September 28, 2019
Dodging raindrops in Blowing Rock
Into the mountains we climbed
This morning my pal Greg and I climbed into the mountains from Lenoir to Blowing Rock. No, it wasn't on our bikes but by car. As the miles passed, the altitude increased. We had overnighted in Lenoir about a half hour drive away.
Blowing Rock is a quaint tourist town in the North Carolina Mountains. Blowing Rock, the mountain attraction, is 4000 feet in elevation. I am not sure how far that is above the village's altitude. This is a very typical high-end tourist destination with many boutique shops and small restaurants. It's quite busy. Appalachian State University is nearby. It's parents weekend at the college with many people staying in and visiting Blowing Rock.
The campground is situated in the village park which is quite nice. The bicyclists have taken over the ballfields as a campground. There must not be as many campground regulations in North Carolina as there are in Ohio. As the GOBA Camp Services Director, this setup would never be approved by the powers to be in Ohio... No firelanes, no markings.
It has been a mixture of light rain and sun throughout the day. The weather is supposed to clear shortly. It promises to be a pleasant evening and nice day tomorrow. The NC Sports folks always plan and execute a very nice ride. It's obvious this ride will be no exception. Tomorrow we get on our bikes and begin heading downhill to Hickory to route to the coast.
I'm a little more comfortable today with this ride. I am always impressed by the diversity in age and abilities on cycling tours such as GOBA and the NC Sports rides. There's no question that this will be a challenge for me but I'm very much looking forward to it. I will gain 3,000 feet of elevation and lose 5,500 feet of during the 60 plus miles. I will be rolling.
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