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1 July 2009 Where
did it go?

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The signs have been there all along that the best
back road riding areas where under attack by civilization
. The very first
sign was the posting of speed signs in the middle of nowhere a few years
ago
Now a few years later, the wood lots are being
cleared and houses are popping up like weeds. This will bring people, pets, and
children; and of course worse of all; traffic. Complaints about noise and
motorcycles will increase which will result in a greater presence of law
enforcement .
As I pass by land under development on my Sunday rides I
can't help but think that any day might be the last for the cows in the pasture
or the horses grazing in the fields, their grass areas will be plowed under and
developed into track housing. Familiar cotton, corn, and peanut fields will
disappear too. More and more it will get urbanized
.
None of this
is in itself is bad for the county, but for us; the motorcyclists, or at least
those of us who enjoy the solitude and freedom of back road riding it's the
sign of the end. I have always tried to be respectful of the sections were
there are a lot of homes on my Sunday morning romps in the back country, I slow
down and throttle down to reduce as much of the noise as possible so as not to
annoy the inhabitants. I pass churches the same way; no one should be annoyed
when they are worshipping their maker.
There were always places with
nothing but woodlots or farm fields where the only thing that was annoyed by
our noise was a black bird or June bug. But all of that is rapidly changing.
With the increase of people will come more reduced speed limits, increased
traffic and maybe a shopping center in place of one of the local farms. It's a
rather sad thought to think about, after all it's not a great deal of fun being
stuck in a line of cars creeping along at or below the speed limit, or having
to stop every half mile for a stop sign.
I'm going to miss those back
roads and the freedom it brought, even if it was just for an hour or so on a
Sunday morning.
The problem is we live too far from the foot hills and
the Ridge (the Blue Ridge Parkway); one of the best places in the state to
ride. From here it's an overnight ride; we have to ride up there and enjoy the
late morning and afternoon on the parkway then, spend the night and return home
the next day. Of course thats no until after some morning fun on the parkway
and traveling through the foot hills coming home.
Once you get in the
foot hills it seems every road is great. There is something different out in
the country when you're riding through it on a motorcycle, there is something
about the ride you can actually feel besides the bikes movement on the road.
These things we feel originate from the smells and sights you see along the way
that make it far more enjoyable riding in back country than droning along on
the interstate.
The only interstate to impress me is 64 coming out of
West Virginia for its sheer beauty; otherwise interstates are the most boring
way to travel. Old country roads winding through old forgotten towns with
rustic buildings have a lot more food for your soul.
Yes the roads
themselves have a lot of appeal too; they twist, rise and fall, and generally
meander about following the topography; unlike the interstate which is rather
sterile. The interstate straightens and flattens the land as it was intended to
keep traffic moving. After all, the motorcycle is a gravity defying machine and
good roads with tight corners only make the ride more fun. The less painted
lines on a road the better.
I don't think you can get lost on the
interstate system; the signage will keep you on the right path. But back roads
require a map and sense of direction to navigate to your destination. If you
plot your trip via GPS you're going to miss out on some of the best parts of
riding on back roads - getting lost. Getting lost is the best way to meet the locals, without
this contact we miss the true flavor of the area.
I can't count the
number of times we have gotten lost and then got the best directions from the
locals only to get lost again
Country folks are always friendly and ready
to give you directions; it's just that sometimes they can be hard to follow.
We discovered on one trip all of the locals knew where they were going
but didn't know the names or numbers of the roads they took
. "Just follow
the road until you get to the bridge and then turn right
" The one thing
they didn't tell you was how they designate a bridge
. Just about every
creek has some kind of bridge carrying you over it. So now, just which one is
it?
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'In the first place, we should insist that if the
immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates
himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for
it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or
birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in
every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided
allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also,
isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag...
We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and
we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American
people.'
Theodore Roosevelt 1907
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