Oh man, did I catch the day! The Blue Ridge, while an awesome road, is, IMHO, basically not worth going if you're going "high time" (from about May to Sept). It's just too crowded, there are very few passing lanes, the speed limit is 35 for a lot of it, and people aren't paying attention to the road, they're looking around.
The secret to the Blue Ridge, go when sections are closed. That keeps almost all the traffic off; I've had days where I've ridden 100 miles and saw 2-3 cars/bikes the entire time. Problem is, sometimes when it says "closed", it really means closed. Other times, you get there, gates are open, and the road is yours.
Anyway, had it almost to myself this time. Went up 80 to get on it, north almost to Blowing Rock, then back south to 181 to come back towards home (SC). 60's at the bottom, high 30's up on the ridge! All 4 seasons of weather within 20 miles. It was a blast.
I've started dropping a quick view of the map into my videos, if anyone wants the GPX track, just let me know. I just don't want all of Youtube to know exactly where my house is!
The secret to the Blue Ridge, go when sections are closed. That keeps almost all the traffic off; I've had days where I've ridden 100 miles and saw 2-3 cars/bikes the entire time. Problem is, sometimes when it says "closed", it really means closed. Other times, you get there, gates are open, and the road is yours.
Anyway, had it almost to myself this time. Went up 80 to get on it, north almost to Blowing Rock, then back south to 181 to come back towards home (SC). 60's at the bottom, high 30's up on the ridge! All 4 seasons of weather within 20 miles. It was a blast.
I've started dropping a quick view of the map into my videos, if anyone wants the GPX track, just let me know. I just don't want all of Youtube to know exactly where my house is!
