Asheville (North Carolina)

There were many highlights to this trip, but Park's house, I mean, FARM, was epic!

He lives on a farm with trails leading from his backyard to Dupont. His "garage" is a barn with stables, many of which are filled with bikes. It's definitely a mountain biker's dream.



We headed to Asheville on Friday afternoon ready for adventure. There were six of us aboard, but two would be leaving our crew once in Asheville on a bike tour of the Blue Ridge Parkway (all 469 miles). We arrived at Matt's house that night and hung out for a bit before hitting the hay.



The next day we said goodbye to Joey and Tony and got brief trail directions from Matt. We rode the Laurel Mountain Trail near Asheville which was quite a challenge for Eva and Mia. They held their own though, and made it through with a few scrapes.



That night we walked to Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company. The beer (Ninja Porter) was great and so was the pizza. A heavy rain set in while we were there, but slowed to a drizzle for our walk home. Lori let us sneak into the pool by her house too, which capped our day perfectly.

The group unanimously opted for a more relaxed day on Sunday, so we drove to the Parkway in search of waterfalls. We found two. One was a secluded spot with smaller drops and pools. The other was just off the parkway, but it was a warmer, sunnier place which helped fight off the chills after jumping in the brisk water.



The final day Joe and I rode with Park while the girls drove to explore more waterfalls nearby. We couldn't snap any photos while riding, but I can assure you that the riding was phenomenal. The trails in Dupont are fast, smooth, and flowing. It seems that each corner has a berm or wall ride and the waterbars serve as perfect jumps.



We tried to wrap up our ride by 2pm so that we could get on the road. After packing up and saying goodbye we were headed back to Richmond. All four of us agreed that it was a great trip and we hated leaving. The drive back was a blast as usual and Eva took over the driving responsibilities halfway which let me enjoy the party atmosphere in the back of the bus. As usual, it was a GREAT TRIP!