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www. FavoriteRidesAndDestinations. com | ridermagazine. com
SPRING 2017 ISSUE 01 / VOL. 02
Left: The old one-room firehouse and horse-drawn fire hose are the centerpiece of tiny Benham, Kentucky. Above: Kentucky fully embraces its Thoroughbred heritage and presidential claim to fame.
The sun was bright, but setting early. The chilly air confirmed warnings of an overnight low of 39 degrees. I got the tent set up and the fire started early. In the morning, cold fog smothered the holler, but when I rode up and over the short but wonderfully twisty State Route 3024, the shortcut over the mountain and into Prestonsburg, I rose into clear sunlight that set aglow the colors of the early changing trees. These are the sights that make autumn the best time of the year for sport touring.
After breakfast in Prestonsburg, I made time southward on U. S. 23 until it splits from U. S. Route 119. Four-lane highway gives way to two lanes with tight switchbacks and warning signs for trucks as U. S. 119 climbs Kentucky’ s highest ridges. I joined some cruiser riders at an overlook where the view is endless. They were about to ride the Little Shepherd Trail, a road that gets its name from a Civil War novel,“ The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come,” by Kentucky writer John Fox, Jr.
I was tempted to follow. The trail is famed for spectacular views along its route over Pine Mountain and chances to spot black bears and other wildlife. But it’ s a one-lane, two-way road creeping over rugged terrain. Even though it was improved in recent years, a change that sparked