Roaring Plains, or We Actually Went Backpacking

We went out to Roaring Plains with a couple of friends two weekends ago. The weather forecast, honestly, wasn't great. There were significant chances for showers both days, so I wasn't sure how it was going to go. Our itinerary was a little up in the air depended on how fast we were able to hike. I was hoping to explore a little bit more than the area where we've been up there. We were also hoping for blueberries. Neither of those things happened, but we still had a really nice trip.

Saturday, we really won the weather lottery. There were scattered clouds and a couple of times it looked like some of them might organized themselves into something more assertive, but it never happened. The temperature was nice and it was mostly sunny. Flowers were blooming everywhere in the bogs and meadows in an end-of-summer bonanza. We did find some blueberries, but only just enough for our morning oatmeal. Many of the blueberries we found were well past their prime. We made pretty good time to the gas line cut. From there the trail (which it technically is, but calling it that is...generous) gets more challenging to follow. When we did this trip two years ago, it took all four of us and two dogs paying attention to keep to the route. It was no different this time, although we only had one dog. Late in the afternoon, we picked a wonderful campsite right on the rim of the plateau with a great view of North Fork Mountain and Seneca Rocks to the southeast.

The path across one of the heath balds. The low shrubs are almost all blueberries.

 Picking blueberries.

The gas line cut through the area. After this the trail gets much more challenging.

Rudebeckia laciniata (Cut-Leaf Coneflower)

 The view from the promontory aptly named, "The Point"

 The same overlook.

 The view from our campsite.

Sunset from our campsite.

Clouds rolled in overnight and we woke up to overcast skies and high winds. The rain held off long enough for us to eat breakfast, but not long enough for us to keep the tent dry while we packed up. We debated which way to go: to continue on the loop or to turn back the way we came. As we were discussing it, the clouds lifted and we spotted some blue sky. We continued on the loop. The section of this trail (again, a term used generously here) between our campsite and where it meets up with the Roaring Plains Trail is probably one of the most rugged trails I've hiked in the mid-Atlantic. Even having hiked this before, we really had to pay attention to stay on the route. Even so, we had to backtrack several times to get back on the right path. By the time we reached the long boulder field that the trail descends, the wind had mostly dried the rocks, which made that section easier. The weather held exactly as long as we needed it to: As soon as we made it to the bottom of the boulder field, it started raining lightly again. We finally made it to the junction with the Roaring Plains Trial just before noon: three hours to go a little over two miles.

We caught another break in the rain for lunch at a nice campsite at the junction. As soon as we began packing up, the rain started again and, this time, with purpose. We took a right on the well-maintained Roaring Plains Trail and our pace tripled. Soon enough, we reached the forest road that we had to hike for a couple of miles back to the car.

It was a great trip. This is one of my favorite areas to hike. I want to get back up there again and do more exploring. I sort of assumed that, since we had hiked the rough section two years ago, that we would move faster on it this time, which was wrong. It is just a hard, slow section of trail to navigate. Lesson learned and we'll do a different route next time if I want to see a different part of the plateau. Another bonus: We didn't see a single other person the entire weekend.

Waking up to gray skies.

Overcast, slightly dreary view before breakfast.

 After the first rain shower moved through, fog rose from the creeks in the valleys.

 Contemplating the boulder field.

 Platanthera ciliaris (Yellow Fringed Orchid). One of the more interesting plants in this area.

Gentiana linearis (Narrow-leaved Gentian). These beautiful little flowers were going off everywhere.

Blue Ridge Ramble, Part Four: Roanoke, VA to Front Royal, VA

Day 11: Roanoke to Peaks of Otter, Virginia. Our day started with the first law of cycling: What goes down must come up. We had descended six miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway to our hotel. In the morning, that meant climbing back up all of that elevation we lost the night before. We spent an hour just getting back to the point where we could continue north. We left early, so at least it was relatively cool.

This was a short, pretty day of riding, which worked out well after the hard ride the previous day. After ten miles or so of pleasant, flat riding in the valley, we began the long climb up to Peaks of Otter. We were back in the mountains, it was cooler, and there was almost no traffic. We couldn't ask for better riding. We pulled into the camp store at Peaks of Otter. Our intent was to get ice cream and cold drinks before heading to the campground. Then the woman working there mentioned a coffee shop in the lodge, so we headed over there. The lodge was nice. And it is right on the lake. And thunderstorms were in the forecast. It didn't take long before I was checking on the availability and price of rooms. We never did make it to the campground! After checking in and unpacking, we went up to the bar to play cards. Michael wound up fixing the bartender's stereo, which earned him a free drink.

A bee on Daucus carota (Queen Anne's Lace)

Passing under one of the stone bridges north of Roanoke.

This was probably my favorite part of the ride that day. There aren't many sections of the parkway where you get views on both sides. The road through here was on top of the ridge, which gave me the feeling of riding on top of the world.

 A Monarch Butterfly on Asclepias syriaca (Common Milkweed)

Our first view of Peaks of Otter

Sunset at Peaks of Otter

Day 12: Peaks of Otter to Otter Creek Campground. We took our time getting out of the lodge in the morning because this was going to be another short day. We had to climb up over Apple Orchard Mountain, which is the highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and then descend to the lowest point on the Parkway at the James River. We sort of expected the climb to be tough. Even though we had climbed halfway up it the day before, we still had seven miles to go. It turned out to be an entirely reasonable climb. Then we had a screaming 13 mile descent to the river. It seemed to go on forever, curving back and forth - so much fun. We actually saw a number of cyclists climbing it southbound. We took a long break at the James River Visitor Center for lunch before heading to Otter Creek Campground for the night.

Otter Creek Campground was almost deserted, but it was a nice, quiet place to stay for the night. It has a really abandoned feel. It used to have a restaurant and store, both of which are closed now due to budget cuts. The shuttered building sits on the parkway, the sidewalks covered in moss. There were only a couple of other parties in the campground (it was a weekday) and most of the parking places for the campsites were also covered in moss. The woman working in the office gave us freezie pops, which was pretty nice. That night storms blew through and it rained hard. Hard enough that we were getting ground splatter under the tent fly. We also discovered that our tent fly leaks in a few places. No one got a good night's rest that night.

 Getting ready to leave Peaks of Otter Lodge.

 Clematis viorna (Leatherflower) at the top of Apple Orchard Mountain.

 Looking northwest from the parkway.

 The James River

Our campsite at Otter Creek.

Otter Creek

Day 13: Otter Creek Campground to Waynesboro, Virgina. At 60 miles, this was another long day of riding with a fair amount of climbing. Until the last few miles, it was also one of the quietest. We sometimes rode for 45 minutes without seeing a car. This section of the parkway was my favorite in Virginia. The mountains are spectacular and I have hiked the Appalachian Trail along a large portion of this stretch. The heat wave abated a bit and we had some cloud cover, which was a nice change from the heat earlier in the week. We stopped for lunch at the Whetstone Ridge ranger station. The came out for a while, so we pulled out all of our wet camping gear and dried it out on the lawn. It looked like an outdoor gear store had exploded.

We made it to the end of the Blue Ridge Parkway late in the afternoon and took a few celebratory pictures before heading down highway 250 to our hotel.

Oak trees along the Blue Ridge Parkway near US 60.

Our bikes taking a break at Whetsone Ridge ranger station.

 Drying out gear in the sun.

The Tye River Valley between Three Ridges and The Priest (on the right). This was probably my favorite view in Virginia. I've hiked the mountains in the photo above and it is such a beautiful area. I've driven through here, but we didn't stop and I didn't really notice this particular view. Traveling by bicycle gives you the opportunity to see things at a different speed.

 Raven Rock Overlook.

 A cycling shoe shot at Raven Rock Overlook.

 Michael and I at mile 0 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Days 14 & 15: Shenandoah National Park. We were in familiar territory now and it felt a bit like coming home. We bike the north district of Skyline Drive all the time. We've done all 105 miles of Skyline Drive in one day. Of course, that was on light road bikes, not on loaded touring bikes. Heading north from Rockfish Gap, the climbing got a little easier, even though there was still plenty of it. North of Swift Run Gap, traffic increased and so did the number of impatient drivers. Pulling into the Big Meadows Wayside, the sheer number of people was overwhelming and the store felt like a madhouse after so much time further south. We camped at Big Meadows Campground. Just as we were getting ready to make dinner, a thunderstorm rolled in. We waited it out and were rewarded with a beautiful rainbow.

The next day was really a ride home. We headed north, stopping for espresso at Skyland and then lunch at Elkwallow Wayside. Heading north from Elkwallow was the last long climb of the trip: three miles up to the top of Hogback Mountain. At that point, there are only five miles of the remaining 21 that are uphill. We had done it. Michael and I took our time with the rest of the ride because vacation would be over once we rode through the north gate of the park.

 The sign on the bridge between the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive.

 Our bikes at one of the overlooks in the South District of Shenandoah National Park.

 We were riding a section of the road that is paralleled by the Appalachian Trail. I heard a hike shout, "Bear!" We stopped at the overlook just past that point and were lucky enough to see this guy in the woods.

 The rainbow after the storm at Big Meadows campground.

 Clouds in the valley west of the park.

Flowers in front of Old Rag Mountain at Pinnacles Overlook.

Finished! The final six mile descent was pretty incredible feeling.

630 miles!

Final thoughts: We could not have done this without the support of our friends. Many thanks to Anne for driving our car back from North Carolina and then, with Andy and Sandy, picking us up in Front Royal; to Tonya for bringing us our re-supply box, to Chad for running me around the city of Roanoke in search of a bike shop; and to Becky and Dale for feeding us after a hard day's ride.

We've taken a lot of amazing trips and this ranks up with the best of them. We trained hard for six months leading up to it and it paid off in a big way. We had a good dose of luck, too, in not having even so much as a flat tire.

I was impressed by how varied the scenery and terrain were along the way. I kind of expected that ahead of time, but watching the landscape slowly change as you pedal through it is pretty cool. I was also impressed by how considerate drivers were. Over the course of 630 miles, I can only think of a few cases of bad behavior. That's pretty good.

We made some really good decisions in planning this trip that made it a lot better. We kept all of our days under 66 miles. I can easily do a 100 mile day on my light road bike. A 60 mile day on a fully loaded bike in the mountains is a long day. We were tempted in early stages of the planning to put a longer day in there. I'm very glad we didn't. I am also glad we opted to do shorter days in North Carolina so we could see more. It was such a spectacular part of the ride.

My favorite day: Asheville to Mount Mitchell. It was so pretty and such a challenging, rewarding ride.

Michael's favorite day: Peaks of Otter to Otter Creek Campground because of the nice scenery, the long descent, and the nice campground.

My least favorite day: The day we rode into Roanoke. So hot. So very hot. And long. Did I mention hot?

Michael said he didn't have a least favorite day. He felt like all of his riding days were pretty good.

I could really get into this bike touring thing. I'm already thinking about what our next tour might be.

Blue Ridge Ramble, Part Three: Glendale Springs, NC to Roanoke, VA

After a great night in Glendale Springs, we headed out on our last day of riding in North Carolina. This was our seventh day of riding and next day was a rest day, which all of us were looking forward to. The riding was a little easier - there were actually a few miles of relatively flat riding. The area around Doughton Park was particularly beautiful. All in all, though, I think all of us were just focused on the destination: Fiddler's Roost Cabins, where we were going to spend two nights and not sit on a bike seat for a day.

Our friend's sister generously met us at the cabin and brought along a box of food and supplies that we had put together before the trip. We went to see a bluegrass concert that night at the Blue Ridge Music Center. On Sunday, she drove us to the grocery store in town for a few more supplies and barbecue for our dinner.

The Blue Ridge Parkway at Doughton Park, North Carolina. This was my favorite part of the day's ride.

The gutters along the parkway. I thought the stonework was pretty.

Brinegar Cabin in Doughton Park. We took a long break here. National Park Service employees demonstrated spinning wool and processing flax for linen, which was pretty interesting.

 A butterfly on Liatris helleri (Heller's Blazing Star)

Entering Virginia. There are two weird things about this spot. First, the sign is broken. Second, there's no sign on the other side of the road to welcome you to North Carolina.

Our cabin at Fiddler's Roost, only a half mile off of the parkway. This was a wonderful place to stay for a couple of days. It even had a small hot tub on the porch. The only downside was the steep gravel road to get there, but it was a small price to pay for such a great place to stay.

Day 8 - Rest Day! After getting groceries, we walked over to the Blue Ridge Music Center to go through the museum. The museum is really good. I highly recommend it to anyone passing through. I could have spent the entire weekend there listening to recordings.

 The entrance to the Blue Ridge Music Center.

We were able to catch an informal performance as part of their Mid-Day Music series.

Day 9: After a great day off the bike, we continued on to Meadows of Dan, Virginia. At only 35 miles and moderate climbing, this was a good day to ease back into riding. Since we didn't have to cover a lot of miles, we took our time and enjoyed the scenery. We rode through a lot of farmland and passed several country churches. The scenery was different than that further south, but it was still really pretty.

Groundhog Mountain Overlook with some traditional rail fencing. You can go up in the tower, but the trees have grown up around the meadow, so there isn't an expansive view. It was still a nice place to stop for lunch.

We stopped at this store, which was built in 1892. The woman running it was really nice. They had ice cream and cold drinks, which was awesome. The rest of the inventory was probably stocked sometime shortly after the building was built. And that might have been the last time it was dusted.

When we finally climbed back on our bikes after our break at the store, we could hear thunder rumbling in the distance. This was the view to the west. We only had three miles to go to get to Meadows of Dan. We sprinted as much as we could and we arrived at the Poor Farmers Market store just as the first rain drops fell.

The store has a big porch (above), so we bought more snacks and drinks and waited out the storm. It was almost two hours before we were able to ride to our campground, but we stayed dry.

Day 10: Meadows of Dan to Roanoke. This was the longest day of our trip, the hottest, and probably the hardest (at least for me). We knew it was going to be hard, but the heat added an extra dimension to it. So did the distance from the parkway to our hotel at the end of the day.

We got up early so we could get breakfast at Mabry Mill. We got there just after it opened, so it wasn't crowded, but it must be absolutely insane there at times because there were more parking lots there than at any other single place I saw along the parkway. Breakfast at the Mabry Mill restaurant was a fabulous treat: buckwheat pancakes, eggs, and country ham. 

After breakfast the work began. We actually had a few flat stretches where we could get some momentum for a while, but most of it was rollers that didn't seem to allow us to build any momentum. We had a really nice lunch in the shade at Smart View Picnic Area. We filled up with water there because it was 35 long, hot miles without water until our turnoff to Roanoke. Because we were riding through more farmland, there was less shade and temperatures were near 100 degrees.  Michael got the award for the day for carrying water. In addition to his own bottles, he carried four extra liters. By the time we got to our hotel, we had finished nearly every drop. 

About 15 miles before Roanoke, we had a nice 10-mile descent. It was a lot of fun, but at the bottom, we still had five miles of climbing in the sun back up to the top of Mill Mountain. It was brutal. By this time, we had ridden almost 60 miles, so I was tired and flirting with heat exhaustion. 

When we got to Mill Mountain Road, we had a six mile descent to our hotel. The first sign that our hotel was going to be...interesting...was when the check-in clerk looked at me funny and asked how we had found the place. Let's just say, if we had wanted performance enhancing drugs, we probably could have gotten them at the hotel. Our rooms weren't terrible and the hot water worked in the shower, so it wasn't a disaster, but it was certainly a far cry from the Balsam Mountain Inn earlier in the trip. On the bright side, Michael went down to get ice after we got back from dinner. When he came back, he said the night staff appeared to be the Roanoke Police Department. That's a good thing, right?

A friend who lives in Roanoke picked me up and drove me to three (!) bike shops in search of one that would replace my brake pads before they closed. I should have had them replaced before we left, but it slipped my mind. After all of the crazy descents we had done, I badly needed new front pads. The first one was closed. The second one refused to work on it in the last hour they were open. The staff at the third one stopped what they were doing and spent the remaining 30 minutes of their day replacing the pads and adjusting the brakes (thanks East Coasters Bike Shop!). Then we spent the evening having dinner with our friend and his wife. All in all, a pretty good end to a tough day of riding.

 Mabry Mill.

The guys all napping at Smart View Picnic Area, our lunch stop.

The bikes in the picnic area. This was one of the prettiest picnic areas we stopped at. The evenly spaced trees shaded the entire area.

The Blue Ridge Parkway near Roanoke. 

One more entry to come....