolish, foolish me!!!


I was up early, organised early, had breakfast early, but there's something about these State Park campsites that is just so…..relaxed. It's a shame to rush away from them when your breakfast is entertained by squirrels, when the view is so ...immense.

When I finally got up to go, all my earliness counted for squat. The way it should be!


I joined the main road for a few Kms, then turned off onto a side road and it was pretty much side roads, back roads and forest roads for the rest of the day. Fall, or rather, The Fall was putting on a spectacular show! Best of all, I had it pretty much all to myself - there was hardly any traffic.

There was nothing I saw that couldn't be studied in great detail without getting off the bike. I was going incredibly slowly, you see, because it's all uphill!


I don't know much about the Appalachians, but I have read that despite being lower than the Rockies they are reckoned to be harder to cross because they are so steep. I now concur!

The scenery was outstanding, the roads not in the best condition, but interesting with sweeping turns, long steep climbs, short descents and except for one section barely travelled by automobiles. Given where I was - bear country & given that there was very little traffic I was singing (well, I call it singing!) to warn the bears I was in the vicinity. Basically, they'll attack if surprised or if you come between a mother & her cubs. If they know you're coming, they're likely to walk away.


The problem is the song! Every trip has a song. It's not planned, it just kind of makes its way into my head. More often than not I don't know the lyrics so I sing the same stuff over and over again, or make up new ones as I pedal along. Previous songs have included "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay", "I've got all the time in the World", several Springsteen numbers and once, embarrassingly, Barry Manilow's Cocacabana!

Back on the coast, 2 girls camping beside me were playing music - most of it from the 80's, not really classics, but almost. So today, I was singing "Didn't we Almost Have it All" to the bears! Strangely, not a one was seen!


Stopping was done frequently - for photos, for water, for breath, for nibbles. On some ascents progress was measured in the tens of meters. It was bloody tough going. By noon, my legs were definitely feeling rubbery. I guess that now I'm really feeling the effects of such a long time off the bike and a severe lack of conditioning.

Not complaining. I'm incredibly fortunate to be able to do this.


Apart from a filling station way, way back at my first turnoff, there were no services. Gizmo was telling me it was 21C and with all the trees towering above me there was lots of shade.


At one stage there was a "scenic point" where I pulled in and laid down on the ground for half an hour. I could easily have slept!

Then back into another monster climb. Eventually, I turned off onto some forestry roads - gravel - that were beautiful and relatively flat. Then I had a fantastic downhill to a river that was followed inevitably by a nasty, steep climb. I say nasty because the road was loose gravel and on my side was a steep, almost vertical drop of 50meters or more. In the end I finally hopped off and began to push. There was less chance of me disappearing down a gully that way. By now my singing voice was shot so I was busy ringing my bell at every blind corner.

It was getting on and I reckoned I was not going to make Highlands before dark. Osmand showed me there was a primitive campsite run by the forestry service ahead, so I aimed for that. Water was my big issue - I was very low and as far as I knew there was no water at the site.

I was right! No water, but a Guardian Angel in the form of Sharon, taking a few days away from it all who offered me some water! Such luxury! Now I could drink and eat!

We had a long chat, then I got myself set up, ate dinner just as night fell. It's cold tonight & Sharon tells me the next couple of days are forecast to be stormy! Uh oh!

She also told me of the wildlife - the bears, bats, bobcats and the serial killers! There's also a famous hill for me tomorrow - 3 miles, very steep, no shoulder! Lovely! It'll be even better in the rain! Most people on normal bikes end up walking up - how am I going to cope on a loaded bike????



If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/

for comments/questions/discussion

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 48 Wednesday October 30, Ammon's Branch Campground,N.C. 0km

Sometime before 10 pm the sky exploded and water poured down all night. The noise was phenomenal! And it continued all night! At 4:30 I was awake and waiting for a chance to get out and start packing up. The weather was not co-operating. The rain was either heavy or really heavy. I poked my head out several times but it was torrential rain and visibility was terrible. By 9:30 I figured out I wasn't going anywhere. With what Sharon had told me about the narrow road, the massive climb, the current conditions I just didn't believe it was going to be safe.

I had a water bottle in the tent with me, but all my food (oatmeal, jerky & trail mix - not a lot) were in 2 panniers hanging away from the tent in case of bears. Several times during the day I faced the choice of going out, getting soaked and getting some food or staying inside, relatively warm & dry. I chose the latter.

On days like this the Kindle is a Godsend! There wasn't a snowball's chance in Hell of getting a phone signal.

The rain continued all day and all night. At about 5am it started to lighten then stopped for a while. Then returned with a vengeance. This pattern continued for a couple of hours then there was a ferocious wind for maybe 15 minutes. The noise was amazing. At first, it was like a large flock of silent, flying birds heading towards me from a distance - just the sound of beating wings. It grew louder and louder until it seemed like the birds were swirling frantically around the tent. The force of the wind was incredible. I was starting to think I was going to be stuck another day! Then, as quickly as it came, it was gone!

A couple of pics from yesterday

If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/

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[HobbesOnTour]

Day 49 Thursday October 31, Ammon's Branch Campground,N.C. to Highlands 8km (lost data due to Gizmo being off)


I jumped out of bed, started getting organised. Loads of rain had splashed under the fly into the inner so there was definitely moisture inside. Outside, I made up some porridge, utilising about half the water I had left. Then, as best I could, started packing and loading up the bike. The tent was soaking & covered in leaves. So much water had fallen, the ground under the tent had subsided.

After the storm

As I was packing up, Sharon came by again with more bad news. The forecast was for more storms. Maybe if I was quick I could escape the worst.

As I started off the rain began to fall. The road was rough gravel, running steeply upwards. I was pushing from the start. After a couple of Kms it became flat and asphalt so I hopped on and started to cycle. Then I hit the 3 mile section. Two lane, narrow road, no shoulder, mountain on one side (often with a nasty gulley between the road & mountain) and a sheer drop on the other, a series of S bends going ever higher. Some of the bends were very sharp and I often crossed over so the downhill traffic could see me while staying out of the lane of the uphill traffic.

It was so steep pushing was the only option.

On these kinds of roads hearing is almost as important as sight. I could hear the traffic before I saw it and position myself accordingly.


It was very slow going. Very slow. Hearing something coming down into a blind bend I stopped well back. It was just as well. It was a pick up from a glazier's firm with a large sheet of glass attached to it's side. Unfortunately, it wasn't fastened well and as the truck took the corner the pane of glass slowly toppled off in front of me, smashing into thousands of pieces all flowing towards me. In seconds I was being surrounded by pieces of broken glass. Thankfully, I was only hit by one fragment, on my shin. A small cut. The driver hollered out if I was OK, when I replied in the positive, he drove on down the hill! I picked my way through the glass and continued on, pretty grateful that I was being so careful.


The rain became heavier as I went higher, the wind picked up as did a swirling mist. Visibility at times was very poor. I had all my lights on, hi-viz vest but was still very cautious. One car pulled in about 50 meters in front of me & waited. Thinking I might be getting a lift (or even a bottle of water would be gratefully accepted) I approached with a big smile. Just as I reached the car, they drove off.


I have no idea how long three miles feels and gizmo was off because of low power. After what seemed hours I arrived at what seemed to be a descent - and it was! Behind me was a warning sign advising a steep descent and dangerous curves for 3 miles!

Next stop Highlands! I rolled on and stopped at the first place serving food. I was too wet & grubby to eat inside, so I took my food and coffee outside, under an awning. Then I set off looking for a place to stay. The closest campsite was closed due to the storms. I tried a couple of Inns that were way out of my budget. Outside town, I found a more reasonable spot, booked in and set about redecorating my room. There's wet & damp clothing everywhere. The tent is hanging in the bathroom. There's a couple of places close by to eat. I showered, did laundry, some grocery shopping and lay down for a nap

The problem I'm going to have going on is the lack of campsites. Halloween is typically the end of the season. The weather has changed - the worst of the storm appears over, but nightly temps are going to be hovering above freezing. Also, the clocks change over here this weekend. I reckon I have another 175 km in the mountains - I'm just not sure how long it will take to get those out of the way.


Well, I wanted an adventure, and I'm not being disappointed!


If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/

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[HobbesOnTour]

Day 50 Friday November 01, Highlands to Franklin 38km

When I woke up this morning it was like an explosion had occurred in my room! There was clothing, a sleeping bag, shoes, a jacket and all the other contents of my panniers spread everywhere and a dirty, but significantly drier tent hanging in the bathroom.

I'd had a late night. I was enjoying the novelty of a TV. Just when I was ready to sleep I clicked on a show on Discovery, I think, where two unrelated people, one man, one woman, are dropped off in an inhospitable area and they have to survive for 21 days depending on their survival skills and one item each of them can bring. I found it gripping, and, of course, in the American style, they don't just show one episode, but one after another.

Oh, the couple are naked, but in the American style all the bits are blurred out!

My first job was to pack up the tent, then clean the bathroom of the leaves, sand, grit and all the other detritus from the forest.

Packing took longer than usual because everything was out and spread around.

Then it was down to make a good account of the continental breakfast included in the price!

One last check of the room, then down to load up the bike.

The first thing I noticed was that it was freezing outside! The elasticated rope in my clickstand (like in a tent pole) had frozen so the stand wouldn't work. That was a first!
In a pub where I'd eaten the night before,call the talk was of an expected snowfall that night. On the TV there were constant, rolling warnings of freezing, flooding and high winds in the surrounding areas.

I was dreading this day. Back in August, when busy clearing out the house, I was in dire pain. When it came to packing up my gear for this trip I had to do it quickly as a friend had graciously offered to store it for me for a few days. In my haste and muddled by pain I inadvertently threw out a bag of my favourite cycling tops. These were mainly for good weather, but I had a great one, a gift, that was fantastic on cold mornings like this. I only discovered my error on the ship.

The other error I made was while I dried all my gear, I forgot to dry my gloves which were still soaking wet. So I popped back inside for a last coffee!

Then, it was down a steep hill and back on the road. A couple of days previously, Sharon had warned about 64 to Franklin. I had a short taste of it on the way out of Highlands - not pleasant, but within a couple of Kms I turned off.

Quiet, along a river, a brisk 8C but very pleasant. I had to keep an eye out for black ice in the shaded spots. After a short while I started to climb, but it was either not to steep, or where steep, blessedly short. Now this was cycling! When I joined a busier road it was only for 500 meters, then back onto a quieter one. Traffic was not common, but required attention when present - this was speeding country! I had no issue pulling in when traffic was powering up behind me. Most drivers were particularly friendly today, often giving big waves as they drove by. I needed the encouragement - the climbs were steeper and longer. And the dogs were out - 3 chases today. I'm really starting to have a (negative) Pavlovian response to dog barks now. I really need a positive experience with a friendly dog soon. Also, my aim with my water bottle is improving!

I was really enjoying the morning. I knew I didn't have too far to go so was feeling no pressure. I also knew I'd booked a cheap motel for the night so I'd have some comfort. There was no open campsite within range and this stopover would give me a good run to the next one the next day.

Then it got better!! I peaked and started a descent on a perfect surface. It was glorious! The light, the colours, the pure, fresh air was just so inspiring! I could not believe just how lucky I was to be here, in this place, seeing these views. I'd contemplated weather and temperatures and climbing when looking at this route (all exceeded my expectations!), but I had never thought what it might look like!

Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good!


Of course, there was one problem - it was bloody cold!!! I had to stop and don some extra layers.

I continued on through this Autumn wonderland so, so glad that I hadn't attempted this in the rain.

I should have mentioned that when I arrived in Highlands I was flagged down by Steve who had done a cross country ride years before. He had offered me a place to pitch my tent in Franklin had I wanted to ride on. I thanked him but said that after two nights in a forest I really wanted to treat myself. I was also conscious of the fact that a big storm was due in the afternoon. In any case, he'd given me directions to his office in Highlands and told me to return to him if I could find nothing.


Had I cycled on to Steve's yesterday I couldn't have gone this way (too windy) - I'd have been stuck on 64 and that would have been dangerous.


I knew that because I rejoined 64 7 miles from Franklin (according to the sign) and immediately had traffic issues. Close passes, no shoulder, dodgy surfaces at the edge. I spied a filling station with a Mexican attached, so stopped for a warming coffee, breakfast burrito and churoz.

Then back onto 64. I gritted my teeth thinking 7 miles was well worth what I had previously. Then I turned off again! More back roads, along another river, right into Franklin. Franklin has some steep hills! I found the motel, marginally more expensive than some of the campsites, had a shower & relaxed before taking a wander. It didn't take too long!

I found a diner type place for my dinner and had an enjoyable time people watching and reading the local paper. This one too had an arrests section, although without the mugshots. The majority of cases were either assault of a female or domestic abuse with marijuana possession running second.

There were some obituaries, one, of a Chicagoan who had retired to Franklin was both touching and humorous.

He was described as "The Lovable Curmudgeon" who quickly established himself as "local colour".

It described all the organizations he had been involved with, many now defunct, finishing with "He didn't kill every organisation he was involved with".

At the end "In lieu of flowers, do a shot and have your car washed".


I have a longish day tomorrow, with two significant climbs. I've never been one to look at gradient info, but I'm learning some lessons on this trip. I need to be careful not to over exert myself and there is the added complication of the distances between accommodation options. In bear country just hiding out and setting up camp is a foolish option for me given my lack of bear experience.

If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/

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[HobbesOnTour]

Day 51 Saturday, November 02, Franklin to near Murphy 79km

I was asleep later than planned again, this time due to watching the latest episodes of "Have I Got News For You" - isn't YouTube brilliant?!

As a result I overslept a little bit, but got up to a freezing world. There was a freezing fog covering Franklin as I packed up, lubed the chain and rolled off to have some breakfast. I could have gone back to the diner from last night, but that was downhill, do I headed for a little doughnut shop I'd seen the night before. It was open from 7 am until sold out.

So I showed up at this little store and had a delicious & filling breakfast bagel and coffee. Then I had a doughnut. The little older lady was all charm and very friendly. In the time I was there she sold out of all her stock - that was between 9 and 10 am! I like their style! However, as I was leaving, she called me over & asked if I liked carrot cake? Who doesn't? She put two in a bag for me, told me about a big hill that needed to be climbed and that now I could have a little party to celebrate at the top! How nice!

Then it was out into the fog. I was ready with my gloves, overpants and jacket. I had every light on because it was so gloomy.

I was on a main road to get out of town, then turned off to a smaller one. I was expecting the big hill but it didn't arrive, instead just a series of climbs and descents. Once Gizmo settled down he was showing a temperature of 2 C.

After about 15 km I met the hill. It was a pretty hill now that the sun was burning the fog off, but it was a steep hill with lots of s-bends and was quite enclosed by trees so it felt narrow. The good thing was that I was able to keep pedaling.

Early on, ahead a me a bunch of pick-ups had pulled in and were letting dogs out into the woods. I approached cautiously, already having had my first dog chase of the day. I tried to engage one of the men in conversation but he wasn't co-operating. All I could learn was that hunting season had started.

On and on I went, ever upwards, slowly but steadily. I needed to pay attention to my road position as some of the bends were blind and I would be invisible until the last moment for cars behind me.

Way back I could hear roaring engines that I was sure were motorbikes. They seemed to be fairly shifting so I pulled in on the opposite side of the road after a blind bend. I was grateful that I did. It was three VW Golfs being raced up the mountain. One after another they skidded around the corner and flew past me at high speed. I could still hear them five minutes later.

Also, I kept passing the hunters where they were pulled in either releasing or retrieving their dogs. There wasn't a word of encouragement, comment, banter or anything from them the entire time I was working my way up.

The higher I got the greater the view, but there were always trees in the way for good photos. Eventually, about 2,5 hours after I started to climb I felt the wind picking up. Hoping that was a sign I was near the top I ground on.

It was! At the top there were some pick-ups parked up - more hunters - and one car depositing two fully kitted out hikers of the Appalachian trail. Franklin is along the route of this famous trail that runs from Georgia to Maine.

I fastened up my jacket and began to roll down. Oh, but it was glorious! At first a gentle descent, then some sharp turns, but mainly gentle, so much so that at times I had to pedal hard to keep my momentum against a headwind.

I needed to be careful because there was a fair degree of stones and gravel on the road, mainly at the bends. I blame the racers from earlier and their crappy cornering techniques.

Still, it was great fun!! My extremities were freezing but I wore a grin the whole way down.

I did notice that on this side of the mountain Fall was in the past and winter was moving in!

Now I knew I'd be travelling around a lake that I expected to be flat, but of course, I was wrong! Climb descend. Rinse & repeat. I hardly got to see the lake either. There were quite a few "exclusive" communities along the lake with lots of trees to guard their exclusivity.

When I did get to cycle along the shore for a few minutes I stopped to take a photo and was passed by a car from Sweden of all places!

I stopped by a closed filling station to eat my celebratory muffins - delicious - and continued on. It was now about 2 pm and I was beginning to feel a little anxiety over my destination for the night. It was the only campsite on the route and I really didn't want to be riding in the dark.

Before I knew it I was climbing again. I took this as a positive sign - the sooner I had completed this climb the sooner I'd have an easier road to the end. My legs, however, disagreed. They were feeling distinctly rubbery. I pulled in, removed my over trousers, jacket & swapped my warm gloves for my regular ones. It was getting warmer now and I wasn't travelling fast enough for wind chill.

This time, the road was straighter, not as steep and less enclosed than previously. To be honest, I wasn't paying too much attention to the view. My head was down and I was focused on keeping my legs turning. I knew that roughly the climb would end at a reasonable sized town so I was desperately scanning ahead for signs of suburbia.

Taking a pause on the second climb - the mighty Roccado

About 4 pm I turned a corner and began to roll downwards. Before I knew it I was cruising at top speed down long straights with gentle curves. It was fabulous!! All the more for arriving earlier than I had expected!

I did have to stop, though, to dress myself again with my warm gear.

I zoomed down, passing Valleytown, then Andrews making great time. Now there was a distinct levelling off and the countryside was changing too - more open, less mountains.

I was travelling on a side road parallel to a busy highway - bliss! that turned into the side road of adventure!
My first adventure was with one of those "pretend" 4x4s, you know the ones that are too small, too boxy and too underpowered to actually go anywhere off road. As it passed me a head stuck out the passenger window and yelled "YAH!" as loudly as they could manage.
I guess his goal was to scare me. He didn't. Not because I'm some big, tough guy, but because loud noises as cars or trucks pass me are now normal! Some of the engines make a terrible racket and those off road tyres on regular road surfaces can be as loud as tanks.

I was irritated though - irritated that someone thought that was an OK thing to do. I was also amused though, because if he'd imitated a neutered French poodle and barked at me, I'd have jumped out of my skin!

Back to the bliss....until I hit Maltby. I'd venture a guess that Maltby has as many dogs as people. I know that because I met most of them - the dogs not the people.

The first was a bull terrier cross that came at me from a church of all places. This time I was in trouble - trying to work my way up a hill. I had no alternative but to get off the bike, threaten and cajole the bugger armed with my water bottle as a last resort.

He'd sit back for a while and I'd praise him, then he'd take a run at me and I'd yell "Stay" as loud as I could and pretend to throw the bottle. It was touch and go. At the top of the hill getting back on was tricky while watching for traffic, for him and holding the bottle. But I was off.
Then there was a big Alsation, about 500 meters down the road. This time I had momentum, didn't stop and the water did the trick. Next was another big crossbreed, but in fairness he was lazy. Finally, as I came to a junction, slowing down to turn right, another big crossbreed silently got to my rear wheel before I realised. In a bit of shock I turned left instead of right and roared at him. He stopped, but stayed in the road - in the direction I needed to go.

At this stage I was feeling very shook. I couldn't go back - I knew what was waiting for me. I couldn't go the way I was pointing. I had to go either over him or through him.

I turned around, and started cycling towards him, giving as much space as I could, the water bottle pointing at him. My talking to him seemed to be doing the trick until he lunged at me, then the water did it's trick. I was past him.

These dog encounters are really starting to get to me. They sure like their crossbreeds in these parts. Makes a difference from the stereotypical image of inbreeding in these parts, I suppose! :-)

By now, I wasn't too far from the campsite. A couple of minutes backtracking on a highway and I was there. Office was closed, phone wasn't answered, so I wandered over to the tent section, said hello to the only occupants, a couple, and set the tent up. Thankfully, it was pretty dry.

Daniel from the other tent came over to say "Hi", with not one but two bottles of beer for me!! More kindness! I would only accept one, so we chatted and drank beer.

Then with temperatures dropping it was time to get into fresh,warm clothes and make dinner. Some water got into my food pannier and since the ziplock bag the pasta was in wasn't ziplocked the pasta had to be binned. Noodles instead!
Then into the tent as the temperature plummets.

At this stage, I'm on the edge of the Appalachians. The worst seems to be over. Tomorrow I'll cross into a new state - Tennessee. There's no campgrounds so I'll be motelling again.


If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/
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[HobbesOnTour]

Day 52 Sunday, November 03, near Murphy to Etowah 104km

This morning was a grumpy morning that extended well into the afternoon. Entirely my own fault - I made a series of foolish decisions.

Cold mornings are what I like least about this hobby. I'm a big softy, preferring to stay in a warm sleeping bag. But the clocks changed last night so I need to make as much of the daylight as I can! This morning was cold! Ice in the water bottle left on the bike.

My first mistake was to skip breakfast, planning to pick up some food (and water) on the way. There was no water at the campsite for tents. No tap, no spigot. Nothing. I'd filled up a bottle at an RV the evening before. The only place for water was in the bathroom and no bottle would fit under the tap. So I set off with a minimum of water.

The next mistake was when I saw all the food places down the road were closed was to continue on.

When my route took me away from Murphy, again with no shops or eateries I chose not to continue into Murphy anyway, hoping to pick up food and especially water at one of the villages along the way. That was my penultimate mistake. To put matters into perspective, the first shop or source of food or water I came to was after 102 km.

My route was 99.9 km and I was expecting it to be reasonably flat. I mean, I was practically out of the Appalachians, right? That expectation was my final mistake.

The day started with a dog chase in the first hour. That didn't help my mood. I was on secondary roads either climbing, short but steep or descending fast but cold. Gizmo was reading 2C.

This pattern was repeated hour after hour, the ascents getting longer. I crossed a river, rounded a lake, but mainly was cycling through the woods.

I had been rationing the liter or so of water I was carrying. I passed through several villages - a bunch of houses and a church, but no sources of water. At noon, with 70km still to go I realised I was in a bit of trouble.

About 1 pm I turned onto a side, side road of gravel. There was a rushing creek so I got down and filled a water bag and added a purification tab. Ready in 30 minutes. I don't have a water filter with me (ironically it's waiting for me in Nashville!) and have never done this before. I felt surprisingly satisfied!
Now the day was turning better! Along a creek, it was relatively flat, although the surface disimproved as I went along. Great fun!

Then it was on to a main road where I stopped at a very rare picnic table, drank my purified water (delicious!) and prepared a second bag, ate some trail mix and then commenced a brutal, slow climb.

The climb was punishment. Some very steep sections almost killed me. At one stage I was stopped, astraddle the bike, brakes fully on, unable to go forward, just able to hold my position. Eventually, I had to get off and push. I felt the wind pick up and mounting a crest I hollered for joy! I wrapped up, hopped on and headed down. Around the first bend and straight back into a climb.
Let's just say I told the mountain it engaged in unnatural activities with its mother at a rather high volume!

But the descent?? It was fabulous!

Then it was onto another side road with some climbing but mainly descents that were out of this world! The road was narrow, no markings, twisting this way and that. A sheer drop on one side was both terrifying and thrilling!

This backroad took me into Tennessee, although I only figured that out when the road signs changed. No "Welcome to Tennessee" here!

With about 30km to go I was spat out onto a mainish road, but now the countryside was different - more open farmland.

My initial impression of Tennessee dogs was positive. Some saw me and ignored me. Some barked and ran along their boundary until I was gone. Others chased half heartedly. In nearly all these cases the dogs were from farms so perhaps they were trained to a better degree.

With about 15 km to go it was getting dark. That last 15 km seemed to take forever. There was a wide shoulder outside the rumble strip that was reasonable to ride in. Near the end I hit some gravel in the dark and nearly came off, but managed not to.

I finally rolled into town and craving 7up pulled into a filling station before hitting the motel.

The motel is very bike friendly!

Just as I was moving my gear into my room, a member of staff came along, enquired if I was on a bike & told me he'd change my room to the ground floor so I could have the bike in the room with me!

I showered and went out for dinner. The food was great - the service crap. Starving, I ordered an appetizer and a main course. The Appetiser came out, then five minutes later my main course. As I was trying to eat they started cleaning up around me. I was damned if I was going to rush my food, but in the end I asked for a to go box and took the remains back to the room. On the way back I stopped at a filling station to buy a beer to wash it down and got the compliment of the month - I was asked for I.D.!! 😀


If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/
for comments/questions/discussion

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 53 Monday, November 04, Etowah to Dayton TN 78km

Today was going to be my "taking it easy day", so I had a relaxing morning, taking my time over breakfast and packing up.

I'm running into a bit of a wall, physically, not mentally - there's two more big climbs ahead and I don't want to overload myself. Also, there's the accommodation options, or more precisely, the lack of them.

I settled on Dayton as my destination, approximately 80km away and set off.

At first I was on a major highway, but with a lovely wide shoulder that gave me all the room I needed to meander through the crap that resides there in total safety. Well done, Tennessee!

After about 8km I turned off onto a minor road and that's when the fun began! Hardly any traffic, constant ups and downs, normally gentle enough but with enough steep ones to keep it interesting, decent surface and fair weather.

The landscape alternated between open farmland and forests and was very pleasant to ride through even on this cool day.

It seemed like I was linking smaller roads together by the occasional run down a major highway. One of the highlights was crossing the Tennessee river, on a bridge with a massive shoulder. The surface of the bridge, however, was cut into grooves and the noise of vehicles going over it was unbelievable! It sounded like rockets whining overhead!

I'm having mixed feelings about the Tennessee dogs and less mixed feelings about some of the residents, dog related.

I had several encounters with dogs today, two memorable ones more so due to the human involvement than the dogs.

A difference here is that people seem to have more than one dog. Another difference is that the dogs seem to know their boundaries better and rarely stray over them.

A typical example was cycling past a house with three big shepherds, all napping. When they awoke the reacted like the hounds of Hell, leaping and barking ferociously towards me, absolutely scaring the bejaysus out of me only to stop at the edge of the road. In hindsight, harmless, in the moment terrifying.

Other times dogs would just sit and look at me as I went past.

The fact that the country is opening up means that they can see me from much farther away than before. Quite often they'll be standing waiting for me. I'm finding it quite nerve wracking knowing that they've seen me, waiting for their response.

The first serious encounter was with two shepherds, on my side of the road who raced towards me as I struggled up a hill. I immediately took to the other side of the road (a risk, although hardly any cars were on this road and I can generally hear them well in advance anyway). They didn't stop at the side as I had hoped, and were thwarted by a pickup approaching from behind. Naively, I thought the driver would slow down to shield me as I was almost at the brow of the hill, but not a hope - they continued on. I was able to keep the two at bay until I could accelerate down and away from them.

The second was a bit more sinister. Ascending a gentle hill, wide open landscape, a house and outbuildings a couple of hundred meters on my right with two men working on an ATV. I didn't hear him at all, just caught a glimpse of him as he reached my back wheel. A brown bull terrier. In fairness, he was a fine looking dog! A shiny coat, he was lean and fit - very healthy looking. Immediately I yelled at him, reached for the water and hopped off the bike. He pulled back, then lunged at me and got a faceful of water which only seemed to make him angrier. Since the road was so open it was difficult to prevent him coming in behind me so I concentrated my efforts on getting the attention of the two men. I'm fairly sure they deliberately ignored me for a while, but eventually, one looked up, saw the situation, said something to the other guy and they both went back to work!
I was trying to push the bike up the hill and keep the dog away from me. He kept circling, looking for his chance.
Eventually, one of the guys called the dog and he responded, starting to run towards them, but quickly turned around and came at me at full pelt. At this point, one of the men drove away in the ATV while the other one went indoors.
As I slowly worked my way up the hill, the dog would drop back, then make a run at me. At the top, when I judged he was far enough away I hopped back on and started to ride off. He gave chase again. More water, more snarling, again off the bike. Eventually, he headed for home so I climbed on again and set off. Thank God for mirrors! He was back, chasing me down again. More water, more snarling and he finally left me alone.

These dog incidents are really starting to take their toll. It's at the point now where every house is making me nervous. Yesterday, I was sure I saw a dog waiting to pounce - it was a mailbox and today a child's swing hanging from a tree looked like a dog leaping through the air for a moment. I'm telling myself that I've handled each and every one ok, so should be taking positives from that. At the same time, I can't help thinking of all the simple things that could happen - a dog in front of me during a descent at 35, 40 or 50 kmh. Or a dog lunging at the same time a car is going by.

To be honest, later in the day when I ended up on a busier road I was quite happy to be there - nobody let's their dogs loose beside a busy road. Near the end of the day I chose to stay on the busy road with no shoulder and reasonably heavy traffic rather than take a side road that would inevitably mean dogs.

A nice picture to lighten the mood!😀

After the Tennessee river the shoulder I had been enjoying (as wide as a lane) disappeared so it was a reasonably busy 2 lane road with no shoulder until Dayton. There were quite a few big trucks which I was only too happy to pull in for. The shockwave when those guys hurtle past can be wobble inducing.

The motel is cheap & cheerful. My neighbour has a pick-up that has recently been bashed in on both sides, the windows don't seem to close and I can't but help get the feeling that he's on the run from something!

I spent some time on the phone with T-Mobile because the credit is up on the SIM I bought in New Jersey. I can't do it online and they can't do it over the phone because they don't recognise Dutch credit cards. The only thing I can do is visit a T-Mobile shop. And they're only in the big cities!

Geographically, in my path there's a line of mountains, a valley and another line of mountains. The issue is a lack of accommodation in the valley part. I may need to do two monster climbs tomorrow. Not only that, but they are steep with gradients in the low 20%. If I stick to main roads I can minimise some of that.

I'm going to sleep on it and make up my mind in the morning.





If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/
for comments/questions/discussion

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 54 Tuesday, November 04, Dayton TN to Fall Creek Falls State Park, 60 km

They say pride is a sin; if that's true, I'm a little sinful right now!

I decided this morning to take on the two climbs necessary to get me to a campsite. Geography was in my way, a long climb, a drop into a valley losing all the height gained, then another climb just as high. My alternative was to meander along the valley to a motel and put the second climb off till the next day.

I was awake early, but lazed under the blankets, then a blitz of speed and I was out the door just before 9. Two chambermaids were very interested in my bike & journey so I posed for photos with them, then off to Subway for my breakfast.

Well fed (and watered - l've learned my lesson!) I was ready to hit the road about 9:30. It wasn't too cold, about 12C and the sky was looking clear. Leaving Dayton was straightforward enough and I was quickly out into the country and into the climb.

Cycle.travel had plotted a long route with lots of rural roads. Komoot suggested a more direct route, at least the first half, was shorter and not so much climbing. I tried to alter the cycle.travel route but it's not the easiest task on a phone, so I loaded the Komoot route and followed that. (Sorry, Richard)

The main road was great. A reasonable shoulder meant that I could slowly head upwards relatively safely. The road was wide with an extra climbing lane on my side reducing the traffic pressure even more.

The gradient was gentle enough that I was never in danger of having to push.

On and upwards I went, long straight stretches, gentle curves. Because this was a main road there were crash barriers along the side, offering a handy place to sit and rest occasionally.

When I got to the top I was presented with a series of rolling hills. On the first descent I got blasted with the wind. I was going to have to be careful.

I entered Bledsoe county and promptly lost my shoulder. Still, traffic was light, so it wasn't too much of an issue.

About noon, I began the descent to Pikeville. It was fantastic! The road narrowed, or at least the countryside closed in, there were sweeping curves, shelter from the worst of the wind and a gradient shallow enough that I could really cut loose without going too fast. The surface was a bit dodgy at times and the crash barriers might be effective for a car or truck, but if I got too close to the margin I'd be in trouble!

It was really great, flying downhill, turning left & right, the sun shining through the leaves.

Then it levelled out onto a highway stretching away in the distance to Pikeville.

Pikeville's a quaint little town. I stopped at a little diner for lunch and seriously considered going back to a B&B I'd passed on the outskirts. I was thinking it'd be nice to spend a sunny afternoon in a little town. In the end, I decided to move on, stopping to buy something for dinner.

After Pikeville, it was more minor roads and an immediate climb. I lost my jacket and overtrousers for the first time in days.

This climb was slower and steeper than the earlier one. The turns were very tight, so much so, that had I a riding buddy whoever was first would be able to spit on the second from above!

Gizmo directed me onto a gravel side road and then lost the plot altogether. Thanks, Komoot! After a km I turned around and rejoined the main road and continued up, this time having to push.

To be honest, I was at the top before I knew it, so stopped to sit in the sun and enjoy the moment. At this stage I had 24 km to go and I was feeling very good.

When I got going again there was a nice bit if downhill through open farming country, then the road turned to tar covered with loose stones. Tough & slow going, made all the better by the introduction of dogs. All day I hadn't had a problem as I was on main roads. Now, they were everywhere. The worst was when I passed three houses, two on one side and one on the other, all with loose dogs. There were at least six going for me as I was trying to control the bike on the slidy surface with one hand, pedal with one leg because the other was kicking out and simultaneously throw water in every direction. Once clear, I stopped to refill my water bottle and my left leg would not stop trembling.

I cycled on in a somber mood until I met this.

A fire road through the forest! This country is amazing, dragging me down into the dumps then presenting me with this!
The light through the trees was spectacular. The surface was fun to ride on, even the uphill bits. There was no noise except me. I met one car the entire time.

If you ever find yourself bouncing down a forest road in a Prius there's a good chance you're lost. If, in that situation you find yourself asking me where you might be, then you're really lost!

The only car I met was lost! I took out my phone, fired up Google maps (saved) and showed them where they were.

Onwards I went thinking it doesn't get much better than this. Then it did. Out of the forest onto the smoothest, quietest road! I was flying along now, only a couple of Kms from the campsite.
I stopped to take a photo and heard some noise in the trees to my left. Nothing unusual in that. The ditches are full of animals and there is often the noise of creatures scurrying around. But this noise was different - it was "bigger" than usual. So I had a good look. Then I saw a shadowy bear shape and instead of the typical flight or fight response I had a foto or flight response. I zipped up my phone and took off with full force. I heard some more crashing from the trees and figuring I'd been spotted, dared to turn around to see if I was being followed. All I saw was the white rear end of a fairly large deer bouncing away from me!

Then Komoot directed me into a forest. Not a forest road. Just a bunch of trees. Bah! Now I wasn't as close as I thought I was. I continued on, past a scout camp, a group camp, maintenance camp until eventually I rolled up & checked myself in.

I've got a primitive site for the night. There's nobody within at least 500 meters of me. There's a shop that I went to for a treat after my great day and they sold beer!!! Normally State Parks ban alcohol!! Not Tennessee, which has jumped right to the top of State Parks in my book!

It's going to be cold tonight. I even lit a campfire, there was so much fallen wood around. Tomorrow I'll probably head for McMinnville and motel it, then another night in another State Park and roll into Nashville sometime on Friday.

Also, tomorrow I'll be entering a new timezone and getting some of my evening daylight back. 'Tis all very confusing.

If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/
for comments/questions/discussion

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 54 Some extra pics