So, what about Ashville?

[PaulE]

Usually by now someone would post something. Anyone going to share their tales of glory and pictures from Ashville so those of us who were unable to attend can feel worse about missing it? And more determined to make the next one!

Or, is it going to be what happened in Ashville, stays in Ashville? :)

[WadePatton]

What? there's no "How we got wet and dodged lightning strikes in WNC" thread up yet?

That's what I hear. Small bunch and dampness.

I didn't make it this time, but will try harder next time.

And by try harder, I mean damn-the-torpedoes I'm going. :banana:

[zap]

If you can get to it, the "other" forum has a thread.

[PaulE]

If you can get to it, the "other" forum has a thread.

I'll check it out. I applied last Friday but haven't heard if I'm accepted yet. Maybe no response means no.

[zap]

My apologies for not understanding, but what do you mean by "I applied last Friday ....".

[dekindy]

My apologies for not understanding, but what do you mean by "I applied last Friday ....".

A lot of website groups screen/appove users registrations for many reasons ranging from security to site usage volume limitations due to server speed, intent of the group, etc. Registration and continued participation in any forum is at the discretion of the Administration. This oversight ranges from allowing immediate registration to carefully screened registrations.

[zap]

One can still view the forum. Just can't post until approved.

[PaulE]

My apologies for not understanding, but what do you mean by "I applied last Friday ....".

Well I registered and got an email back saying they received my registration request. Then it went on to say...

"Before you can login and start using the forum, your request will be reviewed and approved. When this happens, you will receive another email from this address."

[Ginger]

my digi cam was lost for part of the trip...so the usual very well photo documented trip? This wasn't it. But I will post up something soon...getting a house ready to sell is taking up some time.

So...Let's see.
I worked too much so I didn't get down there til Friday morning.

Ate lunch at 12 Bones Bar-B-Que. If you get to Asheville on a weekday between 11 and 3 do yourself a favor and eat there (but don't bother with the mac-n-cheese) It's all about the meat...yummy.

Friday afternoon was HOT and beautiful, but FMS_rider and I bowed out of part the planned group ride due to the heat. The 4 J's evidently had a great time with their climbing.

Saturday FMS rider went off and did a loop and didn't get rained on at all.
The four J's did an out and back on the parkway and got stuck in the rain. I did my own out and back on the parkway and also got soaked. As I was packing up my bike into my car, a guy on a colnago stops by right when some lightning hit very closeby. I offered him space in my car til the storm blew through. So my car got totally soaked. Then the 4 Js blasted past and the colnago dude decided if they could ride in that, he could, so off he went.

Dinner at the Laughing Seed, Excellent vegetarian food, but their gluten free is not gluten free (oddly...the bar-b-que was even though it didn't claim so)

I bummed around a bit Sunday morning and afternoon then headed home, I think FMS rider was out for a ride, and perhaps Musgravecycles as well...

So...there ya go.

It was fabu. You should have been there!

[Lifelover]

I'll check it out. I applied last Friday but haven't heard if I'm accepted yet. Maybe no response means no.


Just log in. The second email never comes.

Be prepare for a lot of reloads. For me the pages fail about 25% of the time. I'm on a Mac so that might impact it.

[Ginger]

Just log in. The second email never comes.

Be prepare for a lot of reloads. For me the pages fail about 25% of the time. I'm on a Mac so that might impact it.


It just needs to be on a faster server, which is in the works. Perhaps Monday.



If you're in Asheville and you like Icecream, go here:

Ultimate Ice Cream Co.
1070 Tunnel Rd

828-296-1234

I had some of their icecream on Sunday and it was FANTASTIC.
Yummy.

[Fixed]

my digi cam was lost for part of the trip...so the usual very well photo documented trip? This wasn't it. But I will post up something soon...getting a house ready to sell is taking up some time.

So...Let's see.
I worked too much so I didn't get down there til Friday morning.

Ate lunch at 12 Bones Bar-B-Que. If you get to Asheville on a weekday between 11 and 3 do yourself a favor and eat there (but don't bother with the mac-n-cheese) It's all about the meat...yummy.

Friday afternoon was HOT and beautiful, but FMS_rider and I bowed out of part the planned group ride due to the heat. The 4 J's evidently had a great time with their climbing.

Saturday FMS rider went off and did a loop and didn't get rained on at all.
The four J's did an out and back on the parkway and got stuck in the rain. I did my own out and back on the parkway and also got soaked. As I was packing up my bike into my car, a guy on a colnago stops by right when some lightning hit very closeby. I offered him space in my car til the storm blew through. So my car got totally soaked. Then the 4 Js blasted past and the colnago dude decided if they could ride in that, he could, so off he went.

Dinner at the Laughing Seed, Excellent vegetarian food, but their gluten free is not gluten free (oddly...the bar-b-que was even though it didn't claim so)

I bummed around a bit Sunday morning and afternoon then headed home, I think FMS rider was out for a ride, and perhaps Musgravecycles as well...

So...there ya go.

It was fabu. You should have been there!
bro what could be better riding with the forum bros ,,, beautiful american countryside riding and great food
cheers

[Ginger]

bro what could be better riding with the forum bros ,,, beautiful american countryside riding and great food
cheers

Yeah, it was fantastic and I'm sad it's over...

www.12bones.com

[hypnos]

I did not decide to make the trip until Wednesday mid-morning. The drive from Rochester, NY took thirteen hours and I did not arrive until 1:00 AM. Thursday morning I did a 1:40 out/back on the Parkway. The Blue Ridge Parkway offers some great cycling. The rest of the day was spent sight-seeing at the Biltmore Estate and in Downtown Asheville. Found a very good wine bar in the Grove Arcade.

On Friday I visited Mount Mitchell but the clouds interfered with much of the views at the summit. Should have brought the bike and pedaled to the top.... next time. Later in the afternoon I met Justin, Josh, Jason, Ginger and Lew for a ride. Lew elected to bow-out due to the heat, and Ginger went her own way shortly after. The loop we took was outlined in an earlier thread. This ride offered several memorable moments. Firstly, TooTall gave me a quick schooling in the art of urban assault riding in a congested area. The big climb up 151 was awesome and provided an up-close view of the local wildlife when a black bear crossed 20 yards in front of Josh and me. After reaching the top of 151, we had a really sweet descent which seemed to go on for 10-11 miles. This flat-lander has never used his small ring so much.

Saturday morning the four J's did a 40 mile out and back on the Parkway, the last 7 miles in a thunder storm. It was fun. Josh, Justin and Jason were very kind and waited several times for me to catch up. Not only are they stronger than me, but my highest gear is 50x13, so they crush me on the descents. After our ride, I cleaned up, scored some ribs at 12 Bones, checked out the local artist scene and met the gang for dinner.

The entire trip was great. Asheville is a lovely place with lots to do. If/when I return, I'll definitely return to the Laughing Seed for a veggie meal. If you like real Italian food, not the American Italian stuff, then try Cucina 24, right next-door to the Laughing seed.... two thumbs up!

Jeff

[FMS_rider]

Asheville was a wonderful new experience for me. Sue (my highly significant other) took some pictures at dinner Saturday --as soon as I get my head above water at work I will post those with comments (but don't worry tt, I won't include your quote that will only live in infamy in the minds of the attendees). I will also include accounts of the rides I did, one of which was the most memorable of my life.

Lew

[Dave B]

anybody ride in the mountains? on a trail?! ;)

Nobody went to the Asheville Brewing Co?

You folks missed out. Good eats and drinks!

[Ginger]

anybody ride in the mountains? on a trail?! ;)

Nobody went to the Asheville Brewing Co?


It isn't gluten free. You've been to 12bones, right? And the laughing seed? Yeah...I don't think we missed out at all.

[Dave B]

Mtbing is gluten free! :D

Did not know or remember about issues with gluten free. No worries only fun and jesting.

[FMS_rider]

The pictues below are the gang on our way from dinner at the Laughing Seed on Sat night to a nearby world class chocolate shop where we all got stoned. Picture #1 from right to left: Jason (Musgrave Cycles) with his wife and daughter (sorry, the half-life of my name-recall is a few seconds --see thought bubble in picture), Josh (Too Tall, pretending that he is not), Jeff (Hypos with the Swiss Cheese avatar that he insists is Sponge Bob), Mary Ann (Ginger), and some old bum who butted in. Picture #2 is the latest in the series of photos of Mary Ann with bike builders; in this case Jason who worked in a frame shop in Michigan for 7 years and will be opening his own shop in the Asheville area in the near future (here’s a link to one of his bikes --the beauty he was riding at the Gathering ( http://serotta.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43928 ). Picture #3 is Mary Ann taking pity on the old bum who once had a dream of building bikes and thought he deserved a picture and a hug (as you can see, Josh did not agree). Justin (Justinf) (the 4th member of the now-famous 4-J’s (see post #9 in this thread) was unable to make it to dinner on Saturday. Debbie(??) who made the trip with Jeff from Rochester NY, and Sue who drove the bum from Madison WI, were both taking pictures (Sue took the ones posted here).

Since it was too hot for my old body to do rides with the group at a civilized hour (I bailed after 25 mins on the Fri afternoon ride at 88deg with full sun), I did solo rides starting in the wee hours of the morning on Sat and Mon. Here are brief accounts of those rides:

Ride #1 on Saturday: This one was taken directly from the Blue Ridge Cycling Club’s ride list ( http://www.blueridgebicycleclub.org/ ), click on cue sheets and scroll down to the Mt. Pisgah Ride (one of 2 rides listed under Hayward County) to download a map and profile). This ride was an exciting venture. I joined the route near Candler and did the loop on the map that goes up 151 to the Blue Ridge Parkway, over the shoulder of Mt Pisgah on the Parkway, down 276 and back through Canton to Candler. The climb up 151, which the 4 Js and Mary Ann did on Fri afternoon, was the high point --the steep part (#67 in: http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=41676&page=5&pp=15 ) is a narrow road through deep forest with overhanging trees that climbs steadily at a moderately steep angle up to the Parkway. Perhaps the best part of the climb was the complete silence --only one car and one motorcycle briefly interrupted the sounds of nature. I was not lucky enough to encounter a bear as did Jason and Jeff on Saturday (see #14 in this thread), and had to settle for a squirrel.

The route continues past Mt Pisgah on the Parkway where I did a short steep climb up to a parking lot with trailheads (turn is on the left just before the designated lookout). The sign says 4980 ft and there is a panoramic view of the mountains in one direction and the summit of Mt. Pisgah, seemingly at arms length, in the other. The climbing continues uninterrupted on the Parkway to the vicinity of the Pisgah Inn, then levels near the Rte 276 exit. The descent on 276 was something of an adventure --steep with lots of poorly banked turns that suddenly appeared through the trees, a web of longitudinal cracks of varying width with an occasional missing chunk of pavement. The most entertaining part of that descent is the several road-warriers-like motorcyclist’s enclaves consisting of dilapidated buses, metal shipping containers(?), and even a large trailer with a huge gaping hole in the side that looked like it had been blown out with a bomb (meth lab explosion?). There also was a pair of large boxers who have the interception of cyclists down to a fine art --they silently accelerated to full speed under cover before flying at me from the side with one taking aim at my front wheel and the other at my rear (a bit traumatic because I am still recovering from a high speed take-down by a Border Collie last fall). On the way back from Canton to Candler I called Sue to let her know I would be arriving shortly, and she informed me that there was a cats and dogs thunderstorm underway in Asheville --the one that soaked the 4 J’s to the bone on the Parkway (#9 in this thread). She offered to pick me up, which I agreed to so she wouldn't worry (only reason, of course). She arrived when the storm was literally a few hundred yards away and I remained dry as a bone (Mother Nature knows when you have a rain jacket in your pocket).

Sunday was Sue’s day. We spent much of the afternoon at the Biltmore House and grounds, with a special surprise bonus --free admission for me because it was Father’s Day. I have to admit that I only went because Sue has been excited about visiting it ever since I mentioned that there was going to be a gathering in Asheville, but I enjoyed it --particularly the architectural drawings, the huge photographs in the basement that document the construction in the 1890s, and the views from the upper floors. After dinner we drove north on the Parkway to where it is blocked before Mt Mitchell --the many scenic lookouts and the profusion of wild flowers, including Mountain Laurel, were a wonderful treat.

Ride # 2 on Monday: After having an exceedingly difficult time on ride #1 trying to route-find on the small roads that parallel the flat part of 151, I decided to do a short (~35 mile) straightforward ride on larger roads for my final ride. We were staying at the Hampton Inn on 191 so I rode south on the Blue Ridge Parkway from the 191 entrance to route 151. That stretch is largely uphill at a moderate angle and not as picturesque as in the northern direction, but has one really exciting feature: EIGHT (or thereabouts) TUNNELS! A couple of them are sufficiently long and curved that it is pitch black inside when your eyes are adapted to bright light (at least when they are old eyes that accommodate slowly) --disturbingly disorienting. I had a small flashing headlight so oncoming cars could see me, but the tunnel walls were virtually invisible. The high point was when a car passed me from behind with its lights off --presumably guided by a young pair of eyes that could see the tunnel as well as my flashing tail light, but the old bum on the bike nearly tottered into the wall. In the 3rd or 4th tunnel I discovered that if I angled my mini light down and to the right, and switched it to continuous mode I could see the white line at the shoulder (less adventuresome but safer). NOW FOR THE HIGH POINT: THE DESCENT ON 151! An unbelievable thrill --perfect pavement and banking so even an old guy could let’er rip at 40+ mph. The return from 151 to the Hampton Inn was less than memorable --traffic, construction, and broken pavement on an ill-chosen shortcut --but that was quickly forgotten.

Basically I can’t wait to return to Asheville. Many thanks to Mary Ann, Justin, Jason and anyone else who assisted in the planning! (And special thanks to Jason who warned of the need for lights in the tunnels!) My only regrets are that it was such unseasonably hot weather that I couldn’t ride with the group, that I didn’t have a camera on Friday to photograph the bikes (Jason’s own-brand Zero, Josh’s new red Vanilla, Mary Ann’s Kirk #22, Justin’s Colnago, and Jeff’s and my Legends), and that I missed out on Too Tall’s urban assault riding tutorial that Jeff received on Friday.

Lew