Riding the Cade's Cove Loop Road

Check another one off my bucket list! I have been wanting to ride the Cade's Cove Loop Road for years, but have just never had the chance. Yesterday, my husband and I got up very early, loaded the bikes, and headed up to the Cove. I was under the impression that the Loop Road was closed to automobiles on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, which is true during the summer months, but I was sadly misinformed yesterday. When we topped the hill on Laurel Creek Road and made our way toward Cade's Cove, we encountered a line of cars, only a few of which were adorned with bike racks. That was my first clue that all might not be as expected.

We arrived a few minutes before 7:30, apparently just a short time before the Park Rangers unlock the gates to both the Loop Road and the Picnic Area. After parking the truck and unloading the bikes, we headed up toward the gate where we were dismayed to see cars streaming through undeterred. We debated not riding, but we had come a long way and gotten up so early, we decided to try it anyway. I knew there were two roads that cut across the Cove to shorten the loop and figured that if the traffic was a problem, we could always take one of those to end our ride early. I was just sure I would be terribly in the way of the cars and would constantly feel like they were pushing me or waiting to get around me, but, oh, was I wrong!

The day broke to clouds and a little mist, but not enough to make the ride uncomfortable. The temperature was about 55 degrees when we got out of the truck. I was pleased with this because the forecast I had checked the night before said the high in Townsend would be 50 degrees on Saturday, so this was already warmer than I had expected. Sugar maples were still ablaze as we made our way through the open fields and shady woodlands of the Cove. Deer were not as prolific as I had seen in the Cove on many other occasions, but we encountered many more turkey than I've ever seen before in any one location. Seems like every turn we made, we'd find a few more turkey. They were definitely traveling in same-sex groups--hens in groups and gobblers in groups. We saw as many as ten gobblers together picking in the open fields very much unlike the wary, skiddish animals they are in less protected areas. It's funny how animals within the Park seem to know that no one can shoot them in their own special paradise.

We did see one majestic buck grazing under a tree near one of the churches along the Cove Loop Road. He seemed to have come out of the woods for the express purpose of posing for photographs on this cool, damp morning. Photographers had flocked to the Cove to capture the last show of color in the Park as the leaves began to fall in preparation for November's rapid approach. They were massed around this buck, cameras and tripods at the ready. He, however, was nonplussed by their presence or the flashes that emanated from those cameras. I've noticed lately that when I'm tired, my camera hand is far from steady, and although I took several pictures of this nice buck, only one of them was clear; the others were blurred by my inability to hold said camera still as my muscles quivered after a long pull up one of the hills interspersed along this road. This photograph is poorly lit, but perhaps you can still get a sense of how beautiful this buck was.

I absolutely love riding my bike, but riding it in the splendor of one of the most beautiful places on Earth clad in her fall colors was a special treat indeed. Although it was a little past peak, there was still enough color to dress the fields in golds and reds as even the native grasses added to the show. The only thing that detracted from this day was the presence of those cars. I thought I would be in their way, but on the contrary, they were in mine! Invariably, when approaching a long hill or steep incline, cars would stop to look at something (and I can't blame them for this!), but it sure made it harder to ride those inclines. There was more than one time when I think I could have ridden up the incline had I been able to begin it with some momentum. Starting from a near stop or a dead stop though, at least for me, makes those long hills next to impossible. However, even walking up those hills just gave us a little more time to slowly enjoy the beauty of the Cove, the quiet of her open fields, and the solitude of her woodlands. I cannot think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning!

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Stress Relief of the Greenway Kind

A restful fountain in Springbrook Park on Maryville-Alcoa Greenway

After having left work today stressed and a little bit beaten up by a drama queen trying to stir up trouble, I sorely needed some serious unwind time. I found my respite during what has become a weekly Wednesday evening bike ride with my husband. Our venue of choice tonight was the Maryville-Alcoa Greenway. When we first arrived and parked the truck at the duck pond near the park, we were awestruck by the number of mallards on the pond. There must have been 50 or 60 females and young green heads on the water. The odd thing was I didn't see one mature green head. But It was relaxing to watch them skim effortlessly across the water or to fly around a bit, then cup their wings and drift onto the surface of the water with such flair.

After watching for a few minutes we mounted our bikes and entered the greenway. This trail is a wide, probably 8-foot in most places, paved asphalt trail with only a few minor grade changes. The path gently twists and turns, following for quite a ways along a creek, meandering through woods and wetlands, crossing some nicely maintained bridges, and finally taking a break at another small body of water in downtown Maryville populated by another group of ducks and geese. The trail goes on beyond this spot, but we turned around here. I've only been on the other end of this greenway one time before and that was with a couple who are very familiar with the greenway. I remember it being more difficult to find and follow after that point, so tonight we turned back. I hope to ride it again on Saturday with another friend who will want to do more miles, so we may try the other end then. Tonight however, we began at Springbrook Park and rode about 10 miles along the greenway to downtown Maryville, around some side trails, and back to the truck.

I don't know what it is about biking, but it is one of my favorite activities when I've had a stress-filled day. Nothing relaxes me quite as thoroughly as cruising along on my Cannondale Quick, especially when surrounded by beautiful scenery like that found on the greenways here in Knoxville and Alcoa. I do wish that the powers that be would approve and build enough greenways so that you could ride 15-20 miles at a time without having to travel the narrow and heavily trafficked roads of this area. Riding on the road still makes me nervous, although I am beginning to do a little more if it. I much prefer the greenways, complete with their green grass fields; wildlife such as birds, rabbits, and squirrels; and stream crossings. To me, that is the perfect recipe for stress relief--stress relief of the greenway kind!

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Virginia Creeper Bike Trail

My second major jaunt after my daughter went off to college was not a hike, but a biking trip. However, since she is a student at ETSU which is practically on the way, I talked her into going with me and another friend. I drove up early on a Saturday morning in September. We arrived at the bike shop, Adventure Damascus, which would ferry us up to the top of the mountain, loaded our bikes, purchased a lightweight jacket since it was much cooler up there than I had expected, and loaded into the van. After about a 30 minute drive to the head of the Creeper trail, we disembarked from the van, unloaded the bikes, and mounted up. What a terrific trip! The Creeper is an old railroad bed which has been converted to a bike trail as a part of the Rails to Trails initiative. The soft gravel surface of the trail is wide enough to ride side-by-side, but there are many places where this probably is not a good idea. You also need to be careful if you need to stop quickly since this surface will make you skid easily in a situation like that.
We spent most of our time single file to safely enjoy the beautiful scenery.

The scenery on the Virginia Creeper Trail is breathtaking in many places and serene pretty much all the way through. My favorite parts were probably the old trestles that crossed over the river and some fairly deep gorges in a couple places. Our 10 a.m. departure from the bike shop meant that we were ahead of much of the traffic that would find it's way to the trail later in the day. We were able to stop for lunch along the trail at a little restaurant that caters to bikers, the Creeper Trail Cafe. They do a really nice job providing food for all those hungry folks riding or walking the trail. The chocolate cake was delicious and I highly recommend you don't miss it! Toward the end of the first section, about 13 miles into the trip, the otherwise downhill path levels out and you have to do some pedaling. However, even this part of the trail is not strenuous. It was an enjoyable ride that I will certainly repeat!

One more recommendation I will make. After you have ridden the trail, plan to see a theatrical performance at the Barter Theater in Abingdon, Virginia. We saw "The Full Monty" that night, and it was quite well done and a delightful performance. I will definitely see another performance there again.