Familiar Territory

I’m sitting here at the ‘pooter getting all my ducks in a row, thinking about how to start this little ride report and my mind starts drifting. Daydreaming is something I’m pretty good at…never was much good at anything else. A commotion outside my window snaps me back into real time and I swing my $49.95 Odd Lots ‘pooter chair around so I can see what’s-a-happenin’ over at the neighbor‘s place.

I’m watching as an 11 year old boy with crewcut blonde hair runs out the front door of the tiny 5 room house where he and his 3 brothers share the same small bedroom. He’s wearing a faded, red pullover shirt with blue striping and well-worn cutoff jeans. On his fast moving feet are ragged, washed out, canvas Converse tennis shoes that were, at some point before he ever owned them, black.

I hear the weathered, wooden screen door slam behind him, a familiar sound as that door is never closed lightly by any one of the kids who live there. I watch him as he dashes across the front porch, banks left and flies down through the sloping back yard that leads to his destination. From somewhere inside the house his mother is calling after him, “And don’t you dare go down there to that creek!” But by the time she’s finished her warning he’s already half way there.

“That creek” is Killwell Run and it meanders through a field about 200 yards south of the house that unleashed the boy and it empties into Duck Creek which lies about a quarter mile to the west.

I know exactly what that kid is thinking and what he’s looking for as he’s running through the field toward “that creek”. I know exactly how he’s feeling, his anticipation and his sense of wanderment. I know because that 11 year old boy with the crewcut and blown out Converse tennis shoes is me. And I’m watching myself as I’m running through my childhood memories.

It’s 1966 and the world is a much bigger and better place. Southeastern Ohio in a rural area with streams, creeks, hills and lots of wooded acres was a great place for me to grow up…..I was NEVER bored. Always looking for new stuff to do, new places to go, new areas to conquer…..unfamiliar territory.

In the summer with no school desk to be chained to and a vast area surrounding my home to be explored I was almost never inside the house. Gone from morning till nightfall, mom almost had to force me into the house for bedtime. The days were long and filled with things to do, one of which was going off by myself to find new places that I hadn’t been before.

Like many of us I have always had a desire to see new places, meet new people, do new things. But with work, family and other responsibilities sometimes it’s difficult to get out and ride more. The occasional trip to different places is a welcome experience for me.

I was able to ride into New England back in 1984 with a friend. We went through the Adirondack and White mountain areas of New York and New Hampshire. Best ride I’ve ever been on. I’ll ride into West Virginia for a couple days once in a while.............



















Last year I was able to take The Dragon off my bucket list......






















For me riding in unfamiliar territory is an all to unfamiliar experience. Hence the title of this ride report…it’s all about “familiar territory”.


And sometimes that ain't such a bad thing.





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It all starts in Marietta, Ohio and the roads, in almost any direction, snake through the hills and farm land with reckless abandon. State routes like 26, 676, and 821 lead to routes 530, 260, 555, 536, 556 and on and on. I cut my motorcycle teeth on these roads and they are familiar territory for me.



























County and township roads that cut through hayfields, cornfields and pastures. Country churches, covered bridges, worn down barns and abandoned buildings are a common sight. These are the things that I’m used to being around and have grown to love.












The Monroe County Fair occupying a few tractor pull fans....



















But as for riding, for me, it’s always been about the curves. Many of the state routes in this area seem to have been laid out specifically for motorcycles. State route 26 leaves Marietta for more northern counties and the turns seem to be never ending and banked juuuust right. I know every bump, every corner, every nuance.



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I used to hunt groundhogs this area of Belmont county. This gravel lane runs a couple miles off the state route and dead ends at these abandoned barns. Coyotes have killed off a large percentage of the grounghog population so the hunting has pretty much died out.































I spent a few hours with my cousin while I was in the area. They have a new addition to their family.....................






He slept the whole time I was there.




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Speaking for myself, that was a great introduction. Certainly reminded me of my youth, though I never had the crewcut, but everything else was so similar. With your introduction, and may I say, fine writing style, it really put me in the mood to appreciate your photo's.

I love red barns!

Ditto, but we lived one street away from the entire open California desert with crewcut, cutoff jeans and barefoot. Our treehouse was a cactus!
Right behind our home in Germany was the forest.
Our entire childhood after breakfast, mom would say, "make your bed and come back for lunch", after lunch, "come back for dinner", after dinner, "come back at 9pm". Usually she had to scream our names down the street at 9pm!
To this day, it's either mountain biking, Jeep runs, riding the GS or DRZ and or camping.

Thanks Admiral. Here's another....

Growing up back then we made our own entertainment. We watched TV....some.... but we never laid around bored.

The power of the word! Who'da thought Ohio could be so interesting. Great pictures too.

Nick

Ohio, the heart of it all.


Even the Amish like it here....

I 'm content these days doing day rides and an occasional weekend ride. These rides take me through quiet scenes of everyday living in rural America and that's quite enough for me....for now.

One thing that I really enjoy is riding alone. Keeping my own pace I can ride hard or just relax and do a little sightseeing. I'm always on the watch for nice scenes like this......





or rusted out old relics like this.....












I don't know how many times I passed by this old drilling rig without ever seeing it. One day I just happened to glance over and there it was in all it's glory....






I'll see a nice subject that I want to photograph, turn around and pull off the road to get the picture.........






After that, since I'm already stopped, I'll start looking for other things of interest to photograph. Getting the "big picture" is one thing, being able to see the "little picture" is quite another. I was near Hills covered bridge just off SR 26 a few weeks ago and stopped for a while...................














After a few minutes I started looking around for the "little pictures".

























Now this is what I mean when I talk about seeing the "little picture". Go back and look very closely at the picture of the bright yellow flowers again. There are 2 small bees and an even smaller crab spider on three of those flowers. Can you find 'em? I sure as hell didn't see them when I took the picture, but they're there.

My commute to work, although only 6 miles, takes me past places like this......






and this.....






and this interesting little stone tunnel....






If I go a little out of my way on the way home I can be here............





Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm. Just look at those curves.

Misc. pictures from different rides.......





























Horseplay at Hillbilly Hotdogs in West Virginia.................








....Thumbs up, baby.....








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Spider webs and gravestones.












One early morning ride after a heavy fog passed through I stopped at a couple places to catch these webs that were heavy with dew drops.













Two of my favorite pastimes, riding and photography. They just go together like riding and photography.



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Very nice!

At this point I'm going to make an introduction and voice my appreciation to a good friend that I've know for a few years and one of the inmates here at ADVrider.

I made Tim's, aka dox on this site, acquaintance while I was out riding for tags (see this thread for details). I was in the parking lot of one of the locks and dams along the Ohio river and he came strolling up, looking very intimidating, to me at least. You'll see why.

Tim, who btw happens to be a very nice fellow, is, how should I put it, tall.

I, on the other hand, as one of my friends puts it, "don't stick out of the ground far enough".

Well, he came strolling up through the parking lot and all I could think was Fe.....Fi......Fo........Fum.


That's Tim.......... there on the right.......
















And here he is at the locks and dam when I first met him........





Anyway he really is one of the nicest guys I know.

And now I want to voice my appreciation to Tim for a really nice gesture. A week or so ago Tim stopped by where I work and asked if I had gotten a DSLR camera yet. He had known that I was looking for a used one to pick up. I told him that I indeed had purchased one but I had not bought lenses for it yet. "Well, he said, I have a couple lenses that I thought you might want to baby sit for me."

He had just picked up a spare, used SLR that had lenses that he didn't need at the time and thought I might be able to use them. So I now have a couple temporary lenses to use with the SLR and all of the pictures that follow were taken with my camera and Tim's lenses.


So Tim, aka dox, here's to you.....................

Familiar territory.


In 1966 I'd run from the house as fast as I could, looking for new places. In 2012 I walk from the garage with camera in hand looking at familiar surroundings...........



































1. A typical ride for me starts something like this......

2. Open garage door.

3. Get run over from behind by Chloe as she's looking for a tennis ball or one of her many treasured sticks.

4. Back a bike from the garage.

5. Walk to the edge of the driveway with Chloe excitedly dancing in circles around my feet.

6. Patiently wait for Chloe to give up whatever she has found so I can throw it as far as I can down into the front yard.

7. Repeat number 6 until one of us finally gives up.




















My wife says, "I wish I had a million dollars. But I wouldn't take it for Chloe."






I swear I don't know where they get a heart so big.




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Big picture....check out that little bee hovering next to the flower at top left....




Little picture....








After gearing up I can head out in any number of directions and be in some nice riding country within minutes....
























This DSLR is nice but I haven't even begun to see it's potential.



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Another country store that's closed and for sale....






More of those curves that I love so much.






Bull.







Nice backdrop for the VStrom, huh?.....





There's something attractive about these old abandoned houses and barns that I see everyday.
























Another little picture....