I rose way before dawn and decided to just get going and use the moonlight. The campground was completely silent all night, and I slept deeply so felt about as refreshed as I could have despite all the effort of the previous days. Sad I didn't get to see it in the light. I was glad to finally have the opportunity to stay overnight. I'd always wanted to camp at Tsali one day, I've ridden there so many times. I should come back and enjoy it more the next time. It would be a great short overnight trip, it's a great campground. The bathroom is heated and super clean and has running water. And there are showers. I was happy to be past the narrow 2 lane part of hwy 28 and safely on a big shoulder on the 4 lane part. There wasn't all that much traffic anyway though. I got to the Little Tennessee river around dawn. The fog and fall colors and fallen leaves were so beautiful I questioned why I ever wanted to ride anywhere else. Why didn't I just ride around here the whole summer? I certainly missed it for sure. The day was a bit chilly but warming up fast. There were light showers in the forecast so I was keen on getting done before but it turned out to be lovely all morning. While riding the greenway in Franklin I met a fellow bikepacker walking his bike with a friend. He was interested in my trip so I told him a bit about it and that I was so close to being done. He was amazed and told me about his trip, one of necessity after he lost his car(he said the cops confiscated it) and decided to leave Myrtle Beach. He could only go a few miles each day at first because he had so much stuff and was out of shape. We bonded a bit talking about random camping near churches. He was wintering in Macon county and seemed to be in great spirits despite not having very many possessions. I rode on and decided since I had plenty of time and energy and the weather was great, that I would go the back way and bypass the highway and climb up and over California ridge. It's a beast even with an unloaded bike. I tried to climb it without putting a foot down and mostly succeeded, only dabbing once. The fall colors were amazing here and I enjoyed a blissful final descent with a smile on my face. I rode up to the cabin and my parents had prepared huge banners to welcome me home! It's so good to be back. I still can't believe how it all came together and I actually did it.