Today began w/ a lovely morning ride up Newtown Road to New Echota, where we stopped for an tour of the last capital of the eastern Cherokee, and the site of the infamous final treaty between Cherokee Nation and the US. The visit was great, though we all almost succumbed to the dark and cool of the slide show.
Onward 17 miles up the old Federal Road to the Vann house, and more Cherokee story, and insight into 19c farm and plantation life.
Our bodies were feeling the effects of early cycling training, and the heavy heat (96 in town), so at late lunch in Chatsworth, prior to our 8 mile and 2000' climb to Fort Mountain SP, we decided that that climb, on this afternoon, might do us in. Later, no sweat. This early, risky to overall success. We thus snared a couple of motel rooms, and did some microwave "camp cooking," and worked steadily at hydration. We also got to watch a little TV and fall off the "digital /consumerism / we're outside" wagon. All the kids' spirits and attitudes have been terrific, and this little break jacked them up even higher. We might just fly into Tennessee this morning, riding north with a wall of mountains to our right, heading for the Hiwasee River and a Tennessee SP right at the gap in the Cherokee National Forest where the river rips out of the mountains. Not too long of a day, and we cross into a new state: just what we tenderfeet tourers
need!
--PJClements
ps: Thanks Ms. Gordon for the weblog reply! The crew thought that was
awesome. Connectivity a question mark for the next few days.
1 comment:
With my new gmail acct can now track and talk to you all(or is it y'all). Our dinner is now waiting so with your latest post can have some lively dinner conversation. Great travel writing PJC...every word is precious...and you have me LOL and running outside to share the tidbits with DHB as he grills away. Hope you're back "on the wagon"...nothing much on the tube tonight. Thanks for keeping those kids "awesome"...cannot be easy but love your enthusiasm.
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