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This was an Eastgate Corvette Club outing that just happened to coincide
with the first truly warm weekend of the year. With the promise of
temperatures in the upper seventies, approximately twenty Corvettes (plus
a couple of German made vehicles) gathered in the MacDonald's parking lot
near Batavia, Ohio. A car wash was being conducted in the rear of the same
lot and, although we did purchase several McMuffins I suspect that both
the washers and the restaurant management were happy when we freed up the
twenty-plus parking spots and unclogged the driving lanes. Somewhere
around 10:30, we headed east on SR 32.
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The first leg was a leisurely thirty mile cruise to US 62 near the small
town of Macon. Picking up SR 125 in Russellville was accompanied by a
"pit stop" where most, but not quite all, cars managed to get
into an open parking lot across from a gas station. Fortunately the
ambulance whose path we seemed to be blocking, did not put in an
appearance while we were there. Not so the martins who occupied several
pole top houses along side the lot. In fact, they kept up quite a chatter
but I don't know whether it was approval or disapproval they were
voicing.
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We traveled an interesting six miles on SR 125 and then, when 125 made a
sharp left, moved onto a very interesting SR 763. This was the
justification for the rather ho-hum route that brought us here. The road
runs for about thirteen miles through an area with filled with ridges,
creeks, and hollows. Eagle Creek, Bushy Fork, and Beetle Creek wind
through features like Stony Hollow and Hickory Ridge and the road winds
just like one of them. Mixed in with the eagles, bushes, and beetles is a
stream named Suck Run. What's up with that? It's quite clear that the
area has been occupied for a long time. Evidence of this appears
frequently in the form of stone walls looking very old. There are many
pieces of wall identical to the section in the picture and looking as if
they might be bits of a single structure that stretched through the area
long ago. I know that was not exactly the case but there is still a lot
of wall visible from the road. There are numerous collapses and it is
obvious that the collapses themselves happened many years in the past.
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763 ends at SR 41 and we are soon crossing the Ohio River on the new
bridge at Maysville. We are near the middle of the pack as we wait to
turn east on the Kentucky side of the river.
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Not only did we have that great drive down Ohio 763, we also got to eat at
the Beehive in Augusta. Our path to the restaurant was covered with cherry
blossom petals and one of the dining rooms was set aside for our use. The
staff did a fine job dealing with the group and the food was, as always,
excellent. The original plans included crossing back to Ohio on the ferry
but high water levels kept the ferry docked. A ferry first began operation
here in 1798 with several equipment upgrades in the intervening years.
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In a small park across the street from the Beehive, the caboose offers
information on the historic river town. In the downtown area, numerous
well maintained older buildings, several from the eighteenth century,
make for an interesting stroll. Of course, the popping of spring made it
even more enjoyable.
Its hard to mention Augusta without also mentioning the two generations of
Clooneys connected with the town. Singer Rosemary lived here until her
death in 2002 and actor George still has a home here.
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Not all buildings are as well maintained as those near the ferry. In front
of an abandoned church, this war memorial caught our eye. The names of
residents lost in both WW-I and WW-II are listed on its front. Beside the
nearby railroad the side of a large brick building offers a lesson in the
history of advertising.
With the ferry crossing off of the agenda, we returned to Kentucky Route 8
and continued east. Rivers have a habit of undermining things beside them
and the Ohio has done just that to SR 8. The road is quite passable and
very safe but does qualify as a rough ride. Even so, pleasant river views
keep the ride an enjoyable one.
|
|
This was an Eastgate Corvette Club outing that just happened to coincide
with the first truly warm weekend of the year. With the promise of
temperatures in the upper seventies, approximately twenty Corvettes (plus
a couple of German made vehicles) gathered in the MacDonald's parking lot
near Batavia, Ohio. A car wash was being conducted in the rear of the same
lot and, although we did purchase several McMuffins I suspect that both
the washers and the restaurant management were happy when we freed up the
twenty-plus parking spots and unclogged the driving lanes. Somewhere
around 10:30, we headed east on SR 32.
The first leg was a leisurely thirty mile cruise to US 62 near the small
town of Macon. Picking up SR 125 in Russellville was accompanied by a
"pit stop" where most, but not quite all, cars managed to get
into an open parking lot across from a gas station. Fortunately the
ambulance whose path we seemed to be blocking, did not put in an
appearance while we were there. Not so the martins who occupied several
pole top houses along side the lot. In fact, they kept up quite a chatter
but I don't know whether it was approval or disapproval they were
voicing.
We traveled an interesting six miles on SR 125 and then, when 125 made a
sharp left, moved onto a very interesting SR 763. This was the
justification for the rather ho-hum route that brought us here. The road
runs for about thirteen miles through an area with filled with ridges,
creeks, and hollows. Eagle Creek, Bushy Fork, and Beetle Creek wind
through features like Stony Hollow and Hickory Ridge and the road winds
just like one of them. Mixed in with the eagles, bushes, and beetles is a
stream named Suck Run. What's up with that? It's quite clear that the
area has been occupied for a long time. Evidence of this appears
frequently in the form of stone walls looking very old. There are many
pieces of wall identical to the section in the picture and looking as if
they might be bits of a single structure that stretched through the area
long ago. I know that was not exactly the case but there is still a lot
of wall visible from the road. There are numerous collapses and it is
obvious that the collapses themselves happened many years in the past.
763 ends at SR 41 and we are soon crossing the Ohio River on the new
bridge at Maysville. We are near the middle of the pack as we wait to
turn east on the Kentucky side of the river.
Not only did we have that great drive down Ohio 763, we also got to eat at
the Beehive in Augusta. Our path to the restaurant was covered with cherry
blossom petals and one of the dining rooms was set aside for our use. The
staff did a fine job dealing with the group and the food was, as always,
excellent. The original plans included crossing back to Ohio on the ferry
but high water levels kept the ferry docked. A ferry first began operation
here in 1798 with several equipment upgrades in the intervening years.
In a small park across the street from the Beehive, the caboose offers
information on the historic river town. In the downtown area, numerous
well maintained older buildings, several from the eighteenth century,
make for an interesting stroll. Of course, the popping of spring made it
even more enjoyable.
Not all buildings are as well maintained as those near the ferry. In front
of an abandoned church, this war memorial caught our eye. The names of
residents lost in both WW-I and WW-II are listed on its front. Beside the
nearby railroad the side of a large brick building offers a lesson in the
history of advertising.