Gettin' a Little Rest

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When I am out riding, I need periodic breaks in the action.  As my age advances, I need to stretch more often, and hydration is important in any case.  

There are a couple of places near some of the good riding roads that are nice to stop and rest for a few minutes. I stopped at both of them on my ride a couple of weeks ago. 

The first is a cozy little private park maintained by a man who lives nearby.  It is at the corner of SC-8 and SC-135, near the thriving metropolis of Pumkintown.  Right here: 

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Some years ago, this was just a country road intersection, that people had dumped their garbage on.  Today, it is a shady place to unwind or to down a snack and cooling drink.

 

The view of the Blue Ridge Escarpment from the park is nice, too.

I didn't look for it while I was there, but this was the location of a geocache way back in 2003, on the geocaching.com website. 

The finders of the cache, Ed and Meghan and their friend Bruce, wrote:

Saturday, July 05, 2003 South Carolina

Found at 11:40AM. First of three finds for today. This garden is unique in that not too long ago it was a garbage dump! We also got busted while in the process of finding the cache! We had actually found it and were signing the log when an elderly gentleman pulled up in his truck and asked if he could help us. I sort of ignored him but my friend Bruce who was with us whispered to me that he thought the man had come from a house just up the hill. I told him we were just looking at the garden and asked him if he knew anything about it. Turns out he and his wife were the creators of the garden! It is marked Edens Garden, named after his wife Sarah Edens and his name is Hoyt Clarke. They live in the house across the road and up the hill. He admitted that he had not been able to keep it up the way he would like too. Since he was not leaving and I had to put the cache back in its hiding placed I decided to tell him about the cache and Geocaching. It was obvious he was not aware of the cache. I showed him where it was hidden and asked if it was all right for it to be there. He seemed surprised where it was; it is a unique hiding place. He gave his permission, I thanked him and we went on our way! We took nothing and left nothing. Thanks for the cache Five Cache-ka-teers, we really had fun with this one!

I explored this little corner of the world for a few minutes, and found that it is actually pretty well maintained these days.  The grass had been mowed; the trees, shrubs, and flowers were attractive. 

I mounted up again and wend on my way toward the Greenville Watershed Road.  This is the road that begins the route to Saluda North Carolina.  I have ridden this way several times, and reported on it here and here, and here, and here.  As I said, several times. It is a pretty good road to ride, though it is getting rough in spots. 

Just off this road, also known as Old US-25, is a little park that I stopped at for the first time.  This one is adjacent to the Glassy Mountain Fire Department building on Diving Waters Road.  It is known as Mullinax Park. 

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There is a playground here and the creek offers some pleasant views and sounds.

There are some large trees growing on the banks of the creek that have been bent by the water and weather. 

Diving Water Road is a favorite with bicycle riders.  It has some gentle curves, and not too much elevation difference.  In fact, this whole area is popular with bicyclists, some of whom labor up the hills in the center of the lane.  So watch out as you round the blind curves. 

(Now, neither of these little places to rest has a john, so mind your manners when you visit.) 

Take a few minutes and rest before you tackle the next stretch of road.  
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