Sunday Morning Back Roads Ride

By: Wally Wersching

Sunday, August 16th, was one of the most beautiful days of the summer. I woke up to partly sunny skies with the temperature in the upper 60’s. It hadn’t been in the 60’s for a couple weeks. Morning lows were in the 70’s with afternoon highs in the mid to upper 90’s. It was like a breath of fresh air. I had to go for a ride.

I left home at about 9:30am heading west on Rte. 74. I wanted to take Rte. 221 up to Marion, NC. I hadn’t been on that road for many years. It’s a great road but I just normally don’t take it to get where I want to go.

I rode “Miss Vickie” and was almost chilled on my way to the Rte. 221 exit. I wore my mesh summer jacket. I turned to go north on Rte. 221 and followed it through Rutherfordton (pronounced “Ruffton” by the locals). It’s an old southern town with beautiful old buildings - some look like plantations.

After I passed through town, the road straightened out as it went north. It went through some very small communities, and finally got to the hilly, curvy section where there were campgrounds and gold mines.

After I crossed I-40, I knew that Rte. 226 was close. Before I knew it, I was turning right on Rte. 226. I saw a few motorcycles parked in the large gas station on the right, so I pulled in.

I Shared Copies Of The Carolinas’ Full Throttle Magazine With Riders As We Talked.

I parked “Miss Vickie” alongside and started talking with the group. They were from York, SC on their way up to Mt. Mitchell. I shared copies of The Carolinas’ Full Throttle magazine with them as we talked. Then another small group rolled in and parked across the lot. I walked over to say hello to them with a few magazines under my arm. They were from Blacksburg, SC. I gave them a few magazines and learned that all three bikes were bought from Joker Powersports. “Joker John” really sells a lot of like-new used bikes.

After I said my good-byes, I headed south on Rte. 226 toward home. I used to ride on Rte. 226 every day for over six years when I worked in Marion. It’s a very scenic road. One thing I noticed was a lot of fallen trees. Many had just fallen. The leaves were still green. There must have been a few strong storms pass through recently.

After I stopped for gas in Polkville, I made it home about 11:30 – in time to watch the NASCAR Truck Race in Daytona while eating lunch. It was a great way to spend a Sunday morning!