North Cackalacky in Review

Furlough Day?  Not for me.  Whole wheat bread, pumpkin muffins and Ranger Cookies with cranberries, raisins, oats, nuts, chocolate and coconut.  We met these super nice Canadians in the lot of our most epic and fun day (excellent Canadians were the definite theme of the trip) and this one guy forced these amazing treats on us - Jim offered my cookies up for trade - I felt pretty good about that.  I planned really well with food this trip - planned the meals before getting there and did not have to go to a store once aside for needing beer and ice.  I'd do it again that way in a minute.

This is how he rolls.  Not even out of Maine yet and he is pounding...water.  Yup, Jimmy could not find his water bottle, so he opted for a GLASS Absolut bottle - PERFECT for getting us pulled over.  We did not get pulled over, but maybe we should have?  (He has since strapped duct tape over the vodka word and capped out the word WATER - so now it reads "Absolut Water" - he is quite pleased with himself - as he is here in this photo.)

First morning walk in NC.  This is the Davidson River.  We swam in here a bunch, much to the locals concern.  They thought it was too cold.  It was cold - for sure - but we have both swam in colder.

So this is the English Chapel at the Davidson River campground.  We got super spooked when we hit town, pulled into the bike shop and were told there have been a lot of desperate people breaking into cars.  JUST what we wanted to hear.  We opted for the low crime rate of a National Forest campground and had a toilet to flush AND hot showers - damn.  So the whole campground is big - really big - and it used to be a farm back in the day.  Really pretty place and so nice to feel that history while spending time there.  About 50-70 people lived there in the early 1900's.  The building behind it was their one-room school house. 

This is the "Exercise Path" that runs right by the old school house - it runs for miles - right along the river.

This was the ride on Monday.  We rode on Sunday - scooped up a super fun trail that is seasonal - it was going to be closed for the season the next day. So the owner of The Hub told us that if we were riding that day (Sunday) that it was a must ride (every other time - once that trail is closed because of the hiker traffic - it is a killer climb out of the loop).  Man, I took that man's advice EVERY time he gave it and it paid off.  I rallied Jim for the Sunday afternoon ride (after setting up camp and drinking one beer at the shop) and it was SO MUCH FUN.  The riding in Pisgah is so much fun.  So. Much. Fun.  And this ride - the one where I took this photo on Monday, well this one was what they call a "beginner" trail in Pisgah - a 10 mile loop riding over and around 3000 foot mountains - long fire road climb and then a very fun downhill. 

No biking allowed on this trail, but a pretty sweet rock face.  This is called Looking Glass mountain.  I wanted to hike it with Dixie, but man, every local I talked to advised me not to be in the woods alone.  What the hell?!  I did not take their advice (because I NEED alone time - I need time where I am off on my own thinking my thoughts, moving my pace, hanging with my dog) but I did walk with a very suspicious vibe (I hate that).  I never saw anyone who made me uncomfortable and I always had my mace at the ready.  Instead of crazies, I met really nice, active people out running or walking their dog or other benign activities.  I like to think the best about human kind and not live in fear.  Worrying is praying for what you don't want, focusing all that energy in a negative direction - not my style at all.  It was tough to shake all these little comments I got from the Campground Host, but I did spend some nice moments alone.  Not this one though - this one was with my number one.

See the trail behind him?  There is really nice, flowy riding and then there are these scary bridges that both Jimmy and I walked.  Don't want to ruin a vacation because we are too proud to know our limits.

We spent our whole vacation in Transylvania County and there are hundreds (over 250) of waterfalls there.  Super scenic.  And Brevard is where part of the sucky movie "The Hunger Games" was filmed.  (The book was solid - very interesting - but the movie was teen puke spittle.)

This is Dixie and Jim's new move.  He scratches her neck and she first puts one front leg up and then the other - then she just sits there and blisses out.

One of my beautiful solo walks.  River on my right - rhododendron tunnels ahead - happy dog.

The leaves are much more developed down there than they are up here right now.

Was on the wrong trail.  Gotta love the wrong trail when I get a shot like this one.  Devil inside.

Still on that same solo walk - big tongued happy girl.

Wildflowers.  So happy.

Super straight trees - the woods were so pretty at this time in the late afternoon.

Next day's ride.  Jimmy doing a little bike maintenance.

More trail shots.  Pics just don't do the riding justice.

What do you do when it is forecasted to POUR buckets?  Drink in the tent, on the porch.  See Dixie all balled up in the tent, on her dog bed?  Bushmills on the rocks.  Uh huh.  Oh yeah.

One of the 250.

The MOST fun day of all.  Dupont State Forest - oh.my.god.  Slick rock, climbing, super fast, super buffed out single track, fast fast fast downhills.  This place has 90 miles of mountain biking trails.  We rode about 25 this day and were sad that we were tired.  We will hit this hard next year.

Trail Sign at an Intersection - Dupont State Forest.

With the rain, some of my stuff got wet.  Had to spend a day or so drying it out - sweaters on the dash, backpack over the seat, etc.  This is where Miss Dixie hid when the 8-12 Canadians from Ottawa pulled in and started cracking MGDs.  Thought of my dear ol' dad for a couple of reasons there.

Camp.  So nice.  After riding Dupont, we had a killer dinner at the site.  Our neighbors were also from Canada - Ottawa again, I think - and they were the nicest people.  Super friendly and kind - they are rock climbers enjoying time with their new baby.  Canadians are so freaking nice - I love it.  Every time I drive through there (heading out west) I am struck by how friendly and light they are.  And this trip was no different.  Perhaps it has something to do with their government.  Pascal and Sue were spending their 55 days together.  By law, if I understand it correctly, their jobs must give them 55 days off (BOTH of them) to spend as a family since they had the baby.  And I don't think they need to take it at any specific time - because the baby was about 5 months old or so.  They were camping and climbing and being kind and happy.  I can't even believe I am Canadian genetically - I WISH I could be that nice!  They were awesome.  We hung out talking a couple of times and they gave us all their wood when they headed out to Western TN because the weather was not so good in NC.

Our LAST fire on our last night - burning the last of the kind Canadians' wood they had gathered.  What a killer trip.  I love my husband so much and so appreciate that he loves to ride bikes as much as I do.  Getting out in the woods is what it is all about for me and spending time with him while sweating, laughing, pushing hard and seeing the same sites makes me SO GRATEFUL.  Love love love.  It is always a push to get down there, but damn, it is so worth it!  Until next year North Cackalacky.  Love ya.