I felt good on the climb up to Glouchester and then tried to stay ahead of Dennis on the final climb up Pilot Mtn. Rd. I can't recall the last time I managed to stay on the bike the whole way and it felt really good for a change but I still had a nagging feeling that I was headed for a dead end.
Jonathon was proposing hitting Flat Laurel Creek when Dennis paused at the last intersection with the Art Loeb before the gap and I managed to have a most spectacular crash right into him. I thought he was slowing, not stopping and down I went. My bike tangled in his and I flew through the air.
No damage to me or the bike so on down the trail we went. I got bounced off early in the top rock garden on Farlow and knew it wasn't my day to be trying anything silly so I continued on slowly. A little while later I managed to crash, this time most unspectacularly, but happened to land directly on my right knee on one of the few rocks on Farlow. My knee took the full brunt of the impact and pain shot through my body. I was wallowing in pain on the trail and at first thought I had to have broken or shattered my knee cap. Dennis got my bike off me and I got up but then collasped on the trail again from the pain. It was that kind of crash. After a few minutes I was able to walk some and sort of felt my knee cap and was hopeful a serious injury was avoided. I limped my way down to Shuck Ridge Creek were I decided a long break was in order while I soaked my knee in the creek with the local wildlife.
Then I decided to find Shuck Ridge Falls. Turns out it isn't very hard to find at all. Very nice waterfall and swimming hole.
I wrapped my knee in an ace bandage and we continued on down the trail. Left on Daniel and then the connector over to Cove Creek after a stop at the waterfall to cool down.
Dennis bailed and I tried to convince Jonathon to continue on to Black. He made it to 225 and then announced he was turning right on 475B which left me alone. Club Gap came easy enough but walking really hurt my knee whereas riding didn't so I bailed down Avery Creek. As much as I love the hike a bike over Black I just wasn't up for it. Another waterfall and swimming hole at the bottom of Avery and the ride was done.
Sunday's to relax and it was hot so me and Terri went to check out some waterfalls:
Lemon Falls:
French Broad and Mill Shoals Falls:
Mill Shoals:
Bird Rock:
Bird Rock Falls:
The light was all wrong for waterfall photography and there were lots of people out so I decided to try and find a hard one - Double Branch Falls. We found the branch and did some exploring out in the sweltering heat but no falls. After thinking about it for awhile I decided there was not enough water on the branch for a waterfall and have a hunch that the description I was following might be for a waterfall that is only there when it is really wet. It just wasn't making sense to me.... But I did manage to find some very interesting unimproved roads that are bike legal and look like they could be fun and deserve more exploring so I'll be back!
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