NC Photo Essay

My trip to the Pisgah National Forest was a great vacation. I know it was selfish of me to leave all my responsibilities back in Michigan while I rode 5 hrs a day and ate Thai food and drank lots of Starbucks in North Carolina. I got calls from friends while I was there, just to say "hi"; when I told them where I was and what I was up to, they seemed puzzled and concerned. Nothing to be puzzled or concerned over, I just wanted to ride. Maybe I got something from this trip that will help me make up for everything I neglected while I was gone. Anyway, here are my pictures:

North Carolina looks a lot like Northern Michigan, just a little more scenic.

Well, Like Michigan but with the odd cemetery here and there.

And rapids all over the place, actually not like Michigan at all.

There is the constant sound of rushing water.

The National Parks and Req. does a good job of protecting themselves from any liability by constantly reminding you that by riding the trails, you may very well die.

Photo Op.

Here is an abandoned air strip that is only accessible by trails. I am sure there is a story there.

The descents are crazy technical. I needed to take breaks on the down hills. The bikes of choice in North Carolina seem to be Foes full suspension bikes with through axles; perfect for descending but I have no idea how they lug a 40 pound bike up the trails. My 21 pound Felt felt about 21 pounds too heavy.

Some of the trails were smooth, solid rock.

Small lakes all over the place.

The vegetation was so thick the trails look like tunnels.

Small streams constantly crossed the trails. Some of the trails were small streams.

The trails all sparkle. It doesn't show up in pictures. You will have to take my word.

There are 100's of miles of trails but they are made up of 100 individual trails. This means every 4 or 5 minutes you need to decide which way to turn. I tried following maps locals drew on the back of bar napkins for me at first but it really got complicated so I started just making decisions on the fly. The trails are so well marked that it is difficult to get completely lost.

It is difficult to see the mountains because the trees were so thick. This is the best I could do.

The trails were...I duno, different, like they were fabricated by Disney.

My home away from home. It was foggy every morning.

Ditto.

Someone did a clever job of building bridges over the bigger streams with existing logs. The MMBA might learn something from this.

Lots of waterfalls. Very un-Michiganish.