Nepernine Wandering (Northeastern Kentucky)

[Pterodactyl_imp]

Stichill that was a fine post. Good country photographed well. Am on the iPhone at the moment but will be sure to call again when I get to my desktop.

Cheers

Oh yes! On my large iMac that road and the countryside look fantastic. Not to mention the sandwich.

Cheers

[Stichill_imp]

Hunger and thirst fully satisfied, it was time to saddle up in Mt. Olivet and point the little CBR towards [url=http://goo.gl/maps/YZY4w]Owingsville. This is not the planned route but...it's the route! I had intended to avoid Flemingsburg by cutting across on Plank Road to Tilton and on to Poplar Plains. But I missed my right onto Plank Road and suffered a slight consternation when I suddenly found myself entering Flemingsburg despite my intentions otherwise. More on the reason behind my aversion later.



Johnson Creek Covered Bridge off KY 1029, Old Blue Lick Road in Robertson County. [url=http://goo.gl/maps/c1IRJ]38°28'57.3"N 83°58'43.18"W.


Johnson Creek Covered Bridge off KY 1029, Old Blue Lick Road in Robertson County. Most of them are closed to all but foot traffic, but I was able to ride the CBR right across this one.


KY 1029 Old Blue Lick Road. [url=http://goo.gl/maps/zMXfO]38°28'52.91"N 83°59'6.28"W.


Wonderful purpose-built vintage filling station at the junction of KY 32, KY 165, and Pike Bluff Road. [url=http://goo.gl/maps/s97G7]38°25'2.49"N 83°50'19.4"W.


KY 170, Hilltop Road, south of the Licking River. [url=http://goo.gl/maps/cKVYT]38°22'22.98"N 83°49'59.02"W.


KY 57 Hilltop Road, between the north and south forks of the Licking River. [url=http://goo.gl/maps/scqPb]38°21'31.74"N 83°50'25.72"W.


KY 1123 Pecks Ridge Road, north of the south fork of the Licking River. [url=http://goo.gl/maps/bFXJV]38°20'29.6"N 83°50'39.04"W.


KY 1123 Pecks Ridge Road, west of Tilton. [url=http://goo.gl/maps/K5qeK]38°20'27.93"N 83°49'23.89"W.


KY 1123 Pecks Ridge Road, west of Tilton. [url=http://goo.gl/maps/2fu2B]38°21'5.50"N 83°48'16.93"W.


OK, here's why I didn't want to go through Flemingsburg. This kind of modern three-lane, wide-shouldered rural road is best avoided by motorcyclists (or any motorist seeking an interesting drive through the countryside). It cuts straight through the topography instead of following the natural lay of the land. KY 32 south of Flemingsburg. [url=https://goo.gl/maps/FMgaF]38°24'19.7"N 83°43'41.0"W.


Next stop: Poplar Plains.

[Pterodactyl_imp]

Looks good. Thanks.

Cheers

[Stichill_imp]

Sure thing. I've suddenly gotten busy with travel and family life, so I don't have much time to visit the forum. I will be back to post the final leg of this trip when I get a chance.

Greetings to all - hope you guys are getting lots of seat time!

[redbirds_imp]

More lovely photos. Keep 'em coming. The covered bridge and the old gas station are especially nice.

[Cormanus]

I'll be looking forward to the next instalment. Thanks Stichill.

[Stichill_imp]

After my unintended detour through Flemingsburg, I returned to the enchanting pastoral landscapes that exert their gravitational pull on my soul.

I happened past another old filling station structure, quite well-preserved. KY 111 Hillsboro Road at KY 156 Poplar Plains Road, in Poplar Plains. I would give several Guineas for that classic shaded light fixture still present on the front gable. [url=http://goo.gl/maps/RC4ax]38°21'37.18"N 83°40'28.56"W.



Gothic-style farmhouse in Poplar Plains. [url=http://goo.gl/maps/2YU4f]38°21'37.18"N 83°40'28.56"W.



Stately brick Federal-style home in Poplar Plains. [url=http://goo.gl/maps/wbgKb]38°21'41.33"N 83°40'28.91"W.



KY 111 Hillsboro Road, south of Hillsboro. The steep hills in the distance remind me a bit of the Swabian Alps in southern Germany (but these are much smaller). Looking at the map now, I see that I could have gotten closer to them on KY 158, Ringos Mills Road. [url=http://goo.gl/maps/zE8Kw]38°16'32.08"N 83°39'34.15"W.



KY 111 Hillsboro Road, rolling along west of Davis Creek heading downgrade to the south fork of the Licking River. I got a kick out of the rumble strips on the right "shoulder"...if you feel those you're probably already in the ditch! [url=http://goo.gl/maps/6NRC5]38°16'21.56"N 83°39'27.44"W.



Crossing the south fork of the Licking River along KY 111 Hillsboro Road. [url=http://goo.gl/maps/1uM4v]38°15'18.57"N 83°39'10.94"W.



Grange City covered bridge over the south fork of the Licking River along KY 111 Hillsboro Road. [url=http://goo.gl/maps/1uM4v]8°15'18.57"N 83°39'10.94"W.



Fertile bottomland west of the Licking River along KY 111 Wyoming Road. Southwest of Grange City. [url=http://goo.gl/maps/d4FU4]38°14'4.48"N 83°41'35.65"W.



Abandoned postwar pickup truck in pretty good shape, considering it's been left to weather in the humid climate of Kentucky. KY 111 Wyoming Road north of Owingsville. [url=http://goo.gl/maps/Ymy6e]38°11'39.34"N 83°43'31.92"W.



I believe it's a Chevrolet or GMC. KY 111 Wyoming Road north of Owingsville. [url=http://goo.gl/maps/Ymy6e]38°11'39.34"N 83°43'31.92"W.



Nice little sequence of tight curves with rising grade. This view is looking downgrade, back the way I'd come. I liked it so much I turned around and rode it two more times! [url=https://goo.gl/maps/81YSn]38°9'27.44"N 83°44'16.41"W.



Looking upgrade on the same little series of curves. [url=http://goo.gl/maps/tAI5g]38°9'25.51"N 83°44'6.96"W.


Great place for a rest stop...[url=http://goo.gl/maps/gFhr0]Erma's Sandwiches & Ice Cream in Owingsville.



I love soft-serve ice cream in the summer! [url=http://goo.gl/maps/gFhr0]Owingsville.


"I'll take a large vanilla cone!" [url=http://goo.gl/maps/gFhr0]Owingsville.



It's a given that you sit on the obligatory electric-blue benches to enjoy your dessert. [url=http://goo.gl/maps/gFhr0]Owingsville.



I noticed the sky suddenly darkening overhead. I decided to have a look at the live weather app on my phone. Nice storm cell headed right for me. [url=http://goo.gl/maps/gFhr0]Owingsville.



I was weighing my shelter-in-place options (gas station, bank drive-through, church drive-up portico) when I saw this happy circumstance in progress. The storm decided to split apart and go around my location altogether. Feeling emboldened and finished with my ice cream, I saddled up and continued on my way. [url=http://goo.gl/maps/gFhr0]Owingsville.

[Cormanus]

Another great report with more wonderful photos. Really nice work, Stichill. You're far more patient that I am. Couldn't be doing with so much stopping when I'm under way. But your readers appreciate it.

[Novice_imp]

Another great report with more wonderful photos. Really nice work, Stichill. You're far more patient that I am. Couldn't be doing with so much stopping when I'm under way. But your readers appreciate it.

Yes we do!

[Stichill_imp]

Another great report with more wonderful photos. Really nice work, Stichill. You're far more patient that I am. Couldn't be doing with so much stopping when I'm under way. But your readers appreciate it.

I'm glad you enjoyed it, Cormanus and Novice. Cormanus, I understand your sentiment and often that is me as well. Usually during my evening "wind-down" rides after a day at the office. Even stopping for a photo is too much distraction from the simple joy of riding during the available remaining light of day, and represents another kind of "work" that sometimes we are just loathe to undertake.

On weekends and holidays, it's a different story. I probably stop to take a photo more often than the average guy...in this case, for some reason, I took even more than I usually do. Kind of depends on my mood and the scenery. Sometimes I take extra photos of roads I'm less familiar with. Recently, I've started a collection of Google map screen shots and links I call "Favorite Kentucky Motorcycle Roads." I like to have at least one if not more photos of the road in question for this archive. Someday, when I have enough roads in the collection, I plan to create "The Epic Kentucky Motorcycle Route" by stringing as many as possible together in the most interesting fashion I can devise.

When I ride alone, I am rarely adamant about getting to a particular destination by a certain time. I want the clock to become a non-factor in my consciousness. Once I enter that state of mind and I see something I want to remember, I just stop and grab a shot without thinking, "This will delay me three minutes." This, to me, is the essence of wandering by motorbike. No clock, no obligation, no rigidity, no predetermined outcome. Simply giving over to living in the range of the immediate moment with no thought of past actions or future plans. I love it - it's a blissful child-like state that reminds me of being 8 years old, out and about, exploring my small corner of the world on my bicycle.

I think, were I on a bigger bike on some of these roads, I probably would stop less frequently, because good scenes come up on you so quickly that sometimes it's necessary to go back to capture a photo. When I'm on the CBR and I zoom past something notable, I can whip a quick feet-up U-turn on the narrowest road and shoot back to the point of interest, execute another smart U-turn and pull it into the narrowest "wide spot" on the shoulder to get out of the traffic lane to take my shot. Other times I get lucky and there's a good pull-off on the right side (US rules) that's convenient and in the right location...usually not.

A lot of these roads, as you can see, literally have no shoulders or wide spots. In that case, I will pull over in the left lane, facing any oncoming traffic so I can monitor it, with the headlight lit (I ride with high beam in daylight), clad in my hi-viz gear. As long as you ensure that oncoming vehicles have a decently long sight line to you as they approach, I've found this to be very safe. People are considerate, slowing and moving over to their left / my right a bit to go around me.
Yesterday I rode past this old filling station that I photographed so recently...it has been razed. Completely gone.