Final Planning of the Tour

Eight cycling days with only two rest days in between: that's how we are defining the stages of the bicycling tour that is going to lead us through the Blue Ridge Mountains. The most Northern tip of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Milepost 0, just outside Waynesboro, Virginia, serves as the starting point of this adventure. After 469 more mileposts in Southern direction, we are going to reach the other end of "America's Favorite Drive", near Cherokee, North Carolina, in the midst of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

how we want to look like at the end of the ride

The final and detailed planning of the stages will be happening within the next few days from now. So far, the rough plan we have is the following:

1. Welcome-Afternoon-Ride - 30 miles (up to Milepost 30; Buena Vista/Vesuvius VA)
2. 56 miles to Milepost 86 (Peaks of Otter)
3. 83 miles to MP 169 (Rocky Knob)
4. 72 miles to MP 241 (Doughton Park)
5. Rest day, outdoor yoga & meditation, nature outing
6. 71 miles to MP 312
7. 72 miles to MP 384 (Parkway Visitor Center Asheville), including Mt. Mitchell State Park (highest peak East of Mississippi River)
8. Rest day, sightseeing in Asheville, river rafting/canopeeing/simply resting
9. 24 miles up to MP 408 (Mt. Pisgah)
10. 61 miles to MP 469 (Cherokee)

So how does that sound? I am getting more and more excited about this project. The additional benefit, that we are doing it not only for our personal fun and pleasure, but also to raise funds for the Eliada Homes in Asheville - which is helping children succeed. On their beautiful campus is West Asheville, NC, kids learn in different programs to cope with the various challenges they are facing. For some of the programs they keep a farm, including animals such as the donkey Amus, several horses, a lot of cats, and even a llama named Llarry. A good reason to "bust our asses" and collect Pennys and Dollars on the way.

This will therefore be a great opportunity for sponsors and donors to help a fantastic cause, experiencing the fun of being in awestriking nature of the Blue Ridge Mountains while getting PR coverage through our continuous reporting and blogging. Just contact me to find out all the details about your sponsoring opportunity, how your logo can make it on our cycling jerseys, website or even the support vehicle, and of course what PR coverage your own cause can get.

As a donor you can make a difference starting at a Penny per mile - which will add up to a maximum of only 9.38 US-Dollars: 2 cyclists (Phil and me) times 469 miles (length of the Blue Ridge Parkway) times your commitment of a Penny. For your donation you will get an official, tax relevant receipt by Eliada.

For sure you can commit to more, e.g. ten cents per mile (comes to $93.80), a quarter per mile ($234.50) or a Dollar per mile ($938). The kids of Eliada will thank you! In a recent meditative visualization of mine about this project, a number popped into my head. It was 45! Meaning all donor together bring together a total of 45 Dollars per bicycled mile, which could sum up to 42,210 US-Dollars. Wouldn't it be great to hand over a cheque as big as that to the kids, animals, and staff of Eliada?