I always appreciate a chance to get away to Asheville, NC. The lovely little mountain town is home to a terrific craft beer community, good hiking at the edge of the Appalachians, and my wife's family. It is a bit of a drive for me, but a chance to bike the area called the River Arts District with REI and enjoy a beer or two seemed a worthy reason.
The River Arts District (RAD) of Asheville is a revitalized corridor along the French Broad River. This area was once the industrial hub of the city and home to all manner of agriculture driven business such as tanneries, granaries, butcher shops, etc. Over the past couple of decades, the city has turned this area into a community and tourist hub with a paved path along the river, breweries, art installations, restaurants, and plenty of open greenway area. It's a great place to get a little fresh air and enjoy a meal or a brew with friends.
Today, I'll be riding a few miles with an event organized by REI called Peddles and Pints. While I do have my own bike, I opted to borrow one of theirs. Meeting up with the guide and the other participants, we quickly sized our bikes did a quick introduction and hit the trail. We'll be using fat-tired road-bikes today, which is quite different from my personal road bike, but it should be fine.
After leaving the parking area, we ride up and over the Craven Street Bridge and past New Belgium's brewing facility. The brewery played a very active role in cleaning up this section of the RAD when they built their facility here a few years ago. There are a lot of people out on the trail and it feels good to be part of such an active community. Continuing south, our guide stops us at a couple of locations to talk about the history, which is interesting.
We ride to Carrier Park, which actually used to be a race track. From here, we begin heading back, eventually crossing the river again on the Amboy Road Bridge and then continuing up the eastern side of the river. A little ways further, we stop at Wedge Brewing and enjoy a pint and some good conversation. It's a pleasant experience and the beer was pretty good. Though, I've visited many of the breweries in Asheville, this is my first time at this one and like most their competition, they do a nice job.
Returning to the parking area after a couple of hours and about 6.4 miles, we thank our guide for the experience and load up to head home. I had originally planned on hitting another brewery or two, but considering the drive I have home, I decide to go ahead and depart. It was a nice event though and I'm happy to have had the chance to participate in it.
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