Good-bye Winter - Hello Spring
Over the past few weeks, we have been having some brutal weather. First it was the "Polar Vortex" where we had temperatures at my house down to 12 degrees (and highs MAYBE at 30). Then that cleared out after a week. Then we had a few nice days then tons of rain. After that, another blast of cold weather. But finally, we have had a string of NICE days and I was finally able to get and do some riding. It also helps that the days are getting MUCH longer with Daylight Savings coming in about a week.
Since work tends to get in the way during the week, I was able to do a few short rides just to get out of the house. Nothing worth talking about. But this past week, I was having a shit day at work and decided to just cut out early. I left my house just before 4 and headed out.
I like to try and take routes that are less driven. Sometimes this sends me through a subdivision and sometimes on gravel but I like the diversity. With the time constraint, I usually stick to within about a 50 mile radius of my house. I want to ride but hate taking new routes in the dark (hard for me to see at night).
On one of these rides, I noticed this dive/biker bar (Lucky Turn Around). I made a mental note and wanted to go and check it out at some point. Well today is that day to check it out (did I mention I had a real shit day at work?).
This dive bar is not really that far from my house and I wanted to ride at least 90 minutes before getting there so using Google Maps, I plotted a new and different path to get there. The end result was a 58 mile route through the country which will take about 2 hours to complete. Perfect way to wind down. Here is the route (the start is the black triangle).
I must admit, this was really a great ride. I went on many roads that I have never been on before. Yes, it did cut through some housing areas but overall was a relaxed ride. Not much traffic and the views were not bad either. When you get into Salisbury, you do hit lights and traffic some but that can be expected. I am sure I can route myself around that mess but I figure a 2 hour ride was good for me.
Once you get to China Grove, you will need to look hard for this place as it is VERY easy to miss (speaking from experience). Plenty of parking although some is on gravel but I am glad I went. Great place and I will definately be back again.
After that, I headed back home. I used my regular route back by cutting across the highway and took Old Concord-Salisbury (I take this route all the time to get to Salisbury/Kannapolis area). By the time I got home, the stress of the workday was gone (I left it all in the wind). Great day, great ride!