Fancy Gap - Day 2

It was a bit cool last night. I am not sure but it got really close to the 30s. The sun does not rise until about 7:45 so it stays cold for a long time in the morning. I planned on heading out about 9 but changed my plans to 10 since I wanted it to warm up just a bit more. I really did not have a hard and fast schedule so an hour later would not make any difference.

I covered my bike last night and glad I did. The cover was quite wet. I took the cover off and laid it on the porch to dry. I made coffee and at my breakfast on the porch. It is a bit chilly outside. While on the porch, I reviewed my route for the day.

The first half of the day would take me to Tazewell and do the Back of the Dragon. The second half of the day would take another route over the mountains and back to Fancy Gap. The day was starting to look great (lots of sunshine) and it was getting warmer. I went inside and suited up for the cooler temperatures.

I got started just a bit past 10am. The campground is really close to the Blue Ridge Parkway and that was where this route was starting. I had about 28 miles on the parkway and then would begin to head North towards Tazewell.

I left the campground and jumped on the parkway via a side road. I am buzzing along and get to the first turnout and decided to take a picture. I got back on the parkway and came to one of the intersections (these are like exit ramps) and noticed a small sign that said the parkway was closed. Before I began planning this route, I checked on the government site and it stated:

Parkway closure for all users in closed areas

So where are the closed areas? They have this huge section closed but only for a small portion in Virginia in the area I am riding. I rode on the parkway for a while going around some cones, etc. If there was a bridge out or whatever, could turn around. I did hit one area where the road was completely barricaded. I would switch to the small side road and then hop back on at times. Finally I just took NC 18 the last 13 miles to hookup with my original route. What a total cluster this was.

While on the parkway, I did come across a family of raccoons crossing the road. They looked surprised to see me. I guess they knew the road was closed and were taking advantage of it. The other thing I noticed is that the leaves were not at peak. I think I missed it by 7-10 days. There are still a lot of leaves left (about 40-50%) making it a beautiful ride but you can see a lot of trees that are bare. Still makes for a great view!

On the ride up to Marion, I saw just a small portion of the devastation from Helene. I crossed one big river and both banks have debris everywhere - even in the trees. You can tell that the water was high as the ground itself is clean and bare as if someone vacuumed or raked the grass. It is very eerie looking.

The other thing I noticed was just the sheer volume of trees that are down. Riding down the road, it seemed like every 100 feet another tree had been across the road. These have all been cut just to the side of the road to allow traffic to pass but the remaining trunk, etc. still remains. Looking higher up, there are just tons and tons of trees down everywhere. It reminded me of driving down to Florida after Michael. The good news is that the further north I went, the less damage there seemed to be. This is just a taste and it looked bad.

The other thing I noticed was the number of trucks carrying cut Christmas trees. I also passed MANY tree farms as well. Then it dawned on me. All those stands that sell fresh cut North Carolina/Virginia Christmas trees...how fresh are they really? I mean all those trees I saw would be 2 months old by the time December 25th arrives. Be like me...I have a fake one. No needles or stringing lights!

I finally arrive in Marion and got on the Back of the Dragon. I had no idea what to expect. One thing I can say is that there was not any traffic. The road was in good condition but there are spots that could use a make over. Also, in some sections, the turns are VERY tight and blind turns. You cannot hit these with any speed. I was not pushing myself on the twisties but just wanted to ride the road. The road is a very nice drive but there was a lot of debris. Mainly leaves but with so many leaves, it is hard to distinguish anything else. Also, some spots of the road were still damp and if I remember from mountain biking, wet leaves and turns do not mix. I took it slow and had a wonderful time taking in the view. I eventually made it to Tazewell and hit the Back of Dragon Brewery.

I had to take some pictures here but planned on eating at another local restaurant called The Front Porch on Main. It was only .3 miles down the road so I rode down there for some lunch.

It was not crowded and the weather was so nice, I opted to eat outside. I got the Chicken Salad with Onion Rings AND I was not disappointed. Huge portions. All homemade and not that pricey. What a fantastic lunch on a wonderful fall day.

Here is the map and stats from this portion of the ride.

At one point I stopped. There were three work trucks in front of me so I found a pull out and waited to give them time to get out of the way. Quite a few changes in elevation and the speeds were not that high (some because of the road terrain and others by choice). Still was a great ride.

From here, it is back to the campground. I was taking all kinds of back roads. I know it will be fun when there is a sign that says:

Trucks and RVs over 32 feet not advised to take this route

And those signs are not wrong. Here is picture of what most of these roads looked like while going up and down the mountain.

Some sections of the road were skinnier. I am not sure how wide this road is because of the leaves. I do know there is a ditch on the mountain side and a drop off on the other. While going down one section of the mountain, it was nothing but switch backs for over a mile. First gear the whole way down. The turns were VERY tight and covered with debris (leaves, branches, etc). Still was a great ride.

After two mountain passed, the road began to return to a "normal" two lane road. Again I had to bypass the Blue Ridge Parkway (wink) to get back to the campground. I got back about 5:30-6.

First thing I did was take a shower. I wanted to take it while it was still somewhat warm outside. I will admit, the showers here are VERY nice. This is a great campground. Once I got cleaned, I headed back and made dinner. I was not really that hungry since that lunch was huge but I made some noodles and a drink. Once that was done, cleaned up, and got on the computer.

What a great day riding with some fantastic roads and wonderful views.