The Beautiful Mrs. K and I took Eli to North Carolina for orientation at Lees-McRae College. It's a long drive, but going to college is a big life event and something you don't want to miss.
This small school is tucked into the mountains. Like, RIGHT THERE in the mountains. It's got such old-world charm. And everywhere you look, there is something that makes you smile. We had parent orientation while Eli got acquainted with teachers, TA's, and the grounds. Deanna and I stayed in the AirBnB while Eli got his taste of dorm life for a few days. Such an impressive staff, very dedicated to the students.
And there was riding. Oh yes, very good riding. Besides visiting awesome restaurants and awesome coffee shops, we rode mountain bikes. On the school grounds, there is a gnarly set of trails that would turn a person into a mountain biker if they weren't already. And if your climbing isn't good, it will be after staying here a while.
We all visited Beech Mountain to ride the trails there. Wow. Some moderate single track, but the bulk of the trails were absolutely gnarly. Drops, roots aplenty, sharp ups and downs, etc. We were hitting 200 ft. per mile climbing. At 5200 feet, the altitude was also a thing, at least for us dead-flat landers. When we we had our fill of the dirt, we climbed the last half mile or so on the pavement to the top of Beech to see the downhillers tackle the mountain. Right about this moment, Eli is putting the hammer down on the old man.
After riding, we ate lunch at the resort at the top. We were able to watch the riders riding the lifts up and blasting down the different courses. What a beautiful place to spend time. Mrs. K and I are quite jealous that Eli gets to spend the next few years here...hopefully getting a good education here on top of riding his bike.
No comments:
Post a Comment