Riding to Nebo

The cooler weather will be upon us soon so taking advantage of the nice temperatures is a must. The big issue, for me, is that in the Fall, it is also college football season (I have season tickets). This knocks out quite a few Saturdays for myself but it does leave Sundays open.

This past weekend, we were again lucky with nice weather and no rain. Although Saturday was a bust, I was determined to get in another long ride on Sunday. I have had a ride planned for quite some time that will take you from Wilkesboro, NC to Nebo, NC. This is not in the mountains which many flock to for twisties and cooler temperatures. The ride I planned stays in the foothills. From the map, it looked like there was plenty of good views but also some awesome roads.

The total ride for me was about 275 miles. Since I live in Concord, NC, I needed to get to Wilkesboro and then also get home from Nebo. When I left Sunday morning, I found an 86 mile route to Wilkesboro that I had not taken before.

The weather was VERY cloudy and temps were about 75 degrees. It took about 2 hours for the ride. The traffic was very light and the ride quite enjoyable. The goal was to get to Wilkesboro, take a break, and eat lunch at Dooley's Tavern. I arrived in Wilkesboro around 12:30 and had no problem finding a parking spot and getting into Dooley's for lunch.

The next leg of my ride leaves from Wilkesboro and terminates in Nebo.

From the map you can see it rides primarily along the foothills. You can see the mountains but never really climb them. The stats show a bit of elevation gain which did make the ride fun.

What surprised me the most was the twisty factor. These roads have got some turns! There are some sections MUCH twistier that others but overall, the thrill factor is there. The views are also very nice. If you were not looking at mountains, you had rocky streams or rivers to grab your attention. Add to that, you also have lakes and dams. I was really happy with this route. You never know when selecting a new set of roads and this one did not disappoint.

When in Nebo, I stopped for gas and then headed out on the third leg of the ride.

The last leg of my ride was very nice for the first third or so. After that, it began to get busy as we approached more congested areas and of course, Lake Norman. It was still not a bad ride but I think that was mainly due to it begin late Sunday afternoon.

I finally did arrive back home about 6:30. It was a great ride that included about 6 1/2 hours in the saddle. I will definitely be riding that Wilkesboro to Nebo stretch again as it was very exciting.