16
Aug/2008

by chesshirecat

I had another good day on the bike yesterday. I really like the fact, here in NE TN. I can ride for years and not discover all the cool little roads leading to nowhere, but eventually will take me home again. Yesterday, while riding a favorite route, and knowing I had less than an hour to get home, I decided to take a side road that looked promising. It was. Coming off of US 107, heading north on a road whose name escapes me, but one that I have ridden many times before...I decide I still have time to do some slight exploring. I see a few roads that look inviting, but I was actually traveling too fast to take advantage of them. So I slow down, and say to myself... "The next road to the right is gonna be the one." All righty then, here it comes... I make the turn, notice the name of the road and promptly forget it, as I wind my way down this small street with lots of gravel from washed out driveways. I can feel my front wheel break from the road surface as I take some of the little twisties, and I'm not even going more than 35 mph. As I continue down this road, it becomes more narrow, and less populated, but looking in my rear view mirror...I notice I have two vehicles behind me. One is a mini van, and I wonder what the hell that thing is doing here on this road, as it is reminding more and more of some of the roads that will take you to your local still maker, than to the few homes that dotted the hills on both sides of the narrow little path that was still dubbed a road, as beneath all the gravel from washouts...it was still paved! The mini van and it's companion car behind it turned off ...and I was left alone on this little back woods road to meander along side a little stream...and the wonderful woods all around me. I still kept hearing the banjo strumming... da da dum dum dum dum dum dum dum, and the replying guitar picking right behind that damn banjo. Damn my imagination anyway! I was so far back in the hills and the woods, I actually came across a small family saw mill still in operation. That was comforting...since the little stream was too small to actually hide a large body in...these people could now take my body to the saw mill and gut it up as fish bait...you never know...cuz there is "Stills in these Hills" folks! Of course my imagination was working over time...the road went up and down lil paths that once were goat paths...or perhaps the occasional bull traversed this place at some time...LOL But it was a damn nice place of natural beauty...and it was only six miles long. It looped right back onto the road I left...but sure made for an interesting jaunt with my imagination. Did I tell you? I really like these small roads out here, they lead to nowhere, then back home again...leaving me feeling as if I had taken a 300 mile ride, when actually...it was only fifty!

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