Biking the New River Trail, Part Two

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!