Trail Report, Southern Appalachia:

I took vacation last week and visited several trails between here and North Carolina. First was a visit to Atlanta, where we stayed with an old college teammate. A-rod's pad was filled with a well-refined collection of bikes, and a custom-built classic tandem. He's crafty with the Dremel, as seen by the hand crafted dropout adapters. After staying overnight, we got directions to the Yellow River mountain bike trails and headed towards Stone Mountain, after, of course, a hearty breakfast at the Flying Biscuit! The facilities at the trailhead here were outstanding, and the trails varied, but were suitable for singlespeeders.

We packed up after that ride and drove to some real mountains, and made it to the Nantahala Outdoor Center for dinner. After hearing bagpipes on the river and finishing our onion rings, we set up at the Tsali campground and huddled in the tent for what turned out to be the coldest night yet this year. After finding my tent was only mostly waterproof, and we were underprepared for the cold, we welcomed the mid-morning sun, and took to the trail. This is a familiar trail to me, and one I think every mountain biker should visit if they come to western North Carolina.



Our next stop took us to Asheville, where we stayed at the Sweet Biscuit Inn, a bed and breakfast at a hilltop location in an old neighborhood. I recommend this place to anyone wanting to stay near downtown Asheville. The rooms are comfortable, the food is plentiful, the decor tasteful, and the hosts fun and personable.



For riding near Asheville, Bent Creek experimental forest is the popular destination. This was my second visit here, and the trails were far more awesome than I remember. I like the mostly groomed, but still a little gnarly style to these trails. You can't be a singlespeeder and be a sissy and expect to not push on these trails. I pushed, but did the Lower Sidehill trail twice because it was so fun coming down.



Our last ride was at a new destination for me, the Dupont State forest. I've heard this called the "Moab of the East", and while I've just driven through Moab, and only ridden one afternoon's worth of trails here, I suspect it is an exaggeration. There were some rock slabs and trails across the balds, but less the roller-coaster feel of Moab's slickrock. I'll go back though and do more exploring, because the waterfall views were awesome, and the sheer number of trails impressive. It was good to see some friends in Brevard, and if you visit, check out the Duckpond Pottery's studio outside town.