Let's continue on down the New River Trail.
If you missed part one of this adventure, turn
your bike around and find it.
This level stretch is characteristic of much of
the trail, which follows an abandoned railroad
bed. This is why the trail is ideal for bikers
of all ages who don't necessarily have to be
in great shape.
It was a beautiful day for a bike tour. In
fact, it was about the only day in the last
ten that was perfect.
Something big is ahead in the distance.
We'll get there, but some trailside sights
delay us.
Note the honeybee.
Here we are at the Hiwassee trestle.
Several different views follow.
Tic-Tac-Toe?
Here we say goodbye to the Claytor Lake
portion of the trail.
Lots of ancient rock formations, cut through
by the original railroad.
Highway 10 is now between us and the
still-wide river.
The quaint station house at Allisonia means
we're nearing our turn-around point.
This is one of the occasional glimpses of
civilization we encounter.
All aboard! Bikes now leaving Allisonia!
We rode through a few leaf showers that
began to paint the trail.
At last we come to Big Reed trestle.
Big Reed gets its name from this broad,
expansive field of reeds which are well-
watered by the flooding of the New River.
The LAST bridge. Whew!
Except we have to cross them all again
on the seven mile trek back.
This auto-shot is a little blurry.
Or maybe it was just us.
As we pedaled back, tired and sore, the
mile posts became our most welcome sight.
We had started at Draper, the 6.2 mile point
of the trail, and turned around at Big Reed
Trestle, the 13.2 mile point.
Every landmark we passed was a little
closer to "home."
As a collector, I couldn't help but notice
this odd collection of concrete pilings a
neighbor of the trail had compiled. Don't
call me odd!
We had seen (and dodged) numerous black
walnuts along the trail.
And there were chestnuts, too. Ain't it a beauty?
Nearing Draper, and plenty of daylight left.
Milepost 7 would be the last one before Draper.
As close as we were to the finish line, I had
to stop to photograph the handiwork of a
leaf-cutter insect.
Draper Station! We made it!
What a great ride on a beautiful day. We'll
no doubt return to ride other sections of our
beloved New River Trail, including places
like Galax, Fries, Shot Tower, and Foster Falls.
No doubt we'll either be found at Grassy Creek
Cabooses or Trinkle Mansion B&B, both
great places!
Make sure you've seen all four of my blog
posts covering this fun trip. Happy trails!