Immediate Danger and Politicians Keeping Us "Safe"

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I went for a ride yesterday.  I went up to Whitewater Falls, just into North Carolina -- about 45 miles from my home in Easley, SC.  You take South Carolina route 130 (that turns into North Carolina route 281), a fairly smooth road with many sweepers, to get there.  It is one of my favorite roads and favorite sights to see in the area. 

As I reach the entrance, there are cars parked everywhere along both sides of the road, even though there is no real place set up for such parking.  People are walking and standing along the road for a considerable distance.

They are in harm's way.

Why?  Simply because they came there to see what they own: Whitewater Falls is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Forest Service.

Here is a look at what they own, taken on one of my previous visits. 

But the gates are closed and locked. The usual volunteer who stays there in his camper and oversees the area is not there because the park is closed. 

Even though the park is administered under the Forest Service, they say that their "decisions [on closings] will align with local city, county and state actions to provide for human health and safety (ie. quarantine, curfew, and other social restrictions)." 

So I suppose that North Carolina's Democrat governor Roy Cooper is responsible for the closing and endangering visitors who have to park and walk along the road. 

Again I ask, why?  The reason given by leftists like Cooper is that they are protecting our health from a virus.  Remember though, that this virus is not significantly different from past influenzas.  Old people and those already sick with some other troubles should be very careful, but the rest of us should not be punished and treated like disease-carrying vermin, keeping us out of places like this one for no good reason. 

So Cooper is putting people in imminent and immediate danger along that road so they might not get a virus while they are in the wide open outdoors.  Read that again, if you will.  Does that make sense to anyone? 

Being in the indoors has now been determined to be more likely to spread the virus than being outdoors.  So closing facilities like Whitewater Falls makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?  NOT. 

Well, I note that there is a parking lot just a tenth of a mile south of the falls entrance.  This lot is for hikers on the nearby Foothills Trail.  That trail goes many places, but one of them is to Whitewater Falls right next door. 

See the immediate surroundings on this map:

So that parking lot would be a good place to park, right?

Unfortunately, since the main Whitewater Falls parking lot has been closed, and the volunteer made to stay home, people parking in the gravel lot have experienced vandalism to their vehicles.  Just two months ago, one visitor reported that they "had somebody come and knock my car window out while we were hiking. There were probably 10 other cars parked there when we first arrived and 3 of them (including me) got their windows knocked out."

So, if you can't park in the lot where there is a volunteer who can watch over it, you are subjected to vandals who break out your car windows.

You can always park on the road, remember!  Ah, yes, with cars whizzing by a few feet away from you. 

Note on the map above that the trail from the gravel parking lot has a spur that goes to the restrooms at Whitewater Falls.   Don't be expecting to use them, though, because they have been locked for months now.   You have to use the great outdoors if you need to go!


Think about how much this reaction to a virus is costing us in enjoyment, damage to vehicles, accidents, inconvenience, higher costs, and on and on?  They say that suicides and depression are on the rise, and some of the 40+ million people who have lost their jobs will never recover economically. 


Well, back to the ride today.  I manage to turn around near the entrance to the falls parking lot, but the view of oncoming traffic is poor.   Another danger. 

I go about four tenths of a mile south on 130 and turn onto the Bad Creek Pumped Storage Facility road, and follow it to the overlook on Lake Jocassee.  The view is always nice here, but there is a little rain so I don't tarry.

Instead I go back to 130 and the Wigington Scenic Byway to the overlook onto Lake Jocassee. 

A bit hazy today, unfortunately, but the rain has stopped.

Then I turn back and follow SC-130 and SC-11, then US-178 back nearly to home. 


It was a nice day for riding.  I hope they open the parks again soon.

Email, call, or write Governor Cooper to urge him to do so:

• email  
• 919-814-2000
• North Carolina Office of the Governor
      20301 Mail Service Center
      Raleigh, NC 27699-0301

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First Glimpse of New Sassafras Mountain Observation Platform -- and a Bit of a Harangue

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If you have been following this blog for a while, you probably have seen that I have been to Sassafras Mountain -- the highest point in South Carolina -- quite often.  That is because it is not far from home -- about 28 miles, and because it has a few challenging curves in the roads leading to the top.  Interestingly, most of those curves are down on US-178 between Pickens and Rocky Bottom, not near the summit of the mountain.  Once you get to Rocky Bottom, turn right onto F. vanClayton Road, just past the entrance to the Rocky Bottom Retreat and Conference Center of The Blind.  Watch for one unmarked left hand hairpin on F. vanClayton. 

Here is the route from Easley, where I live, to the summit of Sassafras Mountain:

Click here for interactive map.

It is a nice place to ride to and a nice place to see the world from, being the highest point around. 

I have kept up to date on the features of the mountain top over my ten or so years of riding.  At first, there was nothing at the top but a gravel parking lot.  There was no place to see into the distance whatsoever. I'll admit, that was a bit disappointing.  The road was potholed and rough, too.  There weren't many people who visited there as a result. 

A rustic platform was built and some trees cleared about eight years ago to give a nice view to the south and southeast.  Mountains and lakes were made nicely visible, and the platform was sturdy and unobtrusive, made, in part, of forest materials. That view from the platform made the trip to the top well worthwhile.  In fact, the place was ideal: remote feeling yet nearby, and quite beautiful.  The Palmetto Trail passes over the summit of the mountain on its way to the seashore, so you can walk a little ways -- or much further -- if you are so inclined. 

Beginning of Harangue

Then Clemson University graduate students in architecture and landscape architecture apparently decided that they should design and build a new platform, so they demolished the nice rustic one, and built a monstrosity out of mild steel and wood, poorly supported and rickety.  The steel parts are a mass of rust and have become bent by people standing on them.  The students did not properly take into account the abuse from people and weather that public structures receive.  I would certainly not want my life to be dependent on a structure they designed.  After I wrote to them about the poor structural integrity, they reinforced it with some steel cables, but the cables are installed improperly and did not correct the wobble problem.  Dan Harding, Clemson associate professor of architecture, spent our tax dollars for this thing and says that the platform "employ[s] best practices associated with sustainable construction and resource management."  From the looks of it now, it may be a pile of rusted wreckage soon.

Here is a picture of the end of the platform with the beautiful view beyond.

Fortunately, a bit later, the top of the mountain was cleared of scrubby trees so the visitor to the top has a 360 degree view from there. 

They also repaved the road to the top so it is nice and smooth.  That should have been where they stopped.  

Nevertheless, the "improvers" soldiered onward and decided to erect an observation platform at the top and some pit toilets at the parking area.  The contractor, Lazer Construction of Anderson, started in November of 2017 and isn't finished with the $1.1 million project yet.  It was supposed to be finished by May 2018, so it is coming up on a year late -- and a year without having full enjoyment of this special place. 

So efficient. 

End of Harangue (mostly)

Here is a photograph of the structure during construction.

There was a superintendent stationed at the construction site, so you could get fined by the Game Warden if you ventured up there.  (I didn't chance it.  That is someone else's pic above.) 

Here are some other pictures of the ramp leading to the new platform:

The original gravel parking lot is to the left.

The gate at the bottom was open and no one seemed to mind, so I rode up about half way to the platform from the gravel lot.  There is a nice concrete ramp and neatly-graded gravel elsewhere.  It looks as though the view will be nice from the top. 

There is a new gravel trail from the parking lot to the top as well.  It is a way to get there on foot without using the concrete ramp and without bushwhacking through the woods.

They put in a large new directional sign, too, down in the gravel lot.  The old one was a target for guys with shotguns and for large trucks turning.

The sign directs hikers to Table Rock State Park, Caesars Head State Park (more about that in a minute), and Chimney Top Gap.  I see they put a big rock between the sign and the road now to help protect it from errant vehicles. 

I wonder if they are going to do anything to prevent vandalism and traffic tie ups now that they are taking away our quiet place of respite and replacing it with more of a tourist attraction. Vandals may find this dark place to be ideal for their graffiti, and for using alcohol and drugs.  Some will use it as a place for their assignations, I suppose. 

...and the improvers won't be satisfied, even when the present construction is complete.  Phase two of the Sassafras project, which will require additional funding, is scheduled to include a picnic area, accessory trails, informational kiosks, and improvements to the old parking lot.

Well, I think I'll just have to enjoy it until they further "improve" it.  Then, we'll see. 

Anyway, I went back down the mountain to Glady Fork Road and turned right.  This road meanders to the north, in places along a river.  If you keep your eyes peeled there are some small waterfalls along the right side of the road.  There are no guardrails and the road surface is quite rough, but the ride is good enough to recommend.  At the end of Glady Fork, I turn sharply right onto East Fork Road.

After a few miles, don't miss the interesting vehicles and animals poised in a yard on the left side of the road.  And Big Hill looms ahead and requires you to negotiate a couple of tight curves as you go up.  Fun, and usually free of loose gravel.  Watch for drivers coming down the hill on the wrong side, however.

I follow east Fork to Greenville Highway, US-276, and turn right.  There are some rather straight sections through here and a few nice sweepers.  Dupont Forest (watch for the sign) is to the left as is Green River Road, a partly gravel route I have taken before.

Near the summit, lies Caesars Head State Park.  I pull in for a little rest and a quick look over the Blue Ridge Escarpment -- a drop of about 1000 feet here.

Once I have seen it all (!?), I continue to the south, down quite a few tight turns, until I get to SC-11.  From there it is a quick ride home over gently curving roads. 

Here is a map of the entire ride today, only about 75 miles:  

Click here for an interactive map.

Well, to recap today, I learned about the new Sassafras construction, and got to see the world from two high places.

Despite my harangue about the work on Sassafras, it was a good day to be out.
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No Drone Zone at Caesars Head

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I rode up to Caesars Head a few weeks ago.

Caesars Head is a South Carolina State Park, 26 miles from home, and it is fairly easy to get to.  The twisty road that goes up the Blue Ridge Escarpment to the park is only about eight miles long, and is in fairly good condition in most places.  The twisty part of the road is not nearly as long as on the nearby US-178, but there are several tight turns along the way. 

Caesars Head

Twisty part of US-178

The reason I went to Caesars Head was that it was an easy addition to a route that I rode called A Two Hour Afternoon's Jaunt that had appeared in an issue of the old and gone Motorcycle Lifestyle Magazine. 

Anyway, the overlook at Caesars Head (that is correct; there is not an apostrophe in Caesars) is usually a good place to see the mountainous countryside from a birds-eye vantage point.  That photograph at the top of the post gives you an idea. 

Pretty country, yes?  Here is a slightly different angle:

You can see the back side of Table Rock Mountain, with Table Rock Reservoir this side of it.  This overlook is really the only place you can see into the distance from Caesars Head Park, and the overlook is very close to where you can park your bike.

As I was parking that day, I noticed something new.  

Did you spot it?  Here is a closer view:

Now do you see?

It says I can't fly my drone here any more.  (Not that I have one.)  It is mounted on a very substantial post. 

That's unfortunate, because I like to see videos of places like this taken from a drone.  Some of the drone pilots are quite good at getting the right views and motion, and their editing can be very effective in enhancing their work.

Like these: 

• This one is nice and simple, by Russel Stieb from January of 2015.  Look at the sheer dropoff from the observation area.  
• This one, by Matt Motter Aero Vision, published in August of 2016 has particularly good music, and includes Symmes Chapel or Pretty Place, an open-air chapel north of the park at YMCA Camp Greenville. 
• Maybe this one as well, a short by Greenville Drone also from August of 2016. 

There are some large houses adjacent to the park, and I suppose some of those residents could have been buzzed by some irresponsible pilot.  If that is the case, there are probably civil actions that could be taken against the pilot, instead of banning drones entirely. 

I did a little research and found that drones are outlawed in all national parks.  Citing safety and noise issues, drones are banned until the National Park Service comes up with a long-term policy.  [I wonder how long that could take.]  The ban covers not only the 59 full-fledged national parks but about 350 national monuments, seashores and other sites run by the NPS, about 84 million acres in all.

That is a lot of territory now off limits. 

Seems like our freedom is again under attack here.

Oh, by the way, the ban carries a maximum penalty of a $5,000 fine and six months in jail!

Try this website called Know Before You Fly to learn some of the rules.   


For recreational use, you can fly under the Special Rule for Model Aircraft:

• Fly for hobby or recreation ONLY
• Register your model aircraft
• Fly within visual line-of-sight
• Follow community-based safety guidelines and fly within the programming of a nationwide community-based organization
• Fly a drone under 55 lbs. unless certified by a community-based organization
• Never fly near other aircraft
• Notify the airport and air traffic control tower prior to flying within 5 miles of an airport*
• Never fly near emergency response efforts

Or, you can get a Remote Pilot Certification (14 CFR part 107).  For that, you must:

• Be at least 16 years old
• Pass an aeronautical knowledge test at an FAA-approved knowledge testing center
• Undergo Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) security screening
• Register your aircraft with the FAA

Part 107 Operating Rules:

• Unmanned aircraft must weigh less than 55 pounds, including payload, at takeoff
• Fly in Class G airspace
• Keep the unmanned aircraft within visual line-of-sight
• Fly at or below 400 feet
• Fly during daylight or civil twilight
• Fly at or under 100 mph
• Yield right of way to manned aircraft
• Do not fly directly over people
• Do not fly from a moving vehicle, unless in a sparsely populated area

If you fly for commercial purposes, then the rules are different.


Whew.  That is a lot of hoops to jump through just to fly a little airplane.  I think that the regulations include all of the model planes that many of us flew when we were kids (and now, sometimes as adults, too, like I saw back in 2014).  

As I said, I think our freedoms are being encroached upon. 

For state regulations, you can look here or here, but know that these websites may not be completely up to date.

Local municipalities may also have rules and regulations, so you will have to contact them to find out what they require.


Anyhow, our freedom to do almost anything is getting cut more and more these days.  So, fly 'em while ya' can.  (But not at Caesars Head.) 

Fortunately, the park is still a nice place to go to look at God's creation. 
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Found! The Van That Could Have Killed Me.

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A few weeks ago, I wrote about a van coming at me in the wrong lane in the curves of US-178. 

Fortunately, I wasn't killed. 

I had the GoPro camera rolling, so I captured his irresponsibility.  I couldn't identify the vehicle because the front license tag is not state-issued.  ...but it is distinctive, as is the vehicle. 

Well, I now know the license number of this van, because it was seen August 31, 2016 at 10:17AM in the side parking lot of the Hollingsworth building at 147 East Main Street, Brevard, NC 28712.

Here is a picture of that building.  The parking lot where the van was parked is on the right of the building. 

The building houses:

• Quotations Coffee Cafe
• Wells Fargo Advisor
• Main Street Limited
• McGuire, Wood and Bissette attorneys
• Camp Pacs
• Cardinal Title Center 
• Danny Hollingsworth Dry Wall 

Whoever owns the van is probably either an employee or a patron of one of those businesses.  The building to the right in the picture, across the parking lot, is the Brevard/Transylvania Chamber of Commerce, at 175 East Main Street.  

Here is the picture of the VW Vanagon that could have killed me, parked at the Hollingsworth building:

Look familiar?  Here is what it looked like to my GoPro on that day on route 178: 

April 16, 2016

Note the distinctive front license tag, the white roof, the bumper bolts, the brown color, and the roof rack. 

Here is the license tag number:  North Carolina BKE-92370

I don't know who the driver is.

 Yet.  

If anybody knows him, let me know. 

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This Could Have Ended It All

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I survived. 

See Update Here.....  

It was on US-178, north of SC-11, April 16.  About here on the map:  

Around 4.2 miles north of SC-11, at "B" on this map:

Click here for larger map.

The road was clear. The weather was good.  The curve was not too tight.  I had my GoPro recording. 















Somebody in a chocolate brown VW Vanagon must've thought his side was on the left of the double yellow line. 

Or maybe he was drunk.  Or high.  Or texting.  Or something. 

See for yourself, especially at about 1:45: 

Here are some stills taken from the video. 

Nice curve.  Going pretty slow.

Look just right and above center, peeping out from the motorcycle cowling. 
I could see him coming before the camera could. 

Oh, oh.  This doesn't look right.

Getting closer.

And closer.

Totally on the wrong side of the double yellow.
I start a little correction to better avoid him.
I had already moved a little closer to the center of my lane, as I
frequently do when there is an oncoming vehicle. 
I otherwise would have been more to the left of my lane for this curve. 

Still coming.
Completely over the center line.
Totally oblivious to the issue at hand.
He is close enough for me to read his front license
tag, though I wasn't looking at it right then.

I manage to skate by him.
Fortunately, there was room enough between the van and that guardrail.
Notice the rack on top of the van, maybe for a raft or tubes. 

My adrenaline starts pumping big time a couple of minutes later.

Looking back on the incident, I note that I didn't panic.  I didn't chop the throttle.  I didn't slam on the brakes.  I stayed away from both the van and from the guardrail. 

It could have been much worse.  I thank God that it wasn't. 


Can anybody identify this drunk
.                                                     stoner
.                                                      texter
.                                                       idiot
.                                                           ?  

See Update Here.....  

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Puzzled at a Harley Dealer

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I recently traveled to western New York and visited Buffalo Harley-Davidson.  I know, I'm getting a reputation for being a Harley watcher.  What's my obsession, you ask?  I'll tell you that in a few seconds. 

Anyway, the Harley folks in Buffalo have a very nice building with tread plate and hardwood floors, and other attractive masculine decoration.  They have lots of bikes in stock, both new and used.

Overall view of showroom.

They also have a small display of twenty or so vintage bikes on display, mostly Harley, but some others as well.  That is the real reason why I went there.  I came in the front door, and headed for the old bikes.  Here is a smattering of what was there:

Old one with itty-bitty engine.

Topper scooter.

1970 Police Special.

That one toward the rear has a 0 cc engine.  It's a bicycle. 

1971 XLH.  Last of the 900 cc Sport.

Not much use for these in South Carolina, but Buffalo, yes.

1917 J Model.

A print.

I noticed that a salesman was helping someone else amongst the new motorcycles for the first twenty minutes or so I was there.  I snapped quite a few pictures of the old iron, then walked into the main part of the showroom. 

They had bikes ranging from around $5000 to the upper $20,000s.  I looked at several, examined the price tags, and generally loitered amongst the wares.  By that time, the salesman had retreated to an office and was talking with another employee. 

As I happened by the office door, he yelled out, asking me whether I needed any help.  I replied that I was just browsing.  Still, I was surprised because he didn't get up out of his chair or give me another look, absorbed in his conversation with the other fellow.

Now, people have said that I look like I might be the kind of guy who would ride a Harley, if anything.  How did this salesman know that I didn't have a wad of cash or a nice-size checking account? ...the wherewithal to leave the place riding one of his bikes? 

Wouldn't it be, at the least, expedient for him to have struck up a short conversation with me?  Perhaps he could ask if I ride.  That would be an easy ice breaker.  Or how about asking if I had considered riding a Harley, and whether he could help sort out the various models of bikes that were on the floor?  Maybe even step way out and ask whether he could get a piece of literature or some technical specs for me to take home to study and dream over. 

He did none of these things.  It wasn't as though the showroom was busy.  I was the only one there. 

How can the dealership stay open without some level of interest of its salesmen in making a sale? 

I have noticed this near home in South Carolina as well. Neither Power Sports of Greenville nor Foothills Motorsports in Piedmont have salesmen who get up from their chairs when a potential customer comes by.  Any time I have been interested in a bike, I have had to ask for their help.


Harley surely didn't make a sale in Buffalo that day.  Not to me, anyway.  They didn't even try.  I wonder how often they do -- and I wonder how often they could. 

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Having left there puzzled, I ran across another Harley dealer not too many miles away.  This one had only one bike on display, and it wasn't for sale.

You can sit on it, but you can't buy it.

The store was in Niagara Falls Ontario, and sells only Harley-related merchandise like tee shirts, jackets, and souvenirs. 

Harley-Davidson, Niagara Falls Ontario.

Yet again, I went in to browse.  You never know what you might find.  The lone visible employee, a girl at the sales counter, stayed by the register, and didn't offer to help me find anything either.  That is probably more understandable than at the Buffalo store, this being more of a self-service-type place, and considering that it is off season at the Falls. 

I didn't buy anything there either. 

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Or, maybe salesmen are not expected to sell these days.  If not, what good are they? 

What do you think?  Have you been on the verge of buying but couldn't get a salesman to give you a little help and take your money? 
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