Welcomed by Tennessee.
My first night in Tennessee could not have been better. After a long days ride from Keener, Alabama through the corner of Georgia and into Chattanooga, TN, I showed up at the base of Lookout Mountain. This particular mountain sits on the edge of Chattanooga about 1000 feet higher than the city and provides for some unmatched views of the Tennessee River, downtown Chattanooga and the surrounding mountains. Using all the energy I could muster up, I pedaled to the summit of the mountain, in hopes of getting some great views for the sunset... and it ended up paying off. Some how I ended up camping in an empty lot, among multi-million dollar houses with a killer view of Chattanooga right out my tent door... I still don’t know how I pulled it off. I spent the evening exploring Point Park, reading up on my civil war history, seeing spots where major battles had been fought and shooting photos of the famous Moccasin Bend on the Tennessee River.
Waking up to an impressive sunrise over Chattanooga, TN camped on top of Lookout Mountain.
Starting the descent from Lookout Mountain with some warm morning light.
From Chattanooga, I headed northeast towards the Great Smoky Mountains. After I got out of the suburbs and industry of the Chattanooga area the trees, running rivers and green pastures took over. Riding out of Cleveland, TN marked my arrival at the Appalachian Mountain Range I had pictured in my head leaving California. The Mountains and lakes started popping up everywhere and the hills got bigger. Although my stay in Tennessee was short it was memorable. My second and last night in the state I camped right on the beautiful Lake Ocoee. My free lakeside campground was one of the most enjoyable nights on the road to date. I spent an afternoon swimming, reading and working on the bike. From Lake Ocoee I followed the Ocoee River up through a rocky and tree-lined gorge that reminded me of the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon. After climbing out of the gorge, I was only about ten miles to the state-line... a 10 miles full of long climbs and even longer descents.
The rig posing in the Tennessee countryside.
Mountains on the horizon.
Doing some lakeside bike maintenance at Ocoee Lake.
Reluctant to leave one of my favorite campsites of the whole trip, I pedal on, up the Ocoee Gorge.
One of a couple dams built along the Ocoee River.
The fruits of a long climb. Descending into Ducktown, TN.
Arriving in North Carolina the hills continued to grow in both elevation and length. After every hard earned summit I felt like the Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains were right around the corner. My first day in North Carolina I ended up making it as far as the Nantahala Gorge, a river basin that is famous among white-water enthusiasts. I Followed the river road as far as a small town named Wesser. Having no luck finding a place to camp earlier in the evening, I walked up to a guy with a tent in his yard and inquired about any local campgrounds. Turned out his yard was the local campground as he kindly offered me a spot to camp for the night. Charlie lived right on the Nantahala River and was a laid-back dude, with lots of good stories to tell. After getting settled in, Charlie drove me up into the mountains to meet some friends. I ended up spending a memorable evening up in the mountains of “Appalachia” with new friends, sampling some 130 proof moonshine, listening to bluegrass and playing a game of mountain modified golf in which pallets were holes. Although I was tempted to stay on the river through the weekend and take in some more of the local culture, my restless legs and excitement to reach the Blue Ridge kept me moving.
Crossing into North Carolina, the 9th state of my journey.
Camping in the Nantahala Gorge, along the river. Thanks to Charlie for letting me post up in his yard for the night.
Riding out of the Nantahala Gorge only a couple hours from the start of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Stopped at the Nantahala Outdoor Center and saw multiple thru-hikers coming off the Appalachian Trail. If not so close to reaching the east coast I would be more tempted to ditch the bike and start hiking.
From the Nantahala Gorge I continued to climb up towards the Great Smoky Mountains. From Wesser, NC it was only a 30 mile ride to the start of the Blue Ridge Parkway, in the town of Cherokee. The short stretch took me through the town of Bryson City and some smaller sister towns of Cherokee. I arrived in Cherokee with almost a whole day to kill, and an evening of rain on the way. I managed to do some grocery shopping before the rain hit. I took shelter at a pizza buffet while the rain came down hard and then later in the evening I ended up finding a campground right along the river for 5 dollars... perfect.
A beautiful ride into the Smoky Mountain region.
Pretty satisfying seeing this sign coming up on the side of the road.
Riding into Cherokee, NC.
During breaks in the rain I explored Cherokee, finding this skate park. Kidney-shaped pool at the top, this seemingly perfect bowl in the middle and a street section at the bottom of the hill. Times like this I wish I had trucked along the extra 25 pounds of my bmx.
Hiding from the rain after eating more pizza then I ever thought I was capable of at a buffet in Cherokee.
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