APPALACHIAN GAP
After a wonderful breakfast we departed Lisa & Miles’ (Cornwall Orchards B&B) for the ride to Warren, VT. under threatening skies and with rain forecasted (8/1/21).
The ride was quite pleasant to Bristol, about 13 miles. Beautiful scenery, rolling farmlands (you have seen the scenes in earlier posts) giving way to mountain streams and woodlands as we started to climb.
The rain caught us outside of Bristol for about an hour but fortunately stopped for the rest of the ride.
We saw this road sign as we began to climb which we took as an omen of what was to come.
Our good friend, Hank from Seattle, who was on this trip for the first two weeks, loves to seek out and assault any and all hills on his bike.
The Appalachian Gap (App Gap) is a significant climb, and today scores third on the list for elevation gain in one day, 3,850 ft. To date, the most elevation gain in one day was home to the Snoqualmie Summit (4,729 ft) and day two by rank was going over the Bitterroot range west of the Rockies (4,101 ft). Unlike those days however where the ascent pitch (grade) is generally not too bad, the majority of the elevation gain for this ride is squeezed into two short pitches; 4.7 miles at 4.6% (961 ft, not too bad) and the summit pitch 2.7 miles at 8.8% (1,171 ft). The maximum pitch was 14.9%, which mercifully did not last long. As George says “It was a worthy climb!”
Peer pressure kicked for the summit climb as we alternately kept each other on the bike, as opposed to walking. There is a narrow speed band which we operated in for a good stretch of the summit climb, any slower and we would have tipped over and any faster just wasn’t happening. Eventually we made it to the top, bucking slope and strong headwind. Note the road in the lower middle of the photo.
After a short, cold, and windy break for lunch we descended down. Road construction and uneven pavement on the east side kept us from going too fast down, probably a good thing.
Near the bottom Ellen, Katy and Ruth met us, George’s wife, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. Great smiles and joy all around! Katy & Carl (George’s son) live nearby.
Onward to Warren, Vermont and the home of good friends Dick & Sally, our final destination of the day.
Today was George’s last day of riding with me. For George it is time to visit with family, especially grandchildren. Having his companionship since Niagara has been wonderful, and made the Erie Canal ride immensely more fun.
The rest of the trip I will be riding solo (there may be some cameos by family members near the finish) but I should be at friends or family homes every night, save one.
Monday is a scheduled lay day, and rain is forecasted. Next post Tuesday.
By the numbers:
Dist - 39.2 miles
Elev Gain - 3,850 ft
Elev Loss - 2,988 ft
Moving Time 4:06
Total Dist to date 3,583 miles
Est Dist remaining 182 miles
Total vertical feet climbed to date 98,478.
Congrats you two! Bet that was some enjoyable riding and crazy adventures. I know Warren kept it interesting having spend a few hours searching with him shopping for sunglasses! Best of Luck Warren on the final push!
ReplyDeleteSmell the barn!
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the Appalachians. They make you pine for the gently rolling fields of soybeans! We did a week of Appalachians in KY and found the short, sharp rises more challenging than the Rockies, where as you found, the climbs may be high but the grades are more doable. My feeling has been that if you find yourself riding with big trucks, you will be fine. Any grade they can climb, a bike can too.
ReplyDeleteI remember sprinting around s-curves hauling my trailer to avoid surprising cars on the narrow roads and then resting to catch my breath before sprinting around the next one as we climbed the top, only to go down and up another one 10 miles or so away. But the beauty of the area was worth it. And they don't go on forever, they just seem to.
I am glad you have companionship again and people to see. Roll on.