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Elkmont Nature Ride
Today, Tom Gilbert and I decided to exercise the 650's on a nature ride around Elkmont. Tom knew of some waterfalls that I hadn't been to. Poundry Falls and its sister "unnamed falls" were easy to get to. They are close to the Elkmont Rural Village. The falls and creek on the Bates Farm is a posted area. We stopped and spoke with the owner who happened to be a school buddy of mine 40 years ago. He gave us permission to go on the farm, but in doing so told us he didn't want to make it a habit of it and not be be slinging dirt around - so much for old high school drinking buddies. Guess I should have kept in better contact, but what's 40 years amongst friends. 
Anyway the area was absolutely beautiful. We rode to Prospect (John Harpers old town). In Prospect, we met Charlie Carey and his son Michael who knew John. Charlie said John once worked for him. We were really trying to get permission to ride the old railroad bed to cross the old rail bridge across the Elk River and to ride through the rail tunnel north of Prospect. Charlie told us to have at the rail bed, but that the supports on the bridge were gone and that the present owner of the tunnel had pushed a pile of dirt into the entrance of the tunnel with the excuse that motorcyclist were going to hurt themselves in the tunnel. We didn't make it very far on the rail bed because of the brambles (see photos). From Prospect we rode North to Petty Branch road and tried to get permission for getting back on the rail bed, but could find no one at the homes. Oh well, after a short ride through Happy Hollow (my boyhood home) we stopped at the Old Gin BBQ for a plate lunch, then rode to Veto to check out the covered bridge on the Rails to Trails trail. After splitting with Tom I stopped by Ragsdale Creek on the way home and took a couple of photos in one of my favorite play grounds.
See photos at : http://picasaweb.google.com/duboisga/ElkmontNature
Gary
Anyway the area was absolutely beautiful. We rode to Prospect (John Harpers old town). In Prospect, we met Charlie Carey and his son Michael who knew John. Charlie said John once worked for him. We were really trying to get permission to ride the old railroad bed to cross the old rail bridge across the Elk River and to ride through the rail tunnel north of Prospect. Charlie told us to have at the rail bed, but that the supports on the bridge were gone and that the present owner of the tunnel had pushed a pile of dirt into the entrance of the tunnel with the excuse that motorcyclist were going to hurt themselves in the tunnel. We didn't make it very far on the rail bed because of the brambles (see photos). From Prospect we rode North to Petty Branch road and tried to get permission for getting back on the rail bed, but could find no one at the homes. Oh well, after a short ride through Happy Hollow (my boyhood home) we stopped at the Old Gin BBQ for a plate lunch, then rode to Veto to check out the covered bridge on the Rails to Trails trail. After splitting with Tom I stopped by Ragsdale Creek on the way home and took a couple of photos in one of my favorite play grounds. See photos at : http://picasaweb.google.com/duboisga/ElkmontNature
Gary
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