Casey mixed loop
I started at Middelsburg Elementary school and headed north to Patsy Riffe Ridge Rd. This became part of the most momentous first 5 miles I've ridden in a while. 2 miles away from my departure I faced a super steep climb. I was on the LHT, so I had lots of low gears to explore, but the road was quite narrow and right in the first steep switchback I heard a car behind me, a red mini-SUV that I would encounter multiple times again. I moved aside the best I could so they could pull through and I completely lost momentum and ended up stopped on the side, on the steepest section possible. I tried to get going but couldn't, so in the first 2 miles I was already walking up a hill. Bummer! The route I chose had several more climbs, so I hoped it didn't forecast my efforts for the rest of the day. I remounted part of the ways up the hill when I could and then heard distant thunder rumblings, but the skies were neutrally gray, so I didn't think anything more of it, "hey, summer humidity, right?". A mile further I felt the first big raindrops, so I stopped and made sure I was watertight. I had my camera, wallet and old-school GPS, none of which I wanted soaked. I proceeded another mile, mile 4, when the heavens opened, and I mean opened wide with great fury. I stopped next to a cemetary, a very isolated cemetary, and put on my rain cape and hat. The red SUV passed me again at this point. I shoved off into the rain and got soaked, feetfullofwater soaked. The rain was further enhanced by the opportunity of descending off Patsy Riffe Rd., which was a super-steep descent down twists, turns and lots of gravel on the road. Frankly, it scared me to death. At the bottom I saw the red SUV waiting, perhaps knowing I was falling off the 'knob', giving me some space. By the time I reached my next turn at the end of 5 miles, I had stopped either 3 or 4 times and had walked partially up a hill. I hoped it would improve.
The next portion of my route took me towards the more isolated areas, and I saw the red SUV again, and again in what I presumed to be their driveway. They waved and I waved back, bringing our brief but humorous relationship to and end. The bucolic scenary on this ridge couldn't have been better. At the end of this road I found this most excellent sign informing me of things to come. Needlesstosay, I descended.
This put me going north on Upper Brush Creek Rd. As is the case, I'm sure, in many rural areas, road signs are often absent, and sometimes road names on local signage and those on googlemaps or yahoomaps disagree, as was the case @ Beech Bottom, where the signs were virtually non-existent. For that reason I prefer to use a map instead of just a cue sheet, especially in the KY boonies. This portion of the route was one of my favorites. It followed up the creek into the hills, so on my left I had occassional views of an attractive creek, but to my right I had the cliffside of the local knobs. Occasionally I encountered a bridge, this one is state of semi-repair.
These "cliffsides" were covered with wild hydrangea, something I've never seen before. As a gardener with 4-5 hydrangeas in various parts of the yard, I really enoyed seeing them in their natural setting.
Occasionally, the terrain opened up to a diversifed blend (oxymoronic?) of wildflowers and grasses needing to be cut. I have no pic of this b/c of some rain, but there were great fields of white Queen Anne's Lace, purple wild phlox, yellow Black Eyed Susan, and brown and green grasses of all heights. My favorite gardening scene is of this native blend of flora, and I wish I had tried to get one pic, but it wouldn't have done it justice. Sometimes I encountered fauna instead of flora.
At the north end of Upper Brush Creek my route became more interesting. I alluded to some map mysteries a few weeks back about a magical road- either Slate Hill Church by some or B. Russell on others. This was to be my cut-through, but also my first batch of "mixed terrain", the reason for which I brought the LHT. I had no real clue if we were talking quaint, refined gravel or rock fit for a 4x4. I turned left on Slate Hill Church Rd. to find that the road was going to be very rocky and difficult. And right off the road it went straight uphill, one fit for the burro and not for me. But I was ready for some "adventure". A few yards up the hill I found a sinister sign.
Beginning of Slate Hill Church Rd. Seems benign enough.
Up the hill into the darkness. With the stones and pitch, I couldn't have ridden this.
Once I saw this, I REALLY couldn't have ridden this. I turned around.
That made the decision quite simple, to bypass my cut-through and going a little further north to link up to Long Hollow Rd. My mystery was solved when I found the back portion of Slate Hill on LH Rd. I was pleased to solve the map mystery. These "Shooting Preserve" signs continued up Long Hollow as well. I guess they like shooting guns.
It would've worked as a cut-through. It would've been adventurous, clambering over the rocks and fighting my way down deserted, dark and scary "roads". But it also would've been stupid and I certainly didn't have the guts for it. Long Hollow was as it sounds, a hollow between knobs.
I love pics of ruins for some reason. I'm fascinated by the history and by the notion of a seemingly functional dweeling that just goes to waste.
My maps told me that at some point the road was going up and going gravel, so I just made steady progress until that happened. And it did. The road conditions here weren't too terribly bad. The climb was quite steep, but the gravel of fine quality and very ridable. I did walk one little portion, but otherwise made it all the way up into a very desolate, or at least isolated area. There weren't any houses nor real sign of human life save the road and a bit of clearing. I think this area is often used for timber. And again, road signs were non-existent, so I used the map to find the appropriate turn onto Shuck's Creek.
Long Hollow Rd.
Mixed terrain begins
Climb with "texture", oh and really steep too.
After a quick downhill I casually descended down Shuck's Creek, the legs all the while tiring out. The combo of hills and rain had sapped my energy a bit more than I had planned. I stopped underneath an unfinished construction of some sort, ate a Clifbar, drank some water and plotted my return. I was a little too tired to loop south to Liberty, so I cut my losses and headed towards my starting point, taking Smith Road instead of returning via my previous route. This proved to be an excellent choice. Smith Road ended up having another steep, "textured" climband 3771 had some of the nicest ridge-top scenary of the ride. This route did have me on the busy 127 for a mile or so, but my return proved safe and without traffic difficulties. When I pulled in I was bushed and soggy, but it was a great day and an excellent adventure deep in the middle of nowhere. I assumed this area wasn't often visited, but at the end I noticed 'Dan Henrys' on the road past Middlesburg. I guess somebody else found Casey Co. to be fun to ride in as well.
Looking down the cut-through atop Shuck's Creek.
Where the texture ends at the top of the Smith Road climb.
I've always liked this old-fashioned bank in Middlesburg. It just seems to be from a passed era.
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Tim