Just What I Needed

Yeah, the bikes were loaded on the truck, and it looks like we finally got the hell outta town. Our road trip was supposed to happen on Friday, but Mother Nature put a hex on the whole damn thing. Well, that and I was a little sick. For the last week I’ve been battling a cold, so I actually spent all day Friday in bed. I woke up Saturday morning feeling better though, so Lunchbox and I loaded up our shit and headed westward to pick up our good pal The Dirty Party Cycle.




His dogs were the first to greet us, but he was just as excited to be a part of this trip. We loaded up the Dirty Party Cycle’s new 29er Dirty Party Cycle and his accessories, and we got ready to leave. It didn’t take long, but while we were waiting I started getting a little nosey. I took a peek in the DPC’s recycle bin and I noticed a very disturbing sight:



PBR? Budweiser with Clamato? Wow, I thought he had better taste in beer than that. I know he enjoys the good stuff like I do, but this must be the kind of shit he drinks when there is nothing else to purchase way out there in the sticks. I mean, the DPC lives so far out in the country that they barely have running water and electricity, so I guess it’s too much to ask that they have good beer. I suppose he gets a pass on this one…for now.

Anyway, after that uncomfortable beer disruption, we got on the road. Our destination was the DuPont State Forest. The weather forecast looked good for the most part, but the temperature was supposed to be a bit chilly. I think the highs were only in the mid 40’s, but we had plenty of clothing to keep us warm. On the way out there, we were all reminded of why we love living in North Carolina so much. The views of the mountains were awesome:





The pictures weren’t as good as I thought they would be, but I’m sure you get the uh, picture. It was sure to be a good day on our bicycles, and I was looking forward to it. I even made sure to address my nutritional needs in the best possible manner:

Cheetos, the cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast.


After a litte over two hours, we arrived at the trailhead ready to go. It was still pretty chilly outside, but that wouldn’t stop us from having fun. It was a beautiful fall day in the mountains, and we all needed a little stress relief. I had the fellers pose for me at the kiosk before we set out on our journey:



We headed out on the the Reasonover Creek trail, hoping to get in a good ride. After a little bit of downill action, we made it to a creek crossing. Since the water was probably near freezing, we decided not to ride through the crossing. Instead, we made it across on a series of rocks:



No one fell in, so I didn’t have to treat for frostbite. We climbed a little bit after that, but it wasn’t too bad. I struggled at times though, since I was still recovering from my sickness. When we got to the top of some of the climbs, I kind of sounded like Darth Vader after Luke took off his mask.



Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, we were riding at DuPont. After climbing, for quite a while, it was time for some downhill action. I didn’t bring along my shitty helmet camera this time, so you’ll have to just imagine that the downhill stuff was fun. It was, so don’t feel like you’re cheating yourself or anything. When we finally got to the bottom of the downhill section, we found another creek to enjoy. This time we sat down for a spell:



After hanging out by the creek, I started getting a little nosey again (a recurring theme for our trip I suppose.) Up the trail a ways, I found an old abandoned hut.



It looked like it could have been some shelter for wayward hikers or something, but I figured that it was the summer home of the North Carolina Bigfoot. Lunchbox poked his head in there just to make sure:



We saw no sign of Bigfoot, so we headed back down the trail. Eventually we came up on a lake with a beautiful view:


Is is Lake Julia Rd. or Lake Juliard? You decide, but I already know what the answer is.

After the lake it was more climbing. It was only fire road at this point, so it wasn’t so bad. The Dirty Party Cycle took off ahead so I could capture his image for this blog:



After a short climb to the top, we were rewarded for our effort. We had reached the airstrip, and an awesome view of the surrounding mountains:








Yeah, it was pretty cool, and it was also a good place to take a break. This seems like a good place to cut this story short too. I don’t want to bore you to death in one day, so I’ll spread it out. I know you all have a short attention span (as do I), so I’ll continue where I left off tomorrow. Don’t worry, the review I promised last week is coming soon. You’ll probably be sorry that you had to wait so long for it. That’s what you get for reading this crap every day. At least you don’t have to write it though. Surely I’ll be back tomorrow, right?



Yes I will, but don’t call me Shirley.

R.I.P. Mr. Nielsen.