Day Off Payoff

I'm just now catching up...

Friday was a free day for me, so I wanted to get the hell away.  I had an evening appointment in town though, so The Pisgah was a no go (I always “waste” a lot of time there.)  I didn’t want to ride local and still wanted mountains, so off to the Brushy Mountains in Wilkesboro I went.  Not too far away, but far enough to get away.

There are three trail systems at the Kerr Scott Reservoir, and I know them all pretty well.  I race every year at Warrior Creek and Dark Mountain, but I hadn’t been on the Overmountain Victory Trail (OVT) in a good long while.  So, that was my plan.  Instead of parking at the trailhead though, I parked at the local shop owned by one of my friends.

Brushy Mountain Bicycles:

From there, you can access all the trails in the area, which is pretty damn convenient if you ask me (no one asked.)  After shooting the shit for a while at the shop, I got dressed and rolled out.  A short jaunt up a paved hill and I was right on OVT.

Shannon (the proprietor of the bike shop and all around good dude) gave me a good route that had me riding the loops on OVT in a fun order.  I got in quite a few miles for sure, but most importantly I had a blast.  I didn’t stop too often for photos (odd for me, I know.)  However, I spotted a new feature that got me curious.

The trail didn’t connect to this new bridge just yet.  However, the current trail went right underneath it.

I’m not sure of its exact purpose, but I like shiny new shit just the same.

  

The ride was good, and I chatted here and there with people that were out enjoying another perfect NC day.  Once I popped back out on the road, I coasted back down to the shop.

The Eagle was waiting for me.

I talked about this shop before and I know I mentioned this eagle.  It’s pretty damn rad, and made out of stone so it will always be there.

Oh, and the shop?  Still awesome.  I shot the shit, played guitar with Shannon for a bit, and talked about how great of a location this is for anyone coming up here to ride.  It’s an awesome place to hang out and drink beer, buy stuff, and have prime access to some of the best trails in the state.  Sure, I spent more time hanging out than I did riding, but this place is all about the mountain biking lifestyle.  That gives this place character for sure, which is something that most bike shops are lacking.

And yeah, they haz dog. 

A much needed ride in the hills, coupled with some much needed real people (i.e. mountain bike peeps) made for an awesome day off.  I said it before and I’ll say it again:

When you go up there to ride, make sure you stop in and say hi.  Support this rad shop that supports the local scene up there in the Brushy Mountains.

And (shameless plug here), pick up some DeFeet socks while you’re there. 

Seriously though.  Don’t just drive by this shop this weekend on your way to (and from) the 6 Hours of Warrior Creek.  Stop in and check it out.  You’ll be glad you did.