Raleigh

i recall really revelling in that winter ride through south-central Raleigh:
Read about it at the Research Trailer Park.

Bike-Friendly Bills

Here's a list of legislation in the current NC session directly or indirectly impacting cyclists:

• NC-SB 12 would “Ban Mobile Phone Use While Driving”
• NC-HB 9 "Ban Texting While Driving"
  (passed in the House; now in the Senate...)
• NC-SB 219, "Report Bicycle Crashes to Law Enforcement"
  would make more car-bike crashes require a police report by lowering the minimum damage from $1000 to $500 for the bicycle.
• NC-HB 68 "Prohibited Use of Electronic Devices/Driving"
• NC-SB 334 "Department of Transportation Reforms"
  seeks to cut a lot of politics out of transportation spending--a goal of our new guv.
• NC-HB 148 and -SB 151 “Congestion Relief/Intermodal Transport Fund”
  allows public transit projects to build supporting bike/ped infrastructure. (Thank South Raleigh's Congresswoman Deborah Ross for this one!)
• NC-SB 955 "Bicycle Lights at Night"
  seeks to require a taillight instead of rear reflector
  

(Thanks to NCATA's Ed Harrison for identifying and analyzing these Bills)


The North Carolina Active Transportation Alliance (NCATA) is a fairly new statewide advocacy organization working to improve nonmotorized transportation across NC. NCATA's new Spring 2009 newsletter is now available online at www.ncactive.org and has lots of updates on funding sources, advocacy events and general information about the organization. Download the newsletter and pass it along to friends, colleagues, club members, etc. and consider joining the organization to help support outreach and policy work for human-powered transportation (an individual membership is only $15!!!).

Mr. C's Magpie

Curtis, the bike wrench Buddha from CNC's glory days, is back! and he is building custom frames!

Read about it, and view the snaps, in Branson's article on Research Trailer Park.

I guess Five-oh wasn't Mr. C's cup-o-tea?

CLT to RGH

From Charlotte Amtrak to Raleigh Amtrak

This 160mi route takes you from one end of the Amtrak Piedmont's service line to the other. I'm sure a strong and determined cyclist could do it in a single day, but when we rode it a few years ago, we made an overnight camping trip of it, arriving very late at night at the (RV) campground in Asheboro. That is in a "dry" county by the way, so BYOB if needed.

Campground staff treated us kindly. We took a dip in the swimming pool. I think there was some all-night industry (timber?) nearby that marred our Zzzzzzs with odor...or noise? or both, I don't recall precisely.

I've heard of one other group planning to do something similar this summer (2009), but they're using a longer route, through the Uwharries and making a three-day (two night) trip of it. Sounds like a lot of fun and adventure!

Maps:

• Raleigh Amtrak Depot [ Google ] [ MapQuest ] [ Yahoo ]

160mi (257km)

Go to the Bikely / Google Interactive Route Map

Charlotte Amtrak on N Tryon St
AT	TURN	GO	ON
0.0	R	3.4	N Tryon
3.4	R	2.6	Old Concord Rd
6.0	R	8.9	Rocky River Rd
14.9	R	0.7	Lower Rocky River Rd
15.6	L	1.5	Pine Grove Ch Rd
17.1	L	8.0	Flowes Store Rd (becomes Miami Ch Rd)
25.1	L	2.2	Cold Springs Rd
27.3	R	0.0	Cold Springs Rd E
27.3	L	2.5	Walker Rd
29.8	L	0.1	NC-73 (Mt Pleasant Hwy)
29.9	R	0.3	St Johns Ch Rd
30.2	R	6.5	Mt Olive Rd
36.7	R	1.3	Sansbury Rd to Gold Hill
38.0	L	3.8	St Stephens Ch Rd
41.8	L	0.1	Old US-80
41.9	R	0.1	Doby Dr
42.0	L	0.1	US-52
42.1	R	7.0	High Rock Rd (becomes Wyatts Grove Ch Rd)
49.1	R	8.2	Bringle Ferry Rd 1002 (becomes Denton Rd)
57.3	R	0.9	W Peacock Ave
58.2	L	0.3	109
58.5	R	8.8	E 1st St (becomes Farmer-Denton Rd)
67.3	L	8.0	Old 49 into Asheboro
75.3	BL	1.9	merges with 49 and becomes Albemarle Rd
77.2	L	0.4	S Park St
77.6	R	0.8	Kivett St
78.4	L	0.3	Cliff Rd
78.7	R	0.8	N Randolph (becomes MLK Jr Dr)
79.5	L	0.5	Cedar Falls Rd
80.0	BR	4.2	Old Cedar Falls Rd
84.2	L	0.2	Loflin Pond Rd
84.4	R	3.9	Cedar Falls Rd through Franklinville (becomes NC-22) to Ramseur
88.3	L	1.4	Patterson Grove Rd
89.7	R	3.8	Fuergeson Rd
93.5	L	0.7	NC-49
94.2	R	2.8	Old Staley Rd (becomes Columbia St in Staley)
97.0	R	0.1	W Railroad St
97.1	L	0.2	Pittsboro St
97.3	L	0.2	Foushee St
97.5	R	3.0	E Franklinville St (becomes Staley-Snow Camp Rd)
100.5	R	0.9	Pike Rd
101.4	R	7.9	Silk Hope Liberty Rd
109.3	L	0.5	Silk Hope Lindley Mill Rd
109.8	R	5.7	Epps Clark Rd (becomes Henderson Tanyard Rd)
115.5	R	1.4	Castle Rock Farm Rd
116.9	L	0.7	NC-87
117.6	R	3.6	Chicken Bridge Rd (Cross the Haw River)
121.2	R	2.8	River Rd
124.0	R	0.6	Hamlet Chp Rd
124.6	L	0.7	Oak Hill Rd
125.3	L	0.3	Manns Chp Rd
125.6	R	3.3	Andrews Store Rd
128.9	L	0.7	NC-15-501
129.6	R	3.2	Jack Bennett Rd
132.8	R	1.0	Lystra Rd-Jack Bennett Rd
133.8	R	2.1	Farrington Rd
135.9	L	2.9	Marthas Chp Rd
138.8	R	0.4	NC-751
139.2	L	4.2	Lewter Shop Rd (becomes Green Level Ch Rd)
143.4	L	2.0	Green Hope School Rd (Walk around barricades and across RR track)
145.4	R	1.2	Carpenter Upchurch Rd
146.6	L	3.5	High House Rd (Cary)
150.1	L	0.7	Old Apex Rd
150.8	BL	3.7	W. Chatham St (becomes E Chatham St) (becomes Hillsborogh St)
154.5	BR	0.8	Western Blvd
155.3	L	0.2	Powell Dr
155.5	R	1.5	Beryl Rd
157.0	R	2.2	Hillsborough St
159.2	BR	0.5	Morgan St
159.7	R	0.2	Boylan Ave
159.9	L	0.2	Kinsey St
160.1	L	0.2	Cabarrus St
160.3	---	L	Amtrak Station—Raleigh NC
Raleigh Amtrak on Cabarrus St

Note:
CH = Church
CHP = Chapel

Hanging Rock Loop

Starting point: Greensboro Amtrak Station

Hanging Rock is spectacular. Do this ride as a century or as an overnight camping trip. Here are some snaps from when Roger Truit and I rode it in the Fall of 2006:

Bikely Route Map

Starting Point Maps (Greensboro Amtrak Depot):

• [ Google ]
• [ MapQuest ]
• [ Yahoo ]

1 Adult Passenger—Rail Fare: $22.00 round-trip Departing: Raleigh, NC (RGH) To Greensboro, NC (GRO)
Service	Departs	Arrives	Duration	Amenities	Seats/Rooms
73 Piedmont	Raleigh, NC - (RGH) 7:05 am	Greensboro, NC - (GRO) 8:34 am	1h 29m	Checked baggage	1 Reserved Coach Seat
Returning: Greensboro, NC (GRO) To Raleigh, NC (RGH)
Service	Departs	Arrives	Duration	Amenities	Seats/Rooms
74 Piedmont	Greensboro, NC - (GRO) 7:05 pm	Raleigh, NC - (RGH) 8:40 pm	1h 35m	Checked baggage, Snack car	1 Reserved Coach Seat

To buy tickets online

Cycles de Oro
Greensbro, NC

Go to the Bikely / Google Interactive Route Map

Amtrak Station (Greensboro NC)
AT	TURN	GO	ON
		0.0	Greensboro Amtrak
0.0	W	0.2	Washington St (go west)
0.2	R	5.9	Elm St (alt: Church St)
6.1	-	0.5	through roundabout onto Bass Chappel Rd
6.6	L	2.5	Regent's Park Ln (a neighborhood street)
9.1	L	0.5	Lake Brandt Rd
9.6	R	1.3	Old Battleground (2340)
10.9	-	0.7	becomes Horse Pen Creek Rd
11.6	R	1.8	Carlson Dairy Rd (Greensboro CC)
13.4	L	0.3	Pleasant Ridge Rd (store) BR TRO Pleasant Ridge Rd (NOT Lewiston)
13.7	R	1.1	Stanley Huff Rd
14.8	L	3.4	Bunch Rd
18.2	L	1.5	Oak Ridge Rd (NC-150) Cross NC-68; Wendy's, Supermarkets, etc.
19.7	R	2.1	Linville Rd
21.8	L	0.2	Haw River Rd
22.0	R	2.6	Goodwill Ch Rd (Guilford) becomes Freeman Rd
24.6	L	0.1	Piney Grove Rd
24.7	R	2.1	Goodwill Ch Rd (Forsyth)
26.8	R	1.7	Belews Creek Rd
28.5	L	5.1	NC-65
33.6	R	0.0	Stokesburg Rd Cross RR Tracks
33.6	R	0.5	Main St (NC-89/US-311) Walnut Cove Restaurants, ABC Store
34.1	L	6.5	3rd St (Walnut Cove) BR becomes Piney Mountain Rd
40.6	R	0.6	NC-8
41.2	L	1.0	Flat Shoals Rd (S. Stokes VFD)
42.2	R	0.9	TRO Flat Shoals Rd
43.1	BL	4.5	TRO Flat Shoals Rd (Scenic view of Hanging Rock on the right)
47.6	BR	0.5	(2nd) Covington Rd 2008
48.1	BR	0.8	Capella School Rd
48.9	BR	.	NC-66 climb through the pass between HR and Sauratown. Convenience store
At 49.4 you could turn left onto the very scenic Taylor Rd for bonus miles or to climb Sauratown
50.0	R	5.3	Moore's Spring Rd
55.3	R	-	Hanging Rock SP Rd. IF going up!
55.3	R	1.6	Moore's Spring Rd East, toward Danbury
56.9	R	5.0	NC-8/NC-89
61.9	BL	6.9	TRO NC-89 (NOT 8) joins US-311 then becomes Main St in Walnut Cove
68.8	L	0.0	Stokesburg Rd Cross RR Tracks
68.8	L	5.1	NC-65
73.9	L	0.4	Belews Creek Rd TRO NC-65
74.3	R	0.8	TRO Belews Creek Rd / NC-65
75.1	R	1.7	Kernersville Rd
76.8	R	1.0	becomes Piney Grove Rd
77.8	L	2.6	Freeman Rd becomes Goodwill Ch Rd
80.4	L	0.2	Haw River Rd
80.6	R	2.1	Linville Rd
82.7	L	1.7	Oak Ridge Rd (NC-150)
84.4	R	0.7	Bunch Rd
85.1	BR	2.7	TRO Bunch Rd
87.8	R	1.1	Stanley Huff Rd
88.9	L	0.3	Pleasant Ridge Rd (Store)
89.3	R	1.8	Carlson Dairy Rd (NOT Lewiston) (Greensboro CC)
91.1	L	0.7	Horse Pen Creek Rd
91.8	-	1.3	becomes Old Battleground (2340)
93.1	L	0.5	Lake Brandt Rd
93.7	R	1.4	Regent's Park Ln
95.1	R	0.7	Bluff Run Dr
95.8	L	0.3	Lake Jeanette Rd
96.1	R	5.9	(through roundabout) Elm St (alt: Church St)
102.0	L	0.2	Washington St
102.2	R	0.0	Greensboro Amtrak

GRO to RGH

Update: Amtrak no longer charges a fee for bikes on the Piedmont train! Also, this summer they will add mid-day service, with bike racks on-board!

From Greensboro Amtrak to Raleigh Amtrak

Maps:

• Greensboro Depot [ Google ] [ MapQuest ] [ Yahoo ]
• Raleigh Depot [ Google ] [ MapQuest ] [ Yahoo ]

82mi (133km)
Go to the Bikely / Google Interactive Route Map

This is a nice rolling route through the rural Piedmont region. From Snow Camp to Green Level it covers the same territory as the NCBC 200 brevet, but with a differing route to provide some variation and uses some quieter and perhaps slightly shorter and maybe hillier roads. Since these roads see less traffic, they get less maintenance and may have a few minor surface blemishes.

The start (Greensboro Train Depot) is about 500' higher than the finish (Raleigh Train Depot), so overall the route is downhill. That said there ARE some climbs throughout, especially in the last 25 miles (east of Jordan Lake). Biggest descent: Jack Bennett Rd approaching Lake Jordan. Biggest climb: Highhouse Rd by Bond Park in Cary.

There are few stores on this route, so traffic and roadside litter are both low (outside of Cary-Raleigh). After mile 16, it's almost 40 miles to the next store, so stock up! (There are a couple of stores just a bit off the route but, unless you know where they are, you won't find them.)

Two off-route stores are located at:

• NC-62 at Alamance Ch Rd (1005)
• (Frosty's) Crawford Dairy Rd at Hamlet's Chapel Rd

Alteration: If you go straight on Lewter Shop Rd, instead of turning right on Green Level Rd W, it will become Green Level School Rd which takes you past Cary's Thomas Brooks Park before rejoining Green Level Rd W. The park has water and clean restrooms.

The Amtrak fare, one-way, is about $ 11.00.

Greensboro-Raleigh
At	Turn	Go	On
Greensboro Amtrak on Tryon St
0.0	East	1.0	Washington St
			BR at Pastor Anderson Way TRO Washington St
1.0	BR	0.6	McConnell Rd
1.6	R	1.9	Willow Rd. (go under I-40/I-85 Bus.)
3.5	L	14.8	Alamance Ch Rd (1005) go over I-40/I-85
14.5			BR at McPherson Clay TRO Alamance Ch (1005)
15.6			Store at NC-62 (last store for 40mi)
18.3	BR	7.2	W. Greensboro Chp Hill Rd (1005)
25.5	-	1.1	Sylvan School Rd
26.6	L	0.4	Snow Camp Rd
27.0	R	1.6	Griffin Rd
28.6	R	0.8	Hollman Mill Rd
29.4	L	2.9	Major Hill Rd
32.3	R	0.5	Lindley Mill Rd
32.8	L	2.1	Old Switchboard Rd
			(Alt route: Castle Rock Farm Rd to NC-87 to Chicken Bridge Rd)
34.9	L	1.1	Greenhill Rd
36.0	R	5.9	Russell Rd
38.4	-		becomes Mount Olive Ch Rd
41.9	L	2.1	Chicken Bridge Rd (cross the Haw River)
44.0	R	2.9	River Rd
46.9	R	0.6	Hamlet Chp Rd
47.5	L	0.7	Oak Hill Rd
48.2	L	0.3	Mann's Chp Rd
48.5	R	3.4	Andrew's Store Rd ("Shop Quick" Store at 15-501)
51.9	L	0.6	US-15-501
52.5	R	3.2	Jack Bennett Rd (Traffic Light) Downhill!
55.7	R	1.0	Lystra Rd
56.7	R	2.1	Farrington Rd (1008) Jordan Lake (Traffic Light)
58.8	L	2.8	Martha's Chp Rd
61.6	R	0.4	NC-751 (caution: fast traffic)
62.0	L	0.4	Lewter Shop Rd (Jean's Berry Patch)
62.4	R	10.1	Green Level Rd
			Cross the American Tobacco Trail
			(Alt route: go straight)
67.9	-		becomes High House (1615) Climb!
72.5	L	4.0	W. Chatham (1011)
75.4	-		becomes Hillsborough St at I-40 overpass
76.5	BR	0.9	Western Blvd
77.4	L	0.2	Powell Dr
77.6	R	1.4	Beryl Rd
79.0	BL	0.1	TRO Beryl Rd
79.1	R	2.1	Hillsborough St (54) past NCSU
81.2	BR	0.6	W. Morgan St
81.8	R	0.2	Boylan St (RR overpass)
82.0	L	0.1	Dupont Circle
82.1	L	0.1	TRO Dupont Circle
82.2	L	0.1	Cabarrus St
82.3	L		West St
Amtrak Depot