It has been awhile since I've done much bicycle riding.
Some time ago I was an avid bicycle rider--both mountain and road bike riding--and for many years I put as many miles on my
bikes as many people do their car. There is just something very satisfying about riding bicycles--the wind in your face,
pounding the pedals to climb hills and then zoom at great speed down the other side, hugging a tight turn lane on curvy roads
and trails, jumping small logs and ditches, and sometimes just pedaling slowly thru the countryside while enjoying the sights
and sounds you'd otherwise miss in a car or astride a motorcycle. Biking is a lot of fun.
The Route....
Today (6/25/2008) I picked-up where I'd left off
by loading my mountain bike for a trip to Cades Cove plus a little side trip rarely attempted by bike riders. The total
trip was the 11 miles around the Cades Cove Loop plus a side trip up Forge Creek road to Parson Branch road and then
up the gravel Parson Branch road to the crest of Hannah Mountain--a one-way distance of about 5.4 miles from the Cades Cove
Loop road. That made today's ride about 21.9 miles--plenty for a first time back on the bike after a long absence.
Green Demon.....
My aluminum alloy "mount" was a TREK VRX 300 full suspension
mountain bike. I call it the "Green Demon." The 'Demon is about 8 years old now and continues to carry me with
style along these rough mountain roads and trails. Green Demon has all the same orneriness of a rodeo bronc.
I've been thrown over the handlebars, reared-up and fallen backwards, fallen-on sideways, slipped out of the "stirrups" while
going full speed, run thru countless ditches and into barbed-wire fences. I've even ridden into a giant pothole hidden
from view in the middle of a river I was fording while riding in the Big South Fork recreation area. More frequently,
I'm just bounced & jarred mercilessly while pedaling along some of the roughest roads and trails imaginable.
Each time the 'Demon has bounced me it was waiting right there for me to climb back on and ride some more. 
I love that bicycle.
The ride today started off around 7:30 am with an outside
temperature of only about 59 F. Nice! During summer months the park service closes the 11 mile long Cades Cove
Loop road to cars on Wednesday & Saturday mornings from sunrise to 10 am. Only bikes and pedestrians are allowed
on the road during these times. Today was such a time and I found myself riding the loop road with probably hundreds
of other bicyclists.
Critter Sightings.....
There were lots of deer and turkeys to be
seen in the fields and roadside plus a giant of a black bear that had nearly 50 bike riders captivated (near the Rich Mountain
Primitive Road turn-off). I continued to ride--let someone else be the bear's breakfast snack. About 1/2
way around the Cove Loop Road I came to the start of my little side trip.
A Max Heartrate Experience....
There are only a few places to do mountain bike riding
in the Smokies and one of the most challenging has to be Parson Branch road. Today I had the place all to myself after
turning off of the Cades Cove Loop road. I had thoughts of perhaps pedaling the full length of Parson Branch road all
the way over to US 129 (the Dragon) but by the time I'd crested Hannah Mountain I knew I didn't have the stamina to do what
would have been another 8 miles of hilly riding.
Some of the route I followed today was just too steep
and plagued with loose gravel to ride so I led, err, pushed the 'Demon up those sections. For the most part,
however, I was able to ride the entire section with a few stops now and again to let my sagging stamina catch up while my
heart and breathing slowed down. Yep, it was still just as difficult and challenging a ride as I'd remembered from
the last time I'd ridden it back in 2001. There is only one place now on the section I rode today where one can splash
thru cold creek water running over a concrete ford but I made the most of it today while riding in both directions.
Woooo Pig!
One particularly memorable section was where I'd rounded
a curve on a slight downslope and surprised three large wild boar eating there on the side of the road. One of the wild
boars, panting and snorting, ran up the road with me in "hot" pursuit" for about 100 yards before darting off to
the side to join his two buddies for their escape up a well-traveled animal path. My return trip down Hannah
Mountain back to Forge Creek Road was a hoot except for those sections that were so steep and twisty that I had to work
hard to avoid doing an "endo" (that is biker talk for when the back end flips over the front end with the rider still attached--a
situation not for the faint of heart and typically not conducive to coming away with all your skin still attached).
Tired Bicycles....?
Once I'd rejoined the Cades Cove Loop road I found there
were still plenty of the Wednesday morning riders trying to make their way around the back side of the loop. Many of
them were pushing their tired bicycles--even on those level sections of road. Folks should exercise their
bikes more often so they don't get so tired. I got back to my car about 10:20 am.
Post-Ride Bliss....
Tonight I'm feeling that good "loose" feeling I remember
from days gone past when I'd have had a good bone-jarring ride along a bit of wild trail or road. I'm already looking
forward to my next ride with the 'Demon.
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