Day Two - Weathering Our Way to Blowing Rock
The weather gods were not kind to us this morning. We started off in serious rain. By the time we got to the first available coffee and hot chocolate stop, we were all digging through the van looking for an extra layer.
Riding in the rain is like riding in a wet suit. You're not going to stay dry. What you try and do is have enough layers so that your body heat warms up the clothing to insulate you from the cold. Of course we all wear breathable fabrics and the like. They just help get the balance right.
The hard part is that when you stop to add a layer, that layer is dry. Your mind goes, "I could be dry too." Knowing that you're going to put this dry layer on top of or underneath already wet layers like a soaked jersey is the right thing to do, you just don't want to believe it.
So after most of us added a layer, we had hot chocolate and coffee and continued onward. The good news is that the rain slowed down and then stopped. We had clouds and wisps of clouds over the mountains as we rode. That was quite pretty.
As the only non-Southerner on this trip, small things stand out. For example, in the Sierra's we have plenty of signs warning about "Falling" rocks. Here they have signs for "Fallen" rocks. It probably makes more sense as I've always wondered in the Sierra's if your supposed to look up and somehow dodge them as they're coming down.
The other differences is there are no passes out here; just gaps. We had a terrific downhill coming into Deep Gap which worried me because that implies a steep climb out. Actually it's rare to get above a 6% grade on this road. The Blue Ridge Highway is a as it sounds: a ridge road that skirts along the top of the hills as it meanders south.
Tonight we're staying at a more traditional hotel rather than Granny's II. Nice change and with wifi, this post should be up tonight.
