New route owner / organizer MikeH, Dean and I "opened" the new Cameron - Carrboro - Cameron 113-km Permanent-Populaire today (Jan-28-2012).
The route starts about 1-km from MikeH's abode.
Very handy for him.
The route features sufficient Piedmont rollers to give most anyone some good climbing training.
It also passes Meredith College, the NC Museum of Art, NC State (particularly their football stadium), the North Carolina State Fair Fairgrounds and, knowing the previous, locals will also surmise that the route gets quite close to the RBC Center -- home to the NC State Men's Basketball team and the NHL Carolina Hurricanes.
The route then passes into Cary, traversing same in a more-or-less East-West direction on High House Rd.
After Cary, there is some pleasant riding between Raleigh / Cary on the East and US-15/501 on the West.
A mile or two on that US highway, then one takes Smith Level Rd (more-or less) up into Carrboro.
The UP is particularly noteworthy after one passes under NC-54 just south of Carrboro.
For the non-locals, Carrboro is cheek by jowl with Chapel Hill.
Yes, THAT Chapel Hill -- home to UNC.
As indicated above, the route has more climbing than one might expect.
Some interesting man-made "scenery", and some nature-made (more-or-less) scenery.
The rollers are a result of where the "fall line" from the mountains in the western part of the state, and
The FLAT coastal plain is located.
We saw sheep and goats on the NC State farms.
We saw an obviously pregnant pony.
We saw twelve wild turkeys cross the road and start up a farmstead driveway.
We saw geese and ducks, horses, beef or dairy cattle.
No dawgs.
We also saw more automobile traffic than I care to encounter on a cycling adventure.
Traffic on both ends of the ride.
Based on Mike's previous mid-week rides, and
The check-out ride Mike and I did on a Sunday in September ...
Saturday may be the busiest traffic day for this route.
MikeH grew up in Brooklyn. His tolerance for traffic is quite a bit higher than mine.
And the route starts and ends only 1-km from his abode.
I expect he will "ride the heck out of it".
Will he ever catch Dean for most times riding one's own permanent?
Highly doubtful.
Dean already has 99 complete Get 'er Dunns in the books.
One redeeming feature of the ride, or two, depending on how one counts,
Is the ability to sit down, possibly in the sunshine, at the turn-around, and shoot the breeze.
AND, there is the same possibility as the finish.
In fact, Dean, MikeH and I enjoyed quite a nice conversation, not all of which was about cycling,
Sitting outdoors in the sunshine at one of the establishments at the finish.
That was very nice.
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