With just one day left until I reach my destination of Asheville, North Carolina I would like to remind everyone that you can donate to the Make-A-Wish Foundation by clicking the link on the right side of the page. It is very easy to donate and every little bit helps. You may also choose which chapter you would like to donate to. Thank you all who have donated already, it means a lot to me and it means a lot to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and most importantly the children who are granted wishes and there families.
Thank you, Kevin Citta
September 18th
Woke up to a nice sunny Sunday and had a delicious breakfast at the Hilton Garden Inn in Gatlinburg, TN. I wasn't much in the mood for going over the mountain pass and had quite a bit I wanted to get done online so I asked the front desk if I could stay one more night. They said it was no problem, thanks Gatlinburg Hilton Garden Inn!!! I met Connie from the Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce so she could take some photos in front of the hotel. Really nice to meet you Connie, thanks again for everything!!! I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon at the hotel working on my last blog update and doing some job/home searching in Asheville. Late afternoon I was getting hungry so I took the short walk to the Smoky Mountain Brewery. Both the beer and the food were very tasty! I watched some football, sampled the 9 beers, and ate a Philly cheese steak before heading out. Just a short walk up the street was NOC's Great Outpost, a gigantic outdoors store. I was able to pick up some brake pads and then walked across the street for some groceries before heading back to the hotel. Took a nice nap, did some laundry, and relaxed getting to bed early for tomorrows climb over the mountain.
http://www.gatlinburg.com/
http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=GATGIGI
Thanks Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce!
Thanks Hilton Garden Inn Gatlinburg!
Nice spot to relax at the Hilton Garden Inn
Smoky Mountain Brewery
Good beer at the Smoky Mountain Brewery
Ober Gatlinburg aerial tram
In room fireplace at the Hilton Garden Inn
September 19th
Woke up feeling refreshed and ready to ride! After some tasty coffee and a muffin from the hotel I got packed up and hit the road. Just a mile or so into my ride I came across two bicyclists who also looked like they were on big trips. We talked for a bit and I learned that they had started there ride in Seaside, Oregon and were headed for the South Carolina coast. They had two more people in there group who were just a little bit ahead of us. The group was heading the same way as me so we rode most of the day together. It was fun to be with some fellow bikers! The day started out with a 14 mile climb to Newfound Gap, an elevation of 5,046 feet. We biked the busy road passing through 2 tunnels on a mostly cloudy but very comfortable day. By the time we reached the top of the mountain the sun came out and the view from the top was incredible! A ranger who I had met several days earlier talked with us at the top of the mountain and told us it was one of the clearest days he had seen in a while. Nice! After taking a nice break we headed down the mountain which was incredibly fun!! It was a nice long decent with high speeds and fun curves. The grade was gradual enough that you didn't have to brake or pedal and you could maintain a speed of around 39mph. Fun!! We all rode into the town of Cherokee together and found a campsite along a river. After heading into town for some dinner and picking up some delicious Amish peanut butter we headed back to the campsite for a relaxing night. While sitting around the picnic table a squirrel fell high up from a tree nearly hitting the guy next to me! It bounced and then ran under my tent and stayed there for about ten minutes. Eventually the squirrel poked his/her head out and about 10 minutes later ran away. I felt really bad for the squirrel, it seemed pretty stunned from the big fall. Now that's not something you see every day!
Woke up feeling refreshed and ready to ride! After some tasty coffee and a muffin from the hotel I got packed up and hit the road. Just a mile or so into my ride I came across two bicyclists who also looked like they were on big trips. We talked for a bit and I learned that they had started there ride in Seaside, Oregon and were headed for the South Carolina coast. They had two more people in there group who were just a little bit ahead of us. The group was heading the same way as me so we rode most of the day together. It was fun to be with some fellow bikers! The day started out with a 14 mile climb to Newfound Gap, an elevation of 5,046 feet. We biked the busy road passing through 2 tunnels on a mostly cloudy but very comfortable day. By the time we reached the top of the mountain the sun came out and the view from the top was incredible! A ranger who I had met several days earlier talked with us at the top of the mountain and told us it was one of the clearest days he had seen in a while. Nice! After taking a nice break we headed down the mountain which was incredibly fun!! It was a nice long decent with high speeds and fun curves. The grade was gradual enough that you didn't have to brake or pedal and you could maintain a speed of around 39mph. Fun!! We all rode into the town of Cherokee together and found a campsite along a river. After heading into town for some dinner and picking up some delicious Amish peanut butter we headed back to the campsite for a relaxing night. While sitting around the picnic table a squirrel fell high up from a tree nearly hitting the guy next to me! It bounced and then ran under my tent and stayed there for about ten minutes. Eventually the squirrel poked his/her head out and about 10 minutes later ran away. I felt really bad for the squirrel, it seemed pretty stunned from the big fall. Now that's not something you see every day!
Smoky Mountains - living up to it's name
Starting the climb!
Tunnel 1
Road construction near the top of the climb - not too bad
Tunnel 2
Made it to North Carolina!!
Newfound Gap
Cruising down the mountain!
Cherokee, North Carolina
Boiled Peanuts
The poor squirrel coming out from under my tent
September 20th
Woke up to a light rain which eventually passed. I got all packed up and ready to go a little bit before the other bikers so I headed into town to get some coffee. I had hoped to meet back up with everyone but never crossed paths with them and they were headed a different direction further down the road. It was nice to bike with some good people but I was back on my own which is also ok with me. After some tasty coffee I picked up a few supplies and started the days ride. It was overcast but the rain held off making it a pretty decent day for biking. Most of the ride was climbing another large hill nice and slow. Near the top I came across a beautiful waterfall! To get to the bottom of the falls you had to scale a cliff using a rope that someone had put there. It was fun and way worth if for the awesome view of the falls! I passed the famous Blue Ridge Parkway which I plan to bike sometime in the future, maybe this fall or next spring. I had a fun downhill ride into the town of Maggie Valley and then over to Waynesville, NC. I talked with Stephanie and Erika back in Weed and they had been speaking with the Waynesville Chamber of Commerce. Lois at the Waynesville Chamber of Commerce arranged a place for me to stay at the Lake Junaluska Assembly! Thanks Stephanie, Erika, Lois, and the Waynesville Chamber of Commerce!!! I biked a short ways to the Lake Junaluska Assembly and met Christine who arranged a nice room for me at the Lakeside Lodge. Thanks Christine and Lake Junaluska Assembly!!! My room was really nice with plenty of room, wifi, and a nice shower. After getting situated I walked down the street for some delicious fried chicken and sweet tea and then back to the room for the night for some rest and relaxation.
http://www.haywood-nc.com/
http://www.lakejunaluska.com/
Woke up to a light rain which eventually passed. I got all packed up and ready to go a little bit before the other bikers so I headed into town to get some coffee. I had hoped to meet back up with everyone but never crossed paths with them and they were headed a different direction further down the road. It was nice to bike with some good people but I was back on my own which is also ok with me. After some tasty coffee I picked up a few supplies and started the days ride. It was overcast but the rain held off making it a pretty decent day for biking. Most of the ride was climbing another large hill nice and slow. Near the top I came across a beautiful waterfall! To get to the bottom of the falls you had to scale a cliff using a rope that someone had put there. It was fun and way worth if for the awesome view of the falls! I passed the famous Blue Ridge Parkway which I plan to bike sometime in the future, maybe this fall or next spring. I had a fun downhill ride into the town of Maggie Valley and then over to Waynesville, NC. I talked with Stephanie and Erika back in Weed and they had been speaking with the Waynesville Chamber of Commerce. Lois at the Waynesville Chamber of Commerce arranged a place for me to stay at the Lake Junaluska Assembly! Thanks Stephanie, Erika, Lois, and the Waynesville Chamber of Commerce!!! I biked a short ways to the Lake Junaluska Assembly and met Christine who arranged a nice room for me at the Lakeside Lodge. Thanks Christine and Lake Junaluska Assembly!!! My room was really nice with plenty of room, wifi, and a nice shower. After getting situated I walked down the street for some delicious fried chicken and sweet tea and then back to the room for the night for some rest and relaxation.
http://www.haywood-nc.com/
http://www.lakejunaluska.com/
Misty morning
Soco Falls
Wasn't easy getting to the bottom of the falls but I had to do it!
Maggie Valley, NC
Thanks Lake Junaluska Assembly!
Cozy room
Beautiful country
September 21st
Woke up to a rainy day and was offered another night at Lake Junaluska as well as lunch and dinner. That sounded much better to me than a rainy ride into Asheville and it would give me more time to get online and look for jobs so I decided to stay one more day. The buffet lunch at the historic Lambuth Inn at Lake Junaluska was delicious! After lunch I took a nice hike around the lake and then headed back to my room to get online. Spent the day looking for jobs, working on my resume, and looking for places to stay in Asheville. It is a strange feeling coming to the end of such a big trip and starting another chapter in life. I headed back up to the Lambuth Inn for a delicious dinner and took another hike along the lake. Spent the evening in the room doing more Asheville research and catching up on things. Tomorrow I ride into Asheville!!!
Lake Junaluska
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