Day 37: The Smoky Mountains to Asheville
Today we had a challenging but beautiful 120 mile ride through the Smoky Mountains to Asheville NC.
"Red in morning, bikers take warning." Indeed, rain was coming from the west, so our ride east was a race against the rain that we mostly won.
While the skies were cloudy in the morning, it did give us a chance to see the "Smoky" side of the mountains.
Our route today was mostly winding country roads with both rolling hills and a couple of significant climbs.
Occasionally, we rode through valleys, giving us a chance to see the mountains ahead.
Much of the day, we were either crossing or riding alongside streams and rivers.
About 80 miles into our ride, we crossed into North Carolina, our 12th state. Tomorrow, we will enter South Carolina, our final state for this trip.
While today's color palate was generally muted, the colors were still striking at times.
Finally a photo of my riding partner for the past couple of days. Riding strengths, weaknesses, styles, and personalities are all different for everyone on the trip. Finding a compatible rider can help physically by taking pulls, but also psychologically when the legs are hurting and there are still many miles to go.
Four more days and just 380 miles until the Atlantic. Counting down the days and miles.