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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Bikes Galore

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Yesterday, I went out for a ride as usual.  I picked a route that is similar to one I rode last year with a buddy.  Up US-178 and NC-215, onto the Blue Ridge Parkway, to the visitor center just north of Asheville North Carolina, then wandered back on too-busy roads through Fletcher, and back down US-276 through Caesars Head and back to Easley.

Like this:

View Larger Map

It was a great day to ride.  A little cool -- 41 degrees -- to start, but warming up nicely to around 77 later in the day, with low humidity.  Of course, the temperatures are lower at the higher elevation of the Parkway, so it was just about perfect weather to ride in God's country. 

There were some spots where gravel had washed across the road, and another place where matted leaves had washed across the road and created what looked like little brown mounds stuck to the road.

I managed to negotiate all these with minimal problems.  Once, on NC-215, two touring bikes coming the other way were on my side of the road as I came up on them.  They had crossed the center line to avoid some gravel, but the way they did it was not good: They should have steered a straight path through the gravel, staying in their own lane, as it was a straight section of road. 

There was something else in evidence on my ride, too.  Bikers.  Lots of them.  Dozens, no hundreds.  Maybe thousands coming south on 178 at I was headed north.  You will recall that in my last post, Wiggly Roads Nearby, I referenced the number of maniacal and not so maniacal bikers of all kinds who enjoy this section of US-178. 

They are certainly out in spades today!  More than I have ever seen through here. 

The bikers today were clad somewhat differently than the way I dress for a ride. 

Take a look: 

Yep.  Bicycles.

This is on an uphill section for them.  Their spandex-clad bodies looking fit, but struggling to get up the grade.  Earlier, I had encountered the leaders of the pack going downhill, south of here.

Courageous, they.  As they coasted and sometimes pedaled to go even faster downhill, they were rounding the curves faster than I can ride comfortably on the Ninja.  And they were in packs.  If any of them had faltered, many of them would have crashed.  What a mess of injuries would result!  That spandex doesn't have any cushion and wouldn't last more than a foot or two sliding along the tarmac. 

Makes me feel much more comfortable in my ATGATT. 

Those tiny bicycle tires were certainly doing their best to keep some 200 pounds of bike and rider on the right track.  I didn't get any pictures of their downhill plunge.  I'm not sure my shutter speed is fast enough to capture their passage at speed. 

Whatever the occasion, there were certainly a bunch of cyclists participating.  As a result, traffic had to go slow while passing them, for their safety and ours.

Later in the day, I encountered another group on US-276 as I passed Caesars Head.  Might have been the same group or another one, but it was an organized ride, too.  I didn't see nearly as many of them on this road.

They must have some significant stamina to take on the hills in this neck of the woods.

I might add, that I a saw a surprising number of people with gray hair sticking wildly out of their helmets.  Wow.  I get tired riding the motorcycle up and down these hills at my advanced age!

Anyway, they sure did have a nice day for their ride.

Edit: I later determined that I had encountered the Assault on the Carolinas rides, an annual fundraiser for the Rotary Club of Pisgah Forest.  The AOTC includes three route options--100k, 60k, and 40k. The 100k route goes through North Carolina and South Carolina mountains and valleys and up a challenging 6 mile climb to Ceasar's Head State Park. The 40k and 60k routes go through the river valleys of Scenic Transylvania County.  The ride starts and finishes in downtown Brevard North Carolina.  The longest ride is 65.6 miles, with an elevation gain of 5,567ft. 

My motorcycle ride was also very pleasant.  I didn't stop very often, just enjoyed the roads.  A total of 174 miles, racked up pretty quickly.  It seemed like only a hundred or so when I got home.  I must have been enjoying it! 

On the way home, I snapped this shot at Edens Garden, the little rest stop I wrote about at the corner of SC-8 and SC-135. 

 

Pretty, don't you think?  And patriotic. 

You bicyclists, a tip of my helmet to you, tackling the challenge of these hilly roads. 
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Fall is Here

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Last posting, I told about not being out riding much.  I have tried to rectify that situation.  I got out on a couple of recent Saturdays, and the colors of the trees were really coming out.  Tourists were also coming out -- in droves.

So, even though I enjoy seeing the pretty scenery, I also have to be constantly on the lookout for slow and stopped vehicles.  They are all seeking to prolong every viewing angle of each tree, it seems.  Now I am not exactly complaining, understand, since everyone has his right to the view, but it can be somewhat frustrating if you prefer to go at a faster clip, and it is occasionally dangerous as well.  The lady in the Volvo stopped in the lane, and the guy in a pickup only half-way off the road, both in curvy sections and heavy traffic, were highlights of the frustrating part. 

I have, on occasion, suggested to other riders to slow down and smell the roses, so to speak, when in tourist traffic or during the winter months when the mountain roads might be treacherous, instead of trying to rush about at top speed.  That is easy advice for me to give, since I mostly go slower than they do anyway. 

Lately, however, some of the other riders near here who post in on-line forums, say they have resigned themselves to becoming a bit more patient when in these situations -- to just relax and go at the slower pace.


Saturday 1 -- Caesar's Head and Dupont Forest

Well, October 22 is one of those days.  After working until the middle of the day, I set out toward Caesar's Head State Park, and to Dupont Forest, a ways beyond there.

This map shows the whole route. 


View Larger Map

I ride the gently curving roads to the base of the Blue Ridge Escarpment, then take twisty road, US-276, up the hill.  It is very busy -- almost bumper-to-bumper -- today.  I pass a few cars on the double-laned uphill sections, but cannot get ahead of enough of them to gain much speed, so I smell the roses instead, so to speak.

The pavement on this road is deteriorating in places, so some care is necessary, but the almost steady uphill and the fairly good sight distances make this road enjoyable to ride.  (Downhill here is not as much fun for the reasons I have written about previously, but I notice that I am less anxious about the descent that I will face later in the day than I once would have been.) 

As soon as the pack of cars -- with me in the middle -- reaches Caesar's Head (at Pushpin B), we find the parking lot to be nearly full.  I nevertheless find a place, and walk the short distance to the overlook.

This is a shot of the lake visible in front of Table Rock.  .

The colors at the lower elevations are not yet as well developed as up here, more than two thousand feet higher.

This is a glimpse of both the nearby foliage and that far below me.

The air is particularly clear today, so the view is quite good.  Remember that these mountains have always had a naturally-produced bluish haze over them -- not man-made pollution as we tend to think these days.  I tarry for a few minutes to gawk at the scenery from here before I continue onward.

The next stop is to be Symmes Chapel, also known as Pretty Place (at Pushpin C), a covered, but open-sided chapel on the YMCA Camp Greenville property.  The view is usually breathtaking, but today there is an unusually steady stream of cars going in. I eventually come upon the reason for this: There is an apparently steady stream of weddings taking place here on this fine fall day.  When that is the case, they don't want a bunch of other traffic interfering, especially someone on a motorcycle. So, I can't go all the way in to see the chapel today. 

Here is a picture from Pretty Place I took way back in August of 2008. 

The haze was heavy that day.


Here is a picture taken from here by a friend last November. 

Photo courtesy of Fred

It is indeed a pretty place. 

I settle for a quick stop for refreshment near a camp athletic field, then head back out the access road. I turn toward the north again, and stop at Dupont State Forest. This is a great place for hiking, fishing, kayaking, horseback riding, motorcycling, and bicycling (road and mountain). There are gravel roads for the dualsportsters, too, but the trails are off limits to all motorized vehicles.

I pick out Cascade Lake Road, to go a little ways on. It is gravel, and fairly well groomed. It skirts Cascade Lake, but I don't go that far today because I am limited on time.  I find this little cascade right next to the road, near Pushpin D on the map, though.

There is a large dam further on. The writer of the Life at 60 (mph) blog has a posting about kayaking on Cascade Lake, and there is a picture of the dam from both the lake side and from below.  I'll go there, and beyond, another time, perhaps. 

I turn around and head out of the forest toward Brevard North Carolina, a few miles north, at Pushpin E.   I stop at the Chamber of Commerce, where they have a huge selection of literature about the area, and a group of always-helpful volunteers.  ...and a bathroom for those with full bladders (thank goodness).

The makeshift zipper pull on my suit is behaving today, by the way. 

I motor through town and turn right at the junction of US-276 with US-64.  There are usually war protesters -- possibly left over from the Vietnam era -- on this corner, but there are none today for some reason.  The center of town is busy, as there are many little shops open, selling all manner of crafts and other merchandise and services.  Brevard is famous for the Brevard Music Center Festival, and for a species of white ground squirrel.

Where US-276 turns to the left and continues to higher elevations, including passing Looking Glass Falls and the Cradle of Forestry, I instead turn right, following US-64.  This is easy riding, and after a couple more right turns, I am back in Dupont Forest.  I pass through, hit 276, and head southward toward home.

The downhill twisties are slow because of traffic, just like on the way up.  I don't get much practice slowing to the right speed for tight turns, but there is one instance where a little braking at lean angle was necessary because of a backup of people buying apple cider from a roadside stand.  This stand is not in a good place, as it creates the potential for slow and stopped vehicles where there is only limited sight distance. 

Well, it was a nice day to be out.  I have ridden only 134 miles, and endured a lot of traffic, but the trees were pretty, and that made it worthwhile. 

Saturday 2 -- Tamassee and Some Twisty Gravel

"Where in the world is Tamassee?" you ask.  Well, right here in South Carolina, a little west of Salem, of course, not far from the road to Whitewater Falls. I have spotted some interesting roads on Google maps, so I laid out this route:


View Larger Map

The ride up SC-133 is easy, as is the stretch of SC-11, a good get-to-the-more-interesting-places road.  I turn right on SC-130, and cruse up this sweeping-curved route that I have taken many times before.  The road surface is mostly very good, so you are easily tempted to exceed the 45 mile per hour speed limit; to get that feeling of acceleration in the seat of your pants as you ride.

It doesn't seem to take any time at all and I arrive at the Bad Creek Pumped Storage Facility entrance.  I go to the end of the pavement there and stop at the overlook.

That is Lower Whitewater Falls at center, left, and a view of an arm of Lake Jocassee.

Another view of Lake Jocassee, taken from the same spot. 

And still another view of the lake. 

Sure is nice weather today. 

I gear up again and stop at the entrance to the Musterground Road on my way back to SC-130.  The Musterground gate is open, since it is hunting season, but I don't go further because I have another interesting road in mind for later.

I ride back to SC-130 and turn right.  It is only a short jaunt to the Whitewater Falls parking area.  The parking lot is almost full of leaf peepers who have come here on this fine fall day.  I trek up the path to the falls and snap a few pictures.

Here is a picture of a lad sitting and taking in the view of distant Lake Jocassee from the falls trail.

And a fine view it is today. 

I maneuver from the parking lot and turn right yet again and go for a few miles on NC-281 to Gorges State Park. This display of beauty stops me to snap a picture. 

Beautiful foliage (and pretty bike).

At Gorges, there is construction going on, so the best distance views are not available, but here is a glimpse of a nice section of the main park road.

There is good hiking in this park, and there is the gravel Chestnut Mountain Road that leaves from the furthest parking lot.  It links with Auger Hole Road, another gravel road, and is said to hook up to the Horsepasture Road.  This is definitely four wheel drive or off-road motorcycle territory, as the hills are steep, the gravel is loose, and the road rough.  (I know this because I tried a few hundred yards of it one day.)   

After I leave the park, I turn south, and enjoy the sweepers again on NC-281 and SC-130, until I reach SC-11.  A right for a short distance to find North Little River Road and turn right again.  I get to Pushpin D, then turn left onto Whitmire Church Road.  The Whitmire Methodist church is long gone, but this marker and the graveyard across the road indicate its location. 

Whitmire Church Road turns into Cherokee Lake Road, then I make a right on Jumping Branch Road. (The map above is far easier to understand than this mess of road descriptions.)  This skirts Lake Cherokee, a private lake. Don't think you can take a dip or launch your boat here.  There are forcefully-worded signs that forbid  it. 

Finally, I reach the road I have been looking for, Winding Stairs Road, veering off to the right from Jumping Branch.  Sure enough it is gravel.  You can't tell this from Google maps, or even very well in Google Earth, so you have to take a chance.  It looks passable, so I start along it. 

It is desolate.  There are no driveways or much of anything else along the way for the next four miles or so.  The grades are not challenging, so this is fairly easy riding for me on my street Ninja.  There are a few places of washboard, and loose gravel, but it is not bad enough to turn back.  Most of my molars remain intact, though slightly loosened by the rough spots in the road.  Maybe I should bring a football mouth guard with me for use in these situations. 

There are steep dropoffs in many places, and not a guardrail in sight.  It almost seems as though I am a thousand miles away from civilization.  The entire area is heavily wooded, so an accident here could remain undiscovered for a long time.  So Bucky's going to be extra careful through here. 

Part way along, there is a short bridge across a brook.  I park and take in the view. 

This place is set up as a campsite.  The brook toward the rear looks as though it might offer some good fishing. 

The fall colors here are beautiful.

God's paintbrush has surely been at work. 

The road ahead looks a little straighter.

And it is, but just as lonely, until I come out on SC-107.  There, I find that the road I have been riding is called Cheohee Road instead of Winding Stairs.  I think the latter describes it better.

Here is the gravel section by itself:

View Larger Map

SC-107 is a great road that connects Cashiers North Carolina toward the north with Walhalla South Carolina to the south.  Actually, it connects to SC-28 before you reach Walhalla in the southern direction.  Twenty-eight is called Moonshiner 28, because it was once a route used by moonshiners to deliver their goods.  It is a twisty-in-places road favored by motorcyclists, and it reaches all the way to the famous Tail of the Dragon. I'll have to go all that way some time. 

I follow 107 and 28 to Walhalla, then over to Westminster, and to SC-123 toward home.   The ride from Walhalla to home is about as boring as it can be.  The roads are straight, with almost no character.  But, it is the fastest way back, so I twist the throttle and get 'er done.

I have gone 162 miles today, and seen some great country and a few new roads.  I have had the opportunity to be utterly alone to enjoy a wild place, yet just a couple of miles off paved roads. 


Now, here are some pics of the fall color around the house. The maple tree comes first. 

This Burning Bush (Euonymus) looks like it is doing as its name states. 

Even though it looks like an evergreen, the Bald Cypress is turning brown and will lose its tiny leaves for winter. 

Pretty, but I don't know its name. 

The Magnolia keeps its leaves for the winter. 

The Chrysanthemum is in full bloom. 

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And here is a great picture of Table Rock taken by a friend.

Courtesy of Fred

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Bears!

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Back in June, I wrote an article about some Odd Sights I've Seen. Remember this picturesque setting?


The "driver" of this fine example of the automakers' art is this beady-eyed creature.


Well, there is more.

The same homeowner is apparently plagued by bears and other varmints in the area. Look here.

I think that is a wild hog peering out from the wheel well.

And here.

In the driver's seat sits a bear, intent to extricate his vehicle from this rock pile.

And up there on the hill above the car and truck:

There may even be a wolf up there with the bears. Strangely, all of these creatures are apparently scared motionless while I am taking their pictures.

Lets give this some perspective. The old pickup truck is right down the road from the sectioned yellow Volkswagen.


The truck was there the last time I came through, but I was so busy gawking at the yellow bug that I didn't take a good picture of it. I have mended my ways for you now. Google Street View shows the bug but doesn't show the truck, so it is a later addition to the landscape. Unfortunately, Street View doesn't give a date that the pictures were taken.


But I have gotten ahead of myself. The bears are so interesting; I forgot to tell you how I came to see them today, this 24th day of June.

My ride today is a short one. I have started out early -- about 7:00 AM -- because I have chores to do at home later, and it is going to be about 100 degrees F today back there. It will be cooler in the mountains though.

I gear up and start. I ride up to the Holly Springs Country Store and stop a minute to see if anyone else is there. It is located at Pushpin "B" on the map below.



View Larger Map

No other riders are there, so I go further north on US-178 to Rocky Bottom, at Pushpin "C". I turn right on F. Van Clayton Highway, and pass the Rocky Bottom Retreat and Conference Center of the Blind. This is also where you turn to get to the highest point in South Carolina, Sassafras Mountain.

The road is quite rough. They are clearing brush from the sides, so there is also some debris on the road from that. I am not going to the top of the mountain today, so I don't turn right at Pushpin "D", which is the road that goes up there. It, too, is a bit rough, but has surprisingly few switchbacks and steep grades. There are no long views from the top that I have been able to find, so I don't go there often.

I continue along on Glady Fork Road -- my first time here. The pavement is fair. If it were better, this would be a nice motorcycle road, with few driveways and some nice curves. There is a little series of waterfalls along the road that are kind of pretty.

I reach East Fork Road and take a hard right. It is on this road that I encountered the bears, located just before Big Hill, at Pushpin "F" on the map.

After I ogle the fake wildlife, I go up Big Hill, this time a little faster than before, as I know the road better, and I am not looking for places to stop for pictures.

I turn right on US-276. It is quite straight through here, a contrast to further south nearer Caesars Head State Park. I spot a sign for DuPont State Forest and take a left on Cascade Lake Road to see what is there.

The road in is well-paved and easy, with little traffic. This is also the first time I have been here. I turn right on Station Road, then follow Sky Valley Road, and continue to Old CCC Road before I turn around at Pushpin "I" on the map. The paper map I have with me doesn't detail this area very well, so I am not sure where the roads go, and anyway I need to keep my ride short today.

It looks like the park is a great place to hike, sightsee, mountain bike, fish, hunt, kayak, swim, and ride horses. It is not far from the bears I showed you earlier, but there are probably real ones here. A map of the trails shows more than ninety miles of them.

Here is a picture of a small rapids that is visible from the bridge over the Little River at the Hooker Falls parking area.


And here is one thing you can do at Hooker Falls besides look at its beauty. It is about an eleven-foot drop for these fellows.


Notes to self:

• Go back and see more of this park.
• Cascade Lake Road looks twisty near the lake. Visit there some time.
• Explore the gravel part of Sky Valley Road (which starts where I turned around at Pushpin "I").
  

Aside: You know how I seem to be attracted to gravel roads -- maybe I need to get a little dual-sport bike. How about a Suzuki DRZ400SM? Only 300 pounds -- like a motorized mountain bike.

This New York City couple on the ADVrider Forum has certainly used their pair of them a lot. They have ridden mostly off pavement, about a week or two at a time, all the way from New York to Alaska (so far), storing their bikes along the way and flying back to New York between legs.


I leave DuPont Forest and head south again. Next up is Caesars Head State Park. This is a good stopping point in preparation for the ride down the twisty road to the south. As I am taking off my helmet, a guy on a bicycle comes into the parking lot. I ask him where he has come from. Traveler's Rest, he says, about twenty-two miles from here, and an elevation difference of about 2166 feet, not counting the downhill sections that he had to regain on his way up. He says he is taking it easy today on his ride because it is so hot. I wish I were in that kind of physical shape. He bids me adieu and says that he is going to "turn on the air conditioner" now -- in other words, he can coast down the hill he just labored up, and cool off on his way.

I walk over, take a quick look off the edge of the escarpment toward Table Rock, then gear up again to go down the hill. As you can see in the stretch between Pushpins "J" and "K", some of the turns are quite tight, so I use a bit of rear brake to also apply throttle without gaining too much speed. Part way down I catch up to two guys on cruisers, and I follow them back to Pumpkintown (just north of Pushpin "M") where they stop at the restaurant there.


My ride was only 115 miles today, but I have seen some new territory -- and some bears! I wouldn't have missed that for the world.


Other nearby attractions:
Green River Road and Saluda, NC
Jones Gap State Park
Saluda North Carolina and the Saluda Grade
Caesars Head (at Pushpin "J")
Table Rock (west of Pushpin "L")
Sassafras Mountain (south of Pushpin "D")
.

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