#RideSouth – Day 6

I hit the road before sunrise this morning knowing that a good section of US Route 25 I’d be on had little or no shoulder. I was hoping to trade the insecurity of thick fog and darkness for the possibility of less traffic. My plan worked out well, and I was able to cover nearly 18 miles by 7am.

While sections of road like this are sometimes unavoidable, I tried to plan this route using small, rural roads whenever I could. I did this partially for safety, but also because I wanted to truly experience the area. It’s one of the reasons I love traveling this way in the first place. To see the landscape, physically make my way through it, and meet the people who live there. You can’t do that from an expressway. When interstates are built, mountains are blasted through and low areas leveled out. It’s point A to point B as fast as possible. But small, back roads wind their way, often following creeks and rivers through the valleys, before turning sharply upwards in a series of switchbacks climbing the surrounding hillsides. Progress is slow at times, but the time spent has been worth every minute. And this experience is something I won’t soon forget.

Day 6: 98.7 miles

#RideSouth
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