Great Mountain Ride-Yancey's Ridge

The Lord was Willin, never ever illin and the Creek did not rise. I scooped Andreas Raab early yesterday morning at the Shop and we bee lined out of town after running into Doug which is good ju-ju syncro at the BP fuel Store. The drive was uneventful until we hit the access to Wilson's Creek when my former ex wife who was supposed to meet us at Mortimer called to bail(did not get message till after ride) during a period of only semi Verizon Network service. At Mortimer we suited up and gave her 30mins off the original meet time and because I heard her voice literally in my head saying, "Go Ride, I know where you guys are and your route, if I can I will see you", we decided to roll. So we left the car at Coffey's General Store in Edgemont and started the first of 2 climbs up Roseboro Rd for the Blue Ridge Parkway. I sat and climbed at 32 x 18 and watched Andreas do what he does all pro level trained and stuff. Descent after the first then the long steeper climb up to the actual Parkway. Again sit and pedal while Andreas leads out all the way up, then snack of nuts and chocolate. North on the Parkway we ran into a lone walker with Chacos on in the cold. We stopped at a clear broad view of the back half of Grandfather mountain to take a few snaps. Onward towards Beacon Hts parking lot down the fire road for the trail on the left. Andreas yelled out, "are you serious?" for the trail connector to the actual was really over grown, it was like bushwhacking DH on the bike, crazy fun and laughter. On the trail the speed picks up downward to the saddle where the top of Yancey Ridge begins. Just before the gate I unknowingly kicked up a human head sized rock that smashed my chain ring and flew out the back into Andreas' path causing him to swerve into the trees. My ring was bent to the point of chain throw so I flipped the bike over and trued it using my allen key tool. Good as new. The colors were crazy across the faster than I remember Yancey's Ridge. They were still holding on, yellow/orange, fire/red and some greens. The view was wild following Raab in his colors electrifying the hues of the trees which were doing the same for his jersey. Big slopes to the left down the plunge, views pastoral and free of the man made distractions of the Jar. The technical on the lower end of the ridge was as fun and as hilarious as I remembered. Yancey's Ridge is an important place to me, it was there in 1994 that I first experienced real mountain biking in North Carolina. Off the mountain and back to the car in just about 4hrs. On the way out I decided to take a swim in a hole on Wilson's Creek. Emerald cold water takes the breath away when the torso goes under in the mountains in November.

On the drive into Wilson's we ran into this team that we thought was training but we found out they have been lost since this past year's Tour De Georgia. After Andreas made these pictures he pointed them towards Morganton. Hey

I recognize you taking my picture out of the passenger window of that crazy U.N. vehicle, you're Tom Boonen!

pre ride warm up stretch

Grandfather from the Parkway

Andreas, glad to be out of the Jar for the day

I can' tell if he makes me look like an OOMPA LOOMPA or I make him look like an abnormal Giant of the Forest.

The vistas off the ridge were splendid indeed

up trail reverse angle

Sorry Raab, I missed the shot, I have been doing that a lot lately and need to quit

Andreas made this pic of me coming down a steeper than it appears left hand chute on lower Yancey's

getting ready for my jump and swim. I climbed up to the flat rock at the falls almost directly above my head(in pic) and made the plunge. Andreas missed the shot to get me back for blowing the one above(just kidding, but Raab on a shot like that stay off the zoom from that distance and take more of the scene in with the lens and it will allow you more time to shutter) I hit the water in that white foam at the base of the fall and came up feeling alive and cold!