The Appalachian Gravel Growler
Three of us embarked on a weekend adventure of beer, biking, and nature, taking a classic route from The Fonta Flora Brewery in Morganton, NC to Brevard, with plenty of exciting stops in between.
The Appalahain Gravel Growler (AGG) begins at one of North Western Carolina's premier breweries Fonta Flora Brewery. Following a few drinks and stowing some additional ones in Mike's bike pack, we rode a few miles out of town to our campsite for the night.
The following morning, we woke up with ambitious plans to conquer the route all the way to Old Fort, NC, where we would once again be greeted by an amazing brewery. However, the problem was that the route was so incredibly scenic that we couldn't resist stopping to take in the sights, making our journey longer than we had anticipated. Along the way, we were treated to breathtaking vistas of Lineville Gorge and the beautiful gravel roads around Wilsons Creek. Although the infamous powerline road on this route was the least enjoyable part, it was nothing to worry about if you had big enough tires and well-functioning brakes.
After reaching Marion, we decided to take a shortcut straight to Hillman Brewery in Old Fort for dinner and some delicious drinks before continuing up Curtis Creek Road a short distance outside of town to our campsite for the night.
On the second night, we were met with frigid temperatures, and our only thought was to head back into Old Fort for some fresh pastries and coffee from Old Fort Ride House.
The climb out of Old Fort up to the Parkway via Curtis Creek Road is always a joy and one of my favorite dirt road climbs in the area. While the Parkway can be daunting due to traffic, it wasn't as bad as I had expected. We rode all the way into Asheville, stopping for a late lunch at White Duck Taco shop before continuing through the Bent Creek area.
After doing some quick calculations and considering our time constraints, we decided it was best to head to Sierra Nevada Brewery and arrange for our emergency shuttle service (Alyssa & Evelyn) to meet us for dinner before going home.
With early fall temperatures, the beginning of autumn colors, great beer, and even better times with friends, our weekend adventure through Western North Carolina were truly unforgettable.
