Lake Powhatan USFG, Asheville, NC
We were settled in our little camp spot and had no big aspirations for the day. According to our trail map the NC Arboretum is fairly close by and reachable by a trail near the campground. Sounded like a perfect outing to us. We checked, and double-checked, the trail map and thought we knew where we were going. We sailed down the main campground road past all these cars parked at a trailhead. When we finally pedaled up the second long hill, gasping for breath, we decided to recheck our trusty map. Yep, that trailhead with all the cars is where we should have turned off. At this point we had two options; turn back and face the up and down hills once again, or go via the road and take the long way around. We opted for the latter choice and encountered more of the same up and down topography. By the time we reached the Arboretum via the main gate I was plum tuckered out. Unfortunately, we had a really long slow slog ahead to reach the main gardens.
As far as arboretums go, I'd give this one a passing grade. It was beautifully laid out and I really enjoyed the different sculptures. However, it seemed that most of the flowers were either just past their prime or hadn't quite blossomed yet. (Rather like me I suppose...) At one point, we saw a snake slither past us tongue darting about, feeling its way.
Feeling a bit saddle sore, we climbed back on our bikes in search of the correct trail. Ned was feeling quite confident by this time and took us through a system of varied trails until we finally reached the right one. The trail was named Hard Times and we joked that it was aptly named for us - those poor suckers that took the long way around. Riding back to the campground through the National Forest was amazing. The trail followed Bent Creek and was a really easy ride. Needless to say, I was still quite happy to reach our campground.
I think the 20 odd miles yesterday, coupled with today's strenuous ride, was a bit much for this ol' lady. I immediately took to the hammock and conked out for awhile. I was woken out of my stupor by a few sprinkles. Mother Nature was just taunting me. The sprinkles were just enough to get me up and moving about making preparations for cooking in the rain. Pleasantly, it was all just a threat and these happy campers stayed dry. Tonight, it's just early to bed for we pick up stakes and hit the Blue Ridge Highway tomorrow.
