FIRST POST - NEW RIVER TRAIL STATE PARK
First off forgive me if the formatting is off. This will be a trial and error process until I find a style I like. The purpose of this blog is to allow my family and friends to see the pictures of my travels with a bit more detailed description than I can provide on Facebook. You may also see some rants and stream of consciousness prose, so forgive me if I ramble from time to time.
This trip was an over night shake down trip for my equipment in preparation for a number of rides I have planned on my 2ish month sabbatical that I will be taking in October and November. The ride was along the
New River Trail which is a
rail trail that runs from Pulaski, Va. to Galax, Va. I rode a 48 mile section of the trail from Dora Junction just outside of Pulaski to Cliff View Campground which is 2 miles outside of Galax.
My bike for this trip was a
Salsa Fargo which is an off road touring mountain bike. This bike has braze ons for racks on the rear triangle and fork. At the moment I've decided to use a front and rear rack with my gear in two dry bags, a
Revelate Designs frame bag, and back pack for food and clothes.
This set up gets the heaviest items off my back (tent, stove, sleeping pad, sleeping bag), and allows the bike to be more balanced for single track use later on.
The above image is of a trestle over the New River at Claytor Lake. You cross a number of trestles on the trail, but this is one of the most impressive as it retains the majority of its steel work.
Typical view of the New River from another trestle about 20 miles down trail from the previous picture, just past Foster Falls. The trail spends about 30 miles of its length along the banks of the New River.
The trail also passes by many farms. This is mostly cattle country, specifically Black Angus. Mmmmm....future hamburgers....
My campsite for the night at Cliff View Campground. 13 tent sites along Chestnut Creek. This was site 3 which is situated right on a bend of the creek. There is small park with play ground and walking track across the river, but I was alone for the night in the campground.
This is my tent (pardon the sweaty shorts in the background). It is a
Big Agnes Fly Creek UL 1 and weighs in just a little over 2 lbs. A little tight inside as I have difficulty sitting up, but perfect for an overnight trip. I wouldn't want to spend a rainy day in it however.
A small heron soaking in the waning sunlight just up from my camp. Saw a couple of Great Blue Herons on the trip, but they are very skittish and flew away before I could get my camera out.
Leaving the next morning. This is a section of trail along Chestnut Creek. Felt rather chilly riding until the day warmed up.
Fries Junction just across the trestle from the confluence of Chestnut Creek and the New River. Only 38 more miles to Pulaski!
Small tunnel along the trail. There was a much longer tunnel on up the trail, but sadly my pictures didn't turn out.
Restored rail station at Foster Falls Village.
Trail runs through the small community of Alisonia, Virginia. This is the most civilization you'll see along the 52 mile length of the trail.
You pass by a number of TVA dams along the trail which creates 3 separate lakes. The above is the largest of the 3 Claytor Lake.
Typical Virginia farmland along the trail. This picture was taken atop a trestle just outside of Draper, Virginia.
View from the opposite side of the trestle. The group of buildings in the foreground of the mountain is Draper, Virginia. Pulaski is on the other side of the mountain.
That's it for this post. Overall rode 96 miles of easy pedaling over 2 days. Perfect weather; low's in the low 50's highs in the mid 70's. Very few people on the trail as I was riding on a Monday and Tuesday. Stay tuned as I plan on updating this blog regularly over the next two months as I travel through out the Southeast camping, biking, and hiking.
