Life Doesn't Always Have Sheltered Spans
Saturday, March 12, 2016
For those of you that have read about my rambling about Indiana, you know one of my favorite destinations are Covered Bridges. While in the Hoosier State I did a lot of visiting and research about the spans and the men who built them. I was working on a documentary about the builders, and I can remember one day that I was trying to think of other ways to say Covered Bridges. Sheltered Spans is what I came up with, I even liked the alliteration.
So today I set out on The Black Pearl to find my first Covered Bridge in North Carolina. I had really thought visiting these old passes were gone from my riding days. I didn't think North Carolina needed them since the weather conditions are not so harsh. The weathering of the wooden structures is why they were covered in the first place.
So after my favorite riding partner, Kasey, took this photo, we hit the road!
We hot the road, heading north on 200, and quickly left the town of Locust, North Carolina. We passed through the small town of Georgeville, and took a right onto Mount Pleasant Road. We wound our way to Mount Pleasant, through town, and then continued north to Highway 49.
It sounds like a highway, but it is still a pleasant way to cross the country side. The next town on the road along our way is Richfield, North Carolina. This is also our first in a series of stops. It was around 11:30, neither of us had eaten, and we needed bite. We discovered Becky's Restaurant. It looked like the kind of place you would see other two wheeled vehicles parked out in front, but ours was the only one. Usually not a good sign, but we stopped anyway. I returned to the bike while Kasey ordered drinks to get her jacket liner, as it was cool in the eatery. A trio was getting out of their car, and talking about Wile E. Coyote, my four inch plush riding partner. I told them that he had traveled with me for about 130,000 miles. They sounded impressed, and let me know their impression of the meal I was about to eat. The review was very positive.
Kasey wasn't as impressed as I was, but for lunch for two for under twenty bucks, including tip, I was very satisfied. No tenderloin sandwiches here in the Tar Heel State, so I have discovered a new benchmark, the Cheese Steak Sandwich. You might remember I have tasted the famous Pat's Steak in Philadelphia, so I do have high water mark for this new marque item. The sandwich was tasty, and the fries were satisfying. Next time we need to be at least a half hour early so Kasey can get breakfast. I'm dying to try the potato wedges.
Nest stop was the Shell to fill the belly of the beast. Another short jaunt was up the road to Select Homes. We have been home shopping the last week or so. We are still in the very early stages. This was only an outlet for the modular home builder, and these models were very has been.
We headed back on the road, going north on US 52. The tiny burg of Gold Hill marked our next turn, right on to High Rock Road. We were leaving the small urban areas behind for a while, and winding our way through saw mill country. The air was filled with fresh cut southern yellow pine and other scented woods. The gently curving asphalt was lined with the trees that would one day become boards. Then new trees would be planted, and the farming process would continue.
Near Pooletown, and after the road changed names to Wyatt's Grove Church Road, we veered onto Bringle Ferry Road. We were both surprised by the Damn and the pool of water below it. There was also good sized boat launch area. This may be a future stop for a few photos.
Along this route, we saw a few cows making their way to cool off in a roadside pool of water. Half of the small herd was already in the water. As we passed, I spoke through the intercom, "Last one in the water has a rotten udder!" I guess that is proof that with power I have add the twist of my right hand, I become a kid again!
At Healing Springs, we felt good about the day, even thought a spotted blanket of clouds blocked the sun off and on. We headed south on SR 8, then across Handy Road, and south on SR 109. We took one of the most unusual ramps I have ever been on to gain access to Highway 49 once again. This part felt more like a highway.
We turned off on Bombay School Road, jogged onto New Hope Road, and then took a left to High Pine Church Road. This would take us into the Uwharrie National Forest. There were no signs marking our entrance, we just arrived without notice.
At this point in the trip, the stops we had made were for Kasey. She had no idea what my destination for the trip was. At least not until she read the sign post for our next turn, Pisgah Covered Bridge Road. When she saw it, the surprise went away. I tried to deny it, but before we made it to the old structure, she knew.
So it is not as impressive as the bridges of Indiana, and you can only cross as a walker. No information on the original builder or the history of the area either. I guess I will have to look that up. I do have say that I was impressed with the layout of the area. Several picnic tables, a nice little hiking trail, and even easy way to get down to the water that followed beneath the structure.
As we were suiting back up, and getting ready to head out, three other bikes arrived. We greeted them, and we all wished each other well. Our route took us further east to Pisgah Road, then Bethel Lucas, and eventually SR 134 heading south.
This was one of our longest stretches on a road today. It took us into the Montgomery County town of Troy. We jogged around town, noticing that Penny's Pizza was probably the safest place in town. The parking lot had two Troy Police Cars in it. I hope when they needed the owner they knocked on the table three times as Sheldon Cooper would.
At the south end of town, we exited on SR 109 which also guides us right into 24/27 headed toward Albemarle. This fairly straight stretch of road through the National Forest must have gotten Kasey's tummy churning because she made a request for Ice Cream. I had to ask if she thought she was a Gold Wing.
We made our way into Albemarle trying to remember were we had seen a mom and pop kind of ice cream parlor. Sure enough, we would pass one, and it had a motorcycle sitting in front. See, that is a good sign, this time. We turned around, and pulled into the gravel parking lot, stopping next to the red Star Motorcycles Road Liner.
We stepped inside, and the other couple inside, obviously the ones on the bike, greeted us right away. Usually an exchange of names comes late, if at all, in these conversations, but the woman of the pair asked straight off what our names were. Kasey introduced herself, and then me. The woman replied with my full name? I was taken aback until I learned that I have known this person through Facebook and a We Ride North Carolina Page. We have commented on the same threads, and even each others.
To make a long story short, we ended up frozen treat place for over an hour I think. The four of us really hit it off, and I can see the four of us sharing some miles down the road. Just so you know, the ice cream was good, and the man serving us was a Veteran, so if you are nearby, go get your self a treat! Charley's Dairy Bar
So we headed off, saying good-bye to our new friends, going west through town. We took NC 73 out of town, and it was nice winding road. We noticed what a mix of houses line the road. Single wide mobile homes were next door neighbors to fine, and large, stick built homes.
We veered onto Hugh Road, and then NC 1228. This road had a great mix of sweepers and tighter turns. An open area showed us another beautiful North Carolina sky with the sun on its way to setting. It seems every day is started with a glorious sunrise, and ended with as spectacular sunset.
We took a short stretch on Mission Church Road, and then joined Conley Store Road. Another right turn, and our loop is almost finished with a final ride down Bethel Church Road.
The thought that I had on this trip? Life has a lot of gaps we must cross to keep living. Some are wide, some narrow, some wide open, and if we are lucky, some of the gaps we need to cross have sheltered spans.
For those of you that have read about my rambling about Indiana, you know one of my favorite destinations are Covered Bridges. While in the Hoosier State I did a lot of visiting and research about the spans and the men who built them. I was working on a documentary about the builders, and I can remember one day that I was trying to think of other ways to say Covered Bridges. Sheltered Spans is what I came up with, I even liked the alliteration.
So after my favorite riding partner, Kasey, took this photo, we hit the road!
We hot the road, heading north on 200, and quickly left the town of Locust, North Carolina. We passed through the small town of Georgeville, and took a right onto Mount Pleasant Road. We wound our way to Mount Pleasant, through town, and then continued north to Highway 49.
It sounds like a highway, but it is still a pleasant way to cross the country side. The next town on the road along our way is Richfield, North Carolina. This is also our first in a series of stops. It was around 11:30, neither of us had eaten, and we needed bite. We discovered Becky's Restaurant. It looked like the kind of place you would see other two wheeled vehicles parked out in front, but ours was the only one. Usually not a good sign, but we stopped anyway. I returned to the bike while Kasey ordered drinks to get her jacket liner, as it was cool in the eatery. A trio was getting out of their car, and talking about Wile E. Coyote, my four inch plush riding partner. I told them that he had traveled with me for about 130,000 miles. They sounded impressed, and let me know their impression of the meal I was about to eat. The review was very positive.
Kasey wasn't as impressed as I was, but for lunch for two for under twenty bucks, including tip, I was very satisfied. No tenderloin sandwiches here in the Tar Heel State, so I have discovered a new benchmark, the Cheese Steak Sandwich. You might remember I have tasted the famous Pat's Steak in Philadelphia, so I do have high water mark for this new marque item. The sandwich was tasty, and the fries were satisfying. Next time we need to be at least a half hour early so Kasey can get breakfast. I'm dying to try the potato wedges.
Nest stop was the Shell to fill the belly of the beast. Another short jaunt was up the road to Select Homes. We have been home shopping the last week or so. We are still in the very early stages. This was only an outlet for the modular home builder, and these models were very has been.
We headed back on the road, going north on US 52. The tiny burg of Gold Hill marked our next turn, right on to High Rock Road. We were leaving the small urban areas behind for a while, and winding our way through saw mill country. The air was filled with fresh cut southern yellow pine and other scented woods. The gently curving asphalt was lined with the trees that would one day become boards. Then new trees would be planted, and the farming process would continue.
Near Pooletown, and after the road changed names to Wyatt's Grove Church Road, we veered onto Bringle Ferry Road. We were both surprised by the Damn and the pool of water below it. There was also good sized boat launch area. This may be a future stop for a few photos.
Along this route, we saw a few cows making their way to cool off in a roadside pool of water. Half of the small herd was already in the water. As we passed, I spoke through the intercom, "Last one in the water has a rotten udder!" I guess that is proof that with power I have add the twist of my right hand, I become a kid again!
At Healing Springs, we felt good about the day, even thought a spotted blanket of clouds blocked the sun off and on. We headed south on SR 8, then across Handy Road, and south on SR 109. We took one of the most unusual ramps I have ever been on to gain access to Highway 49 once again. This part felt more like a highway.
We turned off on Bombay School Road, jogged onto New Hope Road, and then took a left to High Pine Church Road. This would take us into the Uwharrie National Forest. There were no signs marking our entrance, we just arrived without notice.
At this point in the trip, the stops we had made were for Kasey. She had no idea what my destination for the trip was. At least not until she read the sign post for our next turn, Pisgah Covered Bridge Road. When she saw it, the surprise went away. I tried to deny it, but before we made it to the old structure, she knew.
So it is not as impressive as the bridges of Indiana, and you can only cross as a walker. No information on the original builder or the history of the area either. I guess I will have to look that up. I do have say that I was impressed with the layout of the area. Several picnic tables, a nice little hiking trail, and even easy way to get down to the water that followed beneath the structure.
As we were suiting back up, and getting ready to head out, three other bikes arrived. We greeted them, and we all wished each other well. Our route took us further east to Pisgah Road, then Bethel Lucas, and eventually SR 134 heading south.
This was one of our longest stretches on a road today. It took us into the Montgomery County town of Troy. We jogged around town, noticing that Penny's Pizza was probably the safest place in town. The parking lot had two Troy Police Cars in it. I hope when they needed the owner they knocked on the table three times as Sheldon Cooper would.
At the south end of town, we exited on SR 109 which also guides us right into 24/27 headed toward Albemarle. This fairly straight stretch of road through the National Forest must have gotten Kasey's tummy churning because she made a request for Ice Cream. I had to ask if she thought she was a Gold Wing.
We made our way into Albemarle trying to remember were we had seen a mom and pop kind of ice cream parlor. Sure enough, we would pass one, and it had a motorcycle sitting in front. See, that is a good sign, this time. We turned around, and pulled into the gravel parking lot, stopping next to the red Star Motorcycles Road Liner.
We stepped inside, and the other couple inside, obviously the ones on the bike, greeted us right away. Usually an exchange of names comes late, if at all, in these conversations, but the woman of the pair asked straight off what our names were. Kasey introduced herself, and then me. The woman replied with my full name? I was taken aback until I learned that I have known this person through Facebook and a We Ride North Carolina Page. We have commented on the same threads, and even each others.
To make a long story short, we ended up frozen treat place for over an hour I think. The four of us really hit it off, and I can see the four of us sharing some miles down the road. Just so you know, the ice cream was good, and the man serving us was a Veteran, so if you are nearby, go get your self a treat! Charley's Dairy Bar
So we headed off, saying good-bye to our new friends, going west through town. We took NC 73 out of town, and it was nice winding road. We noticed what a mix of houses line the road. Single wide mobile homes were next door neighbors to fine, and large, stick built homes.
We veered onto Hugh Road, and then NC 1228. This road had a great mix of sweepers and tighter turns. An open area showed us another beautiful North Carolina sky with the sun on its way to setting. It seems every day is started with a glorious sunrise, and ended with as spectacular sunset.
We took a short stretch on Mission Church Road, and then joined Conley Store Road. Another right turn, and our loop is almost finished with a final ride down Bethel Church Road.
The thought that I had on this trip? Life has a lot of gaps we must cross to keep living. Some are wide, some narrow, some wide open, and if we are lucky, some of the gaps we need to cross have sheltered spans.
Comments