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Falls Creek Falls Ride |
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Went for a little ride this weekend. Let me tell you about it.
It was a little crisp as the Chick and I pulled in to the Lowes parking lot where we were to meet up with Vagous (Joel). There was Rambler (Juan) standing by the bike. He had decided, since he usually takes 110 to |
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Victory Is In The Ride! L-R, Mark, Joel, Juan, Karen and Wendell |
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Guarding The Gate! |
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Fayetteville, he would hook up with us here as well. It was right at 7:00 which was when we were scheduled to head out toward Mark’s place. We decided to give Joel a few more minutes even though he told us to not wait. There was also the possibility that one or two more might show up to join us.
I hadn’t checked the temp before we left but judging from the short ride from the house to Lowes I realized it was going to be a cold little ride up to Fayetteville. Karen had her leather jacket and padded gloves, but since I have yet to get a leather jacket, I had my denim coat with a wind breaker underneath.
After waiting till about 7:20 we figured no one else was coming and Joel had said he would catch up, so we headed |
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out. We took Wall Triana out of Madison and veered right, onto Old Railroad Bed road as we left Harvest and crossed AL-53. By the time we crossed the state line and came to a stop at TN-110 in Taft, the hands were almost frozen stiff and the legs were somewhat numb. (Note to self; get some chaps and winter gloves.) According to Juan, things weren’t much better from his seat ether. Once on 110 we were out of the shadows of the trees and facing the morning sun, and about half way down 110 we started to warm up just a little. Don’t get me wrong it was still frickin cold, but better. |
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Falls Mill; where they still do it the old-fashion way! |
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With Juan leading the way we pulled into Mark’s place around 8:00. It was a nice feeling bringing that bike to a stop and hearing those words “Mornin, y’all want a cup of coffee?” Mark was standing there sippin’ on a cup. Now, if you know me you know I can drink some coffee, but that morning I was wanting the hot cup of coffee more for my hands than anything. Best damn cup of coffee I’ve had in quit a while!
As it turned out we had missed Joel by about 5 |
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The ride there is what its all about. |
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minutes. He had called Mark and was on his way right behind us. Since we had a few minutes, Mark gave us the nickel tour of the place and man, let me tell you, folks, this is the place to have a get-together! The place is just a hop, skip and a jump from the bustle of downtown Fayetteville but you would think you were in the middle of nowhere standing at his front porch. According to Mark, it was built in the 30’s and served for many years as a youth camp. At one time it was the only thing around on this road until a few houses started popping up. The main living quarters, built mainly of stone, is in two sections, divided by an open pavilion with a huge rock fireplace. This is just perfect for entertaining a modest size group. His wife, while he was away doing the Army thing, bought it and they have fixed it up quite nicely. I had to pry Karen out of that beautiful den just to get her back on the bike. It was like stepping into a rustic lodge. They are undertaking other projects in what used to be the office and counselors quarters across from the main building. He showed us the Hawaiian room that his wife is working on. Absolutely beautiful! Mark said it’s nothing for people to just show up |
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Falls Mill, upstairs on the tour |
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The water wheel is over 100 years old! |
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saying they stayed there at camp at one time, wanting to look around. The art building still has some of the artwork from those days hanging on the wall. I could go on and on. It is just a gem and I’m really looking forward to that BBQ!
While we were standing there in the drive sipping on our coffee we could here that familiar rumble coming down the road. It was Joel. Then it faded away and few minutes later, there it was again. I finally said, “someones gonna have to go out to the road, I think he’s having trouble finding the place.” About that time we heard him coming down the drive. |
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Now, I said earlier that it was cold, but this man just came from Birmingham leaving at a bout 5:30 in the morning. Long before the sun came up. I thought we were gonna have to lift him off the bike. We were in stitches hearing him talk about how he was checking mile signs and they were increasing instead of decreasing. Needless to say, we got a cup of coffee in him, thawed him out and he was good to go.
After a short pause to get rid of some of that coffee, we headed out. I didn’t check the time when we left but I’m guessing it was going on 9:00. With |
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Like stepping back in time! |
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Mark leading the way we left Fayetteville by way of the south end back roads. Dropping off 231/431, wouldn’t ya know it, we immediately get behind a tractor doing , at best, 10mph. It wasn’t long though before he dropped off into a field and we picked up the pace. Not sure what all the roads were we took to get there but we ended up at US-64 heading east. There is some road construction on US-64 as they’re trying to four lane this section, and several times we moved from one side to the other, but all in all it was nice surface all the way to our first stop. We pulled in to Falls Mill, nestled in a lush green cove along the banks of beautiful Factory Creek, in Belvidere, TN. Built as a cotton and woolen factory in 1873, the mill was later converted to a cotton gin, then a woodworking shop before its present use as a grist mill. Along with the country store where you can purchase hand crafts, souvenirs, artwork, toys, books, and a collection of antique items, the mill produces stone ground cornmeal, grits and flour, all by the use of a century old waterwheel, (one of the largest in the country), to power the antique grain milling equipment. |
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Use the dog to churn the butter…. |
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By - Wendell Rogers - Aka: Rocketcitymadman, Photos by Wendell & Karen |
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The nice lady that gave us a quick tour told us that they sell to local restaurants and by way of mail order. They provide meal and flour to the famous Loveless Café in Nashville located at the end of the Natchez Trace. Just to get an idea of proportions, the cornmeal they produce in a month, Jack Daniels uses in one vat of whiskey!
After the tour inside we made our way down to the stream and took in the |
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Cowan, TN - The Pusher District Train Museum |
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Telling all about the pusher engines. |
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beautiful view of the mill and the rippling falls in the stream. It was a photographers dream and made me wish I had brought all my photo goodies. I could have stayed there for hours but, we had miles to kill. So, we mounted up and hit the road.
Back on US-64 we headed east to US-41 and our next stop. We were on the road for about 20 miles when we came upon a small town called Cowan, TN. We probably could have gone quite a bit further before taking a break but we would have missed the little jewel that was the Pusher District Train Museum. As the |
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old phrase goes, “if you blink you’ll miss it”, so goes Cowan, TN. It’s a quaint little town about the size of downtown Madison, all decorated with fall festival colors and oozing with Norman Rockwell flare. The museum is located right in the center of town next to, of course, the train tracks. We pulled in and parked out back by the old red caboose. Inside we meet up with the man with the plan about the museum and the what-nots of the Pusher District. He was a crusty ole codger that was just full of information, little tidbits, and a joke or two. |
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A little piece of history on display! |
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The main, almost only purpose it seams for the Cowan Pusher District, was to help the trains get over the mountain. In its heyday they had several pusher engines in their stable. Judging from the memorabilia, and the old train tickets in the display case, it was a thriving little train station.
I didn’t get the old mans name but he was a joy to listen to as we walked all through the museum and climbed on the engine and cars just outside the station. I got the feeling he was glad to see us drop by so he could tell all he knew. In fact, I really think he hated to see us leave.
Back on the bikes we pulled out of the station, crossed the track, and left Cowan in the mirror as we moved on down US-41 toward the foot of the mountains. After a short straight stretch out of Cowan, we started to climb. Now, let me tell you, this is what's fun! Left, right, up, down, back and forth, in this gear and out, downshift, rolling in and out of the throttle, all the while taking in the changing colors of fall with the cool mountain air filling the nostrils. We kept this up for a good 20 miles through |
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Drivin’ the train, every young boys dream job! |
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Follow the leader! |
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“Are we there, yet? Huh, huh? Are we there yet?” |
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Monteagle and on to Tracy City where we made a gas stop before taking a left onto TN-56.
Up on top of the mountain the fall colors were really singing. The view was awesome, and the crisp blue sky just gave you the feeling of clean. Now I know why Fall is my favorite time of year!
From TN-56 we hit 108 and 399, passing through little dots on the map such as Coalmont, Gruetli-Laager, Barkertown, Fredonia, and Cagle. Taking a left onto TN-8 and then 111, we made our way to TN-284 which took us into the park. It took us roughly 3-4 hours to get to the park but the drive and the view was worth every minute. |