Day 17. Asheville, North Carolina.
A fairly long day of riding the Blue Ridge today. Another 190 odd miles covered. Having said goodbye to our Australian friend we made a fairly early start and were off on the road by 9:30. During the day we had temperatures ranging from 20 to 30 degrees and got to altitudes of almost 6000'. Once we arrived in Asheville at 2pm we stopped for dinner and experienced the very American phenomenon of a drive through cash point. We then drove around Asheville for a while which unfortunately killed Marks bike (the battery). Having had this happen in Romania we were prepared this time and were able to jump start the bike off the portable device we got in Washington for the purpose. Seems to be a combination of high heat and a battery mounted directly above the exhaust that does it. Anyway we are going to get a new battery tomorrow and then we should be on for the rest of the trip!

Staying in our second Airbnb tonight, in the hilly suburbs above the city. Apparently there are black bears living in the neighbour, and we were told to make a lot of noise when we went for a walk in the evening. We've been hoping to spot some bears on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but no luck so far. However, we did nearly run over a black snake in the middle of the road.