Bicycle Fleetwood to Todd: A Most Calamitous Bike Ride

The bike ride from Fleetwood to Todd and return in Ashe County is a very popular ride. This Sunday a number of our friends met on this overcast Sunday for what was supposed to be an easy and uneventful ride. Little did they know .... The route follows the South Fork of the New River along an old railroad grade and probably doesn't rise more than five feet during its ten-mile length. Thousands of bikers negotiate this route each summer, most without incident. Not so on this day. In the following account the names have been changed to protect the stupid. The day started out OK. Dorcas and I arrived at the parking lot on time. I unloaded our bikes and gear. I then proceeded to pump up our tires. While doing so, the valve stem blew out of my rear tube and went flying across the river. Of course the tire immediately went flat. There was no chance of locating and re-installing the valve stem, but thankfully I had a spare tube. I installed the new tube and was ready to go. However, it is now 1/2 hour after our meeting time and the rest of our group had not arrived. Then Dorcas gets a call. It turns out that Biker No. 1, who is not accustomed to carrying bikes on the top of his car, does the drive-through at McDonald's in North Wilkesboro. You get the picture? Thankfully the bikes are not damaged, but the sign is mangled. It takes about 15 minutes to untangle the bikes from the bar and chains hanging from the "Low Clearance" sign. In the meantime the other drive-through diners get rude and things start to get ugly. The manager calls the cops. The cops arrive and bring on a ton of reports and paperwork. Things must be pretty dull in North Wilkesboro on a Sunday morning. Film at 11:00. Finally the bikers escape McDonald's and arrive at the trail head only about 1 1/2 hours after the appointed time.

The ride to Todd was uneventful. We had lunch at the old Todd Country Store, where Biker No. 2 was busted for taking pictures inside the store. I am pleased to know that Homeland Security is alive and well, and keeping the Todd Country Store safe. After a very nice lunch at the store, we started our return ride to Fleetwood. Not far from the start, I stop to put on my jacket. As I catch up with the group, I see a tangle of bodies and bikes in the road. Oh no!!! My first thought was that Dorcas had taken a spill. On most bike rides Dorcas takes a spill. But this time it wasn't Dorcas. It turns out that Biker No. 3 had run off the road onto the shoulder and then suddenly back onto the road. Biker No. 3 then collided with Biker No. 2 resulting in a tangle of pedals handlebars and wheels, with both bikers going down in the road. Biker No. 3 was uninjured, but Biker No. 2 had a badly bruised and swollen knee. Thankfully, there were no serious injuries, and everyone was able to bike on. About a mile from the finish Jim and I were biking side-by-side when a car approached from ahead. I sprinted ahead to get into single file and my chain broke. I looked back and it was laying in the road like a snake. My first reaction was to stop and turn around to go get the chain, but I quickly realized it would be better to just keep going ahead. I was only about a mile from the car, and it was all down hill, as it were. I hollered back for someone to pick up my chain, and I hunched into my best low-profile racing crouch. Eventually I slowed and began pushing off like I was on a scooter. Finally, about a half mile from the finish, I grabbed Jim's luggage rack and he towed me the rest of the way in. The way things were going you might expect that that would lead to another catastrophe, but you would be mistaken. Jim and I arrived safely at the parking lot without incident. By now everyone has arrived at the parking lot, and you might expect that there would be no more calamities, but, again, you would be mistaken. Before parking his bike, Biker No. 4 (Evel Knievel) rides over a pile of logs and wipes out. Woodpile 1, knee 0. Thankfully we all survived to ride another day.

Off to the Buffalo River

The Buffalo River is by far the best camping river we have ever paddled on. It flows freely through public land in the Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas for over 135 miles before converging with the White River. Along its course it flows by numerous 300' limestone bluffs and large gravel beaches, perfect for primitive camping.

Tomorrow we are leaving home headed to the Buffalo River.We hope to put on the river on Tuesday afternoon for a 10-day camping trip. We had originally planned to leave yesterday and put on today, but were thwarted by high water levels due to monsoon-like spring rains and storms. Barring further rain, water levels should be perfect when we put-in on Tuesday. We are hoping the heavy rains will stay away for the duration of our trip. As you can see in this hydrograph, water levels can and do reach flood stage very quickly after a heavy rain event. Anything above 8.5' at this station is rated for "Experienced Floaters Only" Above 12.5' the National Park Service "closes" the river. The long term forecast doesn't look too bad. Wish us luck and bon voyage.

I won't be able to update this journal again until we get off the river about Apr 24.

Photo of the Week

I guess he drove his Chevy to the levee ...... but the levee didn't stay dry.

Paddle: Mitchell River

We had planned to paddle on the Uwharrie on Saturday with friends. The Uwharrie is a nice float and the water level was good, but the weather was terrible. Several newbies who particularly wanted to paddle the Uwharrie backed out, so we postponed that trip. Instead, we decided to paddle on the Mitchell River on Monday with our friends Wayne and Lynda. The Mitchell heads up in Alleghany County and flows into the Yadkin River near Elkin. It is very difficult to catch the Mitchell with enough water to paddle. Typically you have to put on just after a hard rain but before the roads begin to dry. Ferguson sites a minimum level of 2.4'. Yesterday the river peaked at 4.5', so we decided to give it a shot. By the time we put on the river today, the level was 2.5' and dropping fast.

I had not paddled the Mitchell in about five years. For Dorcas, it had been even longer. I had forgotten how scenic and unspoiled it is. The Mitchell has dozens of 2-3' ledges that are not very hard, but that are a little technical and really keep you on your toes. We had no difficulties, but did put some wear on the bottom of the boat. We put on at Kapps Mill and took out at NC 268, a distance of about 14 miles. We saw dozens of belted kingfishers, mallards and great blue herons. We saw a few ospreys. A wild turkey flew across in front of the boat and landed on the right bank before scurrying into the rhododendrons. Normally we see some deer on this trip, but not today.

After the paddle we stopped at our favorite burger joint in the greater Elkin area, Basin Creek Country Store. While waiting for our burgers and wings to be served, I dazzled everybody with my gaming prowess. I swung a washer tied to a string hanging from the ceiling onto a hook in the wall 10' away. It only took me 147 tries.

Izaak Remembered

Today is the first anniversary of Izaak's death. Izaak was, by far, the best dog I have ever had. He did everything with us; he paddled, he hiked, he even biked on occasion. He had a great disposition and everyone loved him. Even Wayne admitted: "He was pretty good .... for a dog." We still miss Izaak terribly and think of him every day.

We want another dog, but had decided that we would not start looking until the end of the summer. We had planned to visit Isle Royale National Park on Lake Superior this summer and you can't take a dog onto the island. We have learned that our friends, who really wanted to visit Isle Royale, won't be able to meet us there this year, so we may skip that destination. Consequently we are now receptive to another dog adopting us. We won't look very hard. When the right dog comes along he will find us. In the meantime, we have told our friends to be on the lookout. We continue to pet OPDs (other people's dogs) every chance we get.