The weather forecast was for heavy fog when I left the cabin at 6:50 for an early morning appointment at the VA CBOC in Franklin, North Carolina.

The route from Murphy takes you through a section of the Nantahala National Forest where it straddles Clay and Macon counties, and across some of the highest mountains in our region — though I should add we have nothing like you’ll find in the Black Mountain Range that stretches out northwest of Asheville and on into Tennessee.

Above the fog in Macon County, North Carolina.

There you’ll find Kuwohi, Mount Mitchell, Mount Craig and others that top 6,000 feet.

But the 5,000 and near-5,000 footers I crossed this morning was enough to get me above the clouds — if, as I do, you consider fog to be just another name for a cloud, albeit without a pilot’s license.

I shot this photo at the only scenic pull-off on my route, roughly 11 miles west of Franklin along U.S. 64.

From the pull-off you slide down a long, curvy stretch of highway that drops at a 7 percent grade and takes you to the outskirts of Franklin, the county seat for Macon County.

And once I got to the VA, I found out I didn’t have an appointment after all, though somehow I was sure I did. But, nope, the friendly staff assured me, my appointment wasn’t until March 26.

Properly chagrined, I headed back the way I had come.

Can you see that rear tire? It’s pretty slick. As with most of my images, clicking on it will give you an expanded view.

Back in Murphy I stopped at my favorite coffee shop, the Rare Bird Emporium, and sat outside at one of their tables contemplating my rear tire. You almost certainly can’t tell it from the photo here, but she’s growing pretty bald.

I’ve been keeping a wary eye on her for weeks now.

I’m hoping to make it roughly another 1,000 miles before taking it in to have both the rear and front tires replaced — though I grow more doubtful every time I look at it.

But if I can wait, I’ll be able to have my 20,000-mile service at the same time as the shop replaces the tires. And, yes, that’s a lot of miles for a two-year-old bike. And most of those came in my first year, largely due to my trip out to South Dakota’s Black Hills and into Wyoming, Montana, etc.

In fact, I bought and had the current rear tire installed in Sturgis, South Dakota, during that trip. The tire I replaced wasn’t nearly as worn as the current one, though the current one has fewer miles.

I’m unsure why the current tire has worn so, but I suspect hard(er) riding.