Finishing out the Blue Ridge

Hey everyone, so after the Biltmore we went on an adventure to look for the cheapest but also non-sketchy hotel possible. After looking for a good 40 minutes we decided to just stay at a dirt cheap motel owned by a lovely married couple. The room was so dirt cheap, that it actually had a closet door that opened up to dirt and rocks. It would have been a perfect place for Al Capone when he had to "take care of someone." The hotel even had the signature creepy animal roaming around the grounds. There was a white cat that meowed hauntingly throughout the night and it scared everyone.
Despite all of this we all had a good night sleep, especially Peter. Peter was feeling well enough to become the day's Iron Man. After a quick breakfast, Conway, Capel, and Peter set off for on the first leg. They met me (George) and Ty at this awesome bike/bar shop 25 miles down the road. The shop was awesome in many ways, mainly because it included a bar that served beers on Sunday. But it was also clutch because Peter was having chain problems on his bike and they were able to fix it quickly. This great bike shop was called The Hub and it was joined with Backcountry Outdoors. We highly recommend stopping in if you're in the Pisgah Forest area.
After enjoying a few beers at the shop, Peter, Conway, and Ty set up to take on a 4500 ascent into the mountains. Meanwhile, Capel and I found a sweet spot to set up our hammocks and take a cat nap. A quick hour and a half later, the biking crew met us at the top of mountain for food and drinks. At this point, Peter had biked around 40 miles and he had 60 to go. For dramatic purposes; we weren't sure if he was going to make it but we all believed in him.
The third leg of the trip was biked by Peter, Ty, and me. At this point we were back on Blue Ridge Parkway and enjoying the beautiful mountains and scenery. The road was a bit more packed since it was Sunday but traffic was never a problem. At the final break before the campsite, we enjoyed a great overlook and took a few group pictures to remember the moment.
For final leg of yesterday's trip it was Peter and I. We had an amazing downhill that lasted for about ten minutes and included a cool tunnel. Ty was playing the role of cameraman and took some good pictures. There was one very difficult climb on the final leg but it did not stop Peter. He was able to overcome it and complete all of yesterday's journey. The final total was 99.7 miles. Yep, 99.7 miles. Peter then biked a little more to make it an even 100 miles.
After a long day of biking it was great to settle in at the Yogi in the Smokeys. The Yogi is referring to the lovable cartoon bear that we all enjoyed in years past. It was more of a trailer park than a campsite but everyone was really friendly and the bathroom facilities were comforting. It's strange that people come here to get away from it all, but they also want the amenities of an arcade room, pool, movie night, basketball courts, and a huge statue of Yogi Bear.
We did make the most of the campsite though. Capel made a great fire and Ty cooked a great dinner of shells and cheese and mini ravioli. We all slept well last night until this annoying, questionably blind, rooster started cockadoodle dooing at 3 in the morning. Its cockadoodles were loud and obnoxious. Despite the rooster's best attempt at getting us to wake up sleepy, he failed and we are ready for another great adventure!

J Schaff