Another beautiful day for riding. The temps were in the low 60's when I left Waynesboro around 7am and the sky was bright blue. I entered the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) at it's northernmost entrance. Like the Skyline Drive the day before, the BRP is constant curves, climbs and descents. Early on I saw a number of cyclists and I was struck by how none of them were smiling, even the ones going downhill. It was still early, it was still cool, the scenery was spectacular. What's to be so glum about? It made me wonder if I exude the same negative vibe when I'm on a bicycle. I've spent most of my adult life riding and racing, logging as much as 12,000 miles in my peak years. Age, illness, and injury have slowed me down. I never retired from racing so much as just stopped. But I still ride and usually still enjoy it. I saw dozens of riders today and they all were showing the body language of extreme fatigue. They were definitely not having fun.
I was having fun though, and if you could have seen through my bug smeared face shield, I'm sure I was smiling. I stopped early to take a short walk on a trail while it was still cool. I'm a little late to catch the peak azaleas, and a little early for the wildflowers. I did catch this beauty.
And one azalea not quite gone by.
Otherwise, it was a day full of scenery like this. I managed to avoid a line of thunderstorms by slowing way down and making more frequent stops as I was approaching Asheville. I gassed up and found a place to stay just as another series of storms hit. It was a long day and good to be off the motorcycle. I'm hoping to get to Asheville Botanical Gardens tomorrow morning.
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