I love riding my bike around here because there is so much to look at - but I wish going uphill was a hec of alot easier! I can only make it so far on my bike, so I have been scoping out Willow Creek Road over and over, flying down hill, then pumping uphill all slow and out of breath. Old men pass me by in their farm trucks and wave hello, but have a look of "WTF are ya doing lady!?!" on their face.
Passing cows, barns, brick ranch houses and some fields down the road I arrive at my destination. Standing away from the gate facing the road are endless rows of corn. Big Sandy Mush valley is really two walls of mountains protecting the corn down the center. Corn is the hot shit 'round these parts.
I jumped
(another) red metal gate...this one was tricky. It is on a busy part of the road, and without thinking I went out right at 5 o clock, so way more people were going by then usual. I hid my bike in the tall weeds against the fence, pretended to be taking endless pics of the corn across the road and listened carefully for distant cars before hopping over the gate.
This place is one of wonder to me, I have felt attracted to it every time I saw it from the road, I felt like it was a forest similar to the one I lived under in Marshall, NC - my place that
I loved but had to leave. As soon as I jumped the fence I smelled the sweet smell of that perfect mix of trees, of a secret pocket that doesn't get alot of human traffic, of native plants growing unimpeded. It may not look like much, but it has just the right feeling, just the right lighting, just the right scent.
The first thing I saw was this little "tree house" -- if it had just been a tad bigger I might have moved in!
But then I begin noticing some junk that didn't really belong. It wasn't a total dump or total loss, but here and there pieces of someone's past trash lay randomly spread amongst the magic. Chemical tanks...
Oh, and a washer... (a bunch of tires, metal bowls and plastic buckets were all part of the landscape too). This wasn't discouraging, I wanted to help clean it up - but then I heard a dog barking really close by and another sound that was probably a human doing something at their house- a house I didn't realize must be right over the hill behind the trees. I used my quiet stalking skills to creep softly away and back to the gate- silently hopping back over and getting on my bike.
On my ride back home I noticed a tiny creature in the road, a baby snapping turtle! I love snapping turtles and wanted to take it home, but then realized it had been killed in the road, along with some other baby snappers. :( Poor wittle turtle. After that I couldn't help but notice all the micro casualties in the road - so many dragonflies and crickets all smooshed by cars. Makes me glad I have a bike and will soon be
jus' riding a donkey! I hurt for that turtle, and I don't really care if that's being too sensitive for most peeps living in this fast paced society.
Bye bye cows! Time to go home.
XoXo
I love riding my bike around here because there is so much to look at - but I wish going uphill was a hec of alot easier! I can only make it so far on my bike, so I have been scoping out Willow Creek Road over and over, flying down hill, then pumping uphill all slow and out of breath. Old men pass me by in their farm trucks and wave hello, but have a look of "WTF are ya doing lady!?!" on their face.
Passing cows, barns, brick ranch houses and some fields down the road I arrive at my destination. Standing away from the gate facing the road are endless rows of corn. Big Sandy Mush valley is really two walls of mountains protecting the corn down the center. Corn is the hot shit 'round these parts.
I jumped (another) red metal gate...this one was tricky. It is on a busy part of the road, and without thinking I went out right at 5 o clock, so way more people were going by then usual. I hid my bike in the tall weeds against the fence, pretended to be taking endless pics of the corn across the road and listened carefully for distant cars before hopping over the gate.
This place is one of wonder to me, I have felt attracted to it every time I saw it from the road, I felt like it was a forest similar to the one I lived under in Marshall, NC - my place that I loved but had to leave. As soon as I jumped the fence I smelled the sweet smell of that perfect mix of trees, of a secret pocket that doesn't get alot of human traffic, of native plants growing unimpeded. It may not look like much, but it has just the right feeling, just the right lighting, just the right scent.
The first thing I saw was this little "tree house" -- if it had just been a tad bigger I might have moved in!
But then I begin noticing some junk that didn't really belong. It wasn't a total dump or total loss, but here and there pieces of someone's past trash lay randomly spread amongst the magic. Chemical tanks...
Oh, and a washer... (a bunch of tires, metal bowls and plastic buckets were all part of the landscape too). This wasn't discouraging, I wanted to help clean it up - but then I heard a dog barking really close by and another sound that was probably a human doing something at their house- a house I didn't realize must be right over the hill behind the trees. I used my quiet stalking skills to creep softly away and back to the gate- silently hopping back over and getting on my bike.
On my ride back home I noticed a tiny creature in the road, a baby snapping turtle! I love snapping turtles and wanted to take it home, but then realized it had been killed in the road, along with some other baby snappers. :( Poor wittle turtle. After that I couldn't help but notice all the micro casualties in the road - so many dragonflies and crickets all smooshed by cars. Makes me glad I have a bike and will soon be jus' riding a donkey! I hurt for that turtle, and I don't really care if that's being too sensitive for most peeps living in this fast paced society.
Bye bye cows! Time to go home.
XoXo
Looks like fun :)
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to get my bike back together, but touching the tires or grips causes a bad reaction. It still has a lot of lingering toxins from my home in the city.
Hi, Erik! Toxics build up ... yup.
ReplyDeleteLeslie, the little turtles are on the move I think. Pete and I rescued a big one, a week or so ago ...a beautiful red and gold bellied turtle trying to get across the road. It's just (like you said) too busy for turtles to cross without being the day they choose to die.
It's beautiful where you are, and I see how the inspiration fuels that storyteller inside:) Ride on.
Mokihana
Erik-
ReplyDeleteCan ya hose it off, or wipe it with vinegar? Or maybe wrap the grips in organic cotton to make it better?
I wish I had Pee Wee Herman's bike, from his 'Big Adventure' :)
Mokihana-
I wonder if the turtles are out looking for a place to hibernate for the winter? It's gotten pretty chilly here at night I can easily see them going to the road to find warmth.
Glad I will be riding a donkey and not in a car :)
PS- I am thinking on your image adding prob with blogger, could it be the tab at the upper right hand side that has the two choices between compose and HTML getting mixed up?
I've thought about what I could do to seal off the seat and handlebars, but my reaction was pretty bad ... I still have lingering pain in my hands from carrying the tires across the yard. Messing around with it too much would violate the "don't be a f'ing idiot" principle.
ReplyDeleteI think I'll go steal PeeWee's bike instead.