By Tiffany Baker

In March, I won The Land of Waterfalls Canadian Cycling Magazine contest with my story of a missed waterfall opportunity in Jasper, Alta. With the trip booked, my boyfriend Aaron Falkenberg and I were bound and determined to see as many waterfalls as we possibly could on our trip to Transylvania County, North Carolina.

Upon arrival, we immediately started our quest and found our first waterfall within eight hours. It would have been sooner, but I needed to get my bike fit and set up to ride the next day: priorities first. During our visit, we found waterfalls by car, foot and bike enjoying them from far away, close up and even from inside. All told, we visited 12 falls, a proverbial drop in the bucket of the 200 in the area. (Check out the full list at visitwaterfalls.com.)

After winning the trip back in the spring, the wait until mid-August when we booked our trip seemed like forever. But our patience was rewarded with totality. Brevard, N.C., where we stayed, was right in the path of totality for the Aug. 21 solar eclipse. So we caught the eclipse fever— along with the hundreds of thousands who descended on the area—and stood in a beautiful park staring at the sky through tinfoil. Correction, we viewed the sun for limited amounts of time through legitimate eclipse viewing glasses. We were treated to 60 eerie seconds of totality. Sixty seconds that we’ll never forget. In fact, it was so incredible we’re considering hunting down the next one.

I was excited to meet the new addition to my Specialized family—an Amira Expert with Di2 shifting and a breathtaking colour scheme. The n+1 of my dreams. Provided by Sycamore Cycles and the Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority, my new ride is everything I hoped for. However, I quickly realized as we climbed up to the Blue Ridge Parkway that it doesn’t really matter which fancy new bike you’re riding: 10 km at eight per cent still hurts. At least now I go a little faster with the same amount pain. My pain disappeared once we were at the top of the incredible hills. The endless forests of the Appalachian mountains just don’t compare to anything you see in books.

Whether you prefer knobby or slick tires, riding in the Land of Waterfalls ranks high on the “wow” scale. Pristine roads, thick morning mist, dense foliage and scenery out of a travel magazine made our road rides ones for the memory books. Pedalling along the Blue Ridge Parkway should be on every roadie’s bucket list. The views of the Smoky Mountains and the long high-speed descent through the Pisgah National Forest more than make up for the unrelenting climbing.

We then traded slicks for burly off-roaders (from The Hub) and were equally thrilled with the mountain biking in the DuPont State Recreational Forest. Ryan from Carmichael Training Systems ensured we made the absolute most of the day and the trails. I finally biked to a waterfall, not to mention navigated a river crossing and took a mid-ride swim break in a shoal. Our only disappointment was that we couldn’t ride more.

Everything they say about small-town southern culture is true: people there are even more polite than Canadians (seriously). My “please/thank-you/sorry/excuse me” Canadian self felt right at home. The Sunset Motel and Hampton Inn ensured we had a comfortable place to collapse after each adventure-filled day. The Cedar Mountain Cafe warmed our bellies with a home-cooked lunch while out waterfall-ing.

And the food! On the menu were catfish, rabbit, fried green tomatoes and many other classic southern creole dishes. As well known as the area is for its southern delicacies, it’s equally known for beer. Every bike shop has an ale, lager or stout on tap. Local breweries, such as Oskar Blues, are always hopping and 20 minutes down the highway is the famous Sierra Nevada brewery. Beer is the company’s thing and it does it well. With as many craft beers as waterfalls, even this non-beer drinker finally found one to enjoy.

While the prize package had a monetary value, in reality, our experience was priceless. The waterfalls, rides, food, friendships, views, hikes, encounters and countless other moments have whetted our appetite. We hope to come back and explore more of this small but mighty area of North Carolina. I may have won a trip, but what I gained was an adventure of a lifetime. To all who were a part of our adventure, thank you.

Photos courtesy of: aaronfalkenberg.com