Today we plan to get back to the point where we left US-19 in Asheville, and resume the journey.

The morning started out cool with a little fog. It was very pleasant riding.

After an hour or so, the fog cleared and the temperature rose to into the 80’s. It was still pleasant riding through rural Georgia.

We stopped for coffee at McDonald’s. (No picture – meh) They have changed the apple pie sometime during the last year. Now it’s smaller and encrusted with large crystals of sugar. Yuk.

Lunch was at a rest area on I-26.

We realized we had pulled into the lot next to a car with a totally destroyed tire.

Beth suggested we see if the driver needed help. He sure did. He said he didn’t have the strength to undo the lug nuts. He didn’t know how to jack up the car as well. So – I loosened the lug nuts (I had to stand/jump on the tire iron to get them to loosen) and jacked up the car. The wheel was rusted to the hub and wouldn’t come off. While I was working on the tire, Beth walked the guy’s dog and gave it some water.

Fortunately, there was a guy in a tow truck just leaving the rest area. I flagged him down and he agreed to help. He used the spare tire as a hammer to break the wheel loose. (That’s a tip to remember.) He also used his impact wrench to tighten the lug nuts and his portable compressor to air up the spare.

We got back on the road and found the spot where we left US-19 last week.

North of Asheville, US-19 is on I-26 for a while. It leaves I-26, and later splits into 19W and 19E. We took 19W. The road twists and turns and goes up and down. It’s great riding on 2 wheels but an arm wrestle on a trike. I highly recommend it. Here are some views along the way.

We ended the day relatively early in Johnson City, TN. We were hot and tired and headed straight to the shower. I fell asleep at 6:00 p.m. and got up around midnight to write the blog and edit the photos. Crazy day, for sure. Tomorrow we head into West Virginia.