3hrs

I was able to get a 3 hr ride on saturday. I had to be creative in order to do that though.  

I headed up to the parkway on my mtn bike and towards Bent Creek.  The 4 inches of powder offered enough traction that I could get a steady pace.  The wind was blowing hard and it would be difficult to stay warm if I stopped.  That is why I didn't take any pictures. 

The normally black pavement with a double yellow line down the middle, was a carpet of white.  There were a couple sets of mtn bike tracks, lots of footprints and a couple of cross country ski tracks.  I imagined what it would be like if the Asheville area had a place like this year round.  5 miles of pavement to walk, run, skate ride etc.  Or if the economy got so bad that part of the parkway was closed to motor vehicles.  hmmmm.

I rode on past the intersection of 191 and decided to climb up the parkway instead of going into the Arboretum and up Hardtimes rd.

I spotted another mtn biker up the hill and set a steady but not too hard of a pace.  I caught him where the road bent around the mountain and the snow had drifted deeper.  He was single speeding and had to walk.  I shifted into my easiest gear and spun through it. 

Once I got to the Hardtimes rd intersection, I decided to turn around and head back.  The gravel road had about 6-8 inches of crunchy snow that was unrideable. 

So, I backtracked.  I held a steady pace and enjoyed being outside, in the sunshine.  By the time I crossed Hwy 25,  the road had been plowed.  Combined with the suns rays, the leftover powder had melted and mixed with the "salt" that had been spread.  I'm not sure what is in that stuff, but I kept my mouth closed and tried to stay out of it.  

I figured I could ride to the Folk Art Center and back and get another hour.  But I was getting cold, and I ride that way a lot, and don't want to get tired of riding that section.  I opted to head home, with 2 hrs 15 mins.  Not quite what I wanted.  But as I pulled up to my house, I decided to get on the rollers for 45 minutes to round out 3 hrs. 

So, I got a decent ride in on Sat.  Then on Sunday I  got cross training in the way of cutting and chopping firewood.  

Have a great day.