Spartanburg, SC to Asheville , NC

Made it ! Delightful to be in residence again at Deerfield with ` Granny ` . She was our reception committee as we pulled in 2pm Thursday May 14 - 1460 miles and 4 weeks and 1 day after leaving St Francisville, LS. An epic trip, and bodies and bikes still in reasonable shape .

Bring on June 2011 - an idea under discussion is Portland , Oregon to Portland Maine.

Pics from bottom
1. Bob - friend of Herb & Dagmar's - with his pick up truck . We were hugely grateful to him for driving us 6 miles or so to the north side of Spartanburg thus saving us some nasty traffic roads. Bob is a keen local cyclist - the traditional kind though who had difficulty - as do many - understanding the ` enjoyment` of biking with such a load . Bob , we need to convert you !
2. Black Beauty ? For Meghan's sake ! We never passed a horse we didn't admire. Each one had some admirable quality - I think !
3. Arriving at Lake Lure - site of a happy family holiday in late eighties.
4. The view from deck of our dinner restauraunt where we watched happily an anxious pair of ducks, with clutch of 5, ever alert to the lurking danger as night approached .
5. Last campsite of the trip at top end of lake. Reasonable , but much more expensive at $35 than any to date , but a resort town and prime location with cool breeze coming in off fast flowing river. Small ( and we understood `harmless` ) snake curled up at entrance to our tent on returning from dinner was a little unnerving.
6.Chimney Rock - elevator `inside ` takes you to the top . We stayed away.
7. The following morning we had our only significant climb of whole trip - up to top of eastern continental divide . About 8.5 miles and 2,000 ft of climbing. But it was cool in early morning and we'd played safe by having large cafe breakfast at start. This is M grinding her way to top in low gear. What a trooper .
8. Crossing the Divide .
9. The reward - fabulous views looking west towards the Mt Mitchell and the Smoky Mtns.
10. Arriving at Deerfield , Asheville, NC with Mary's mother Betty to greet us .
11. Mother and daughter in Betty's appt . How beautifully relaxing life is with ` Granny `. She has still to put the clocks forward .