I thought that my ride from Hickory to Black Mountain, North Carolina would have been my hardest day, but I was mistaken. A ride along the Blue Ridge Parkway thousands of feet above seal level was much more of a challenge. After a rest day in Asheville, I headed out of town along the parkway before cutting east and down into the valley to Brevard. Looking at my maps, I had seen two possible routes, one along the parkway, and the other through the valley floor. Since the parkway looked to be the smaller road, I chose it over the busier, more congested valley route. From my vantage along the parkway I saw later in the day that I had chosen the better route, the valley was filled with new building developments, and the narrow roads
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