Vacation
Went on vacation to SC since last time, taking the ‘slow’ roads there. The goal was to limit my top speed to 55 mph and enjoy the scenery at the same time. Therefore we only traveled on the interstate briefly. On board were my 15 year old child, a 15 y/o friend of his and our dog Charlie, aka Mr. Woo, the amazing talking dog. All of this, our luggage and my road bicycle in a 1996 Ford Escort Station Wagon. I’ve come to appreciate this car. It’s no hassles for the most part, totally paid for and sound. It should last forever since I rarely drive it except for these long (ish) trips. But with all the cargo it was a VERY tight fit.
We took in the Cherohala Skyway, an amazing 45 mile stretch between Tellico Plains, TN and Robbinsville, NC. No commercial buildings whatsoever on this route, it winds and climbs over a mile high on pristine roads and affords stunning views on the southern side of the Great Smokey Mtn’s National park.
I kept wishing that I were on my bicycle. I was occupied with driving, which meant that I had to keep my eyes on the road and also on the traffic that often backed up behind me, mostly motorcycles, who were intent on getting from one place to another as quickly as possible without regard to the 35mph speed limit.
Taking the interstate @ 70+ mph gets me to my destination, my hometown, in 10 hours with a fuel economy of 32 mpg. Driving the slow roads (<= 55mph) takes 17 hours with a fuel economy of 39 mpg.
We took a couple of tents borrowed from a coworker since I knew we would be camping overnight in NC. When I rode RAGBRAI this past July I camped every night and had a blast. I decided that we would camp at least once on this vacation too. The kids had a great time. As far as I can tell, so did Mr. Woo. His tail was always wagging.
While in SC I searched out and went on several road rides with cycling groups and was not embarrassed by any of them. It’s difficult to figure out roadies sometimes. New riders (like I was) size each other up like dogs sniffing. At any rate I was able to keep up with their fastest riders even though I think one group was trying to drop me in an ‘alpha dog’ statement. My favorite group ride was with a couple of guys from Summit Cycles in Elgin, SC. They showed on a chilly morning and we took off on some beautiful routes through the sandhills. They were really strong riders but didn’t feel the need to pull the Lance wannabe schtick like the other group did. Next time I’m in SC I’ll get with them, for sure.
My next vacation will be a cycling vacation to Mammoth Cave Natl Park. I'm just not meant to go fast.
We took in the Cherohala Skyway, an amazing 45 mile stretch between Tellico Plains, TN and Robbinsville, NC. No commercial buildings whatsoever on this route, it winds and climbs over a mile high on pristine roads and affords stunning views on the southern side of the Great Smokey Mtn’s National park.
I kept wishing that I were on my bicycle. I was occupied with driving, which meant that I had to keep my eyes on the road and also on the traffic that often backed up behind me, mostly motorcycles, who were intent on getting from one place to another as quickly as possible without regard to the 35mph speed limit.
Taking the interstate @ 70+ mph gets me to my destination, my hometown, in 10 hours with a fuel economy of 32 mpg. Driving the slow roads (<= 55mph) takes 17 hours with a fuel economy of 39 mpg.
We took a couple of tents borrowed from a coworker since I knew we would be camping overnight in NC. When I rode RAGBRAI this past July I camped every night and had a blast. I decided that we would camp at least once on this vacation too. The kids had a great time. As far as I can tell, so did Mr. Woo. His tail was always wagging.
While in SC I searched out and went on several road rides with cycling groups and was not embarrassed by any of them. It’s difficult to figure out roadies sometimes. New riders (like I was) size each other up like dogs sniffing. At any rate I was able to keep up with their fastest riders even though I think one group was trying to drop me in an ‘alpha dog’ statement. My favorite group ride was with a couple of guys from Summit Cycles in Elgin, SC. They showed on a chilly morning and we took off on some beautiful routes through the sandhills. They were really strong riders but didn’t feel the need to pull the Lance wannabe schtick like the other group did. Next time I’m in SC I’ll get with them, for sure.
My next vacation will be a cycling vacation to Mammoth Cave Natl Park. I'm just not meant to go fast.
posted by Woodog at 7:19 PM
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