The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Blue Wall of the Carolinas 2021

October 3rd to October 15th

Ride Director: Julie Leever
Ride Co-Director: Carol Velamparambil
Ride Driver: Tom Leever
Report by: Duane Morse

The “Blue Wall of the Carolinas” is part of the Appalachian Mountains range, rising majestically from the Carolina piedmont to a ridge that runs south to Georgia and north to Maine.  The Blue Ridge Parkway, which winds along the top of the ridge, passes Mt. Mitchell, the highest mountain in the eastern United States. 

The tour made a loop that started and ended in Asheville, NC, with intervening bases in Brevard, NC (two nights); Greenville, SC (two nights); Saluda, NC (two nights); and Hendersonville, NC (three nights).  Accommodations in Asheville and Greenville were modern multistory hotels.  In Brevard, we stayed in a 1950s-era motel with tired rooms but friendly hosts and an attached cabin with a huge porch that was perfect for group meetings and meals.  Saluda is too small to have an in-town hotel, so the group was split up among five rental houses, which was a nice change from hotel rooms.  In Hendersonville, we stayed at the Charleston Inn, a beautiful historic hotel operated like a B&B.  All base towns had decent (or better) restaurants within walking distance of our accommodations.

This tour consisted of 11 possible rides in the foothills and eastern slopes of those mountains.  Most rides were in the 30-45 mile range, with around 3,000 feet of climbing.  The longest ride, which included about 30 miles (and nine tunnels) on the Blue Ridge Parkway, was about 54 miles long, with around 4,900 feet of climbing.  Except for a planned rest day in Greenville, rides were scheduled for every day.  Most riders finished the routes before lunch and then had their afternoons free.  Ride difficulty was generally consistent with the trip rating, although one portion of the return climb into Saluda was extremely challenging for everyone.  Most riders relied on Ride with GPS for guidance, which worked fine.  Paper cue sheets sent out by the leaders sometimes differed from RWGPS directions, which was confusing but not fatal.  The RWGPS directions and route maps contained more detail than the paper route maps so RWGPS was the best tool to navigate the routes. 

                The ride leaders’ skills were severely tested by seven days of rain.  The rain began on the arrival day (a Sunday) and continued through the following Friday, with an additional downpour on Saturday as we rode into Saluda.  Disruptions were unavoidable:  fog limited visibility, and rain and wet leaves made some descents on steep, winding mountain roads too treacherous to attempt.  Our leaders wisely offered riders the option to shuttle from Asheville to Brevard; picked up those who chose to ride at the highest point of that day’s ride to avoid the long, steep downhill into Brevard; and organized transportation for everyone from Brevard to Greenville.  They also arranged takeout meals for the group in Brevard and Saluda, which saved us from having to walk to town in the rain for dinner on our own.  While they couldn’t change the weather, the ride leaders held the group together until it cleared.

While the rain obscured what must have been spectacular views along the Blue Ridge Parkway and at other lookouts during the first week, even rainy rides through mountain forests and farmland can be charming.  And the clear, crisp fall days that came after the rain were glorious.  Autumn leaves were probably still two weeks away from their peak, but signs of the changing seasons were everywhere.  The routes meandered through forests, farmland and along rivers and streams, with frequent photo opportunities.  Traffic was light on most sections outside of towns, and in-town sections generally followed less-traveled back streets.