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www. FavoriteRidesAndDestinations. com | ridermagazine. com
SPRING 2017 ISSUE 01 / VOL. 02
Kentucky Route 32 is a favorite road among locals and riders from out of state.
The rolling hills and farmland of Appalachia are at their most charming on crisp autumn days.
Black Mountain was all S-turns, the descent threw tight switchbacks at me, testing the brakes. At the bottom, I turned west on State Route 606, which is part of a 325-mile route called the Virginia Coal Heritage Trail, linking 19th-century mining towns and memorials dedicated to the industry. Conveyor belts hauling carbon out of the mountains run overhead as the road slithers beneath.
Just when I was sure Route 606 was about to dwindle into a cow trail, it opened up and offered some sweeping curves before I reached U. S. Route 421 and rode north back into Kentucky. This stretch from U. S. 119 overlooks Black Mountain, and riding the coal-dusted backwoods of Virginia Route 606 turned out to be the best riding of the weekend, and more than adequate compensation for missing the Little Shepherd Trail.
In the morning, I headed north to Paintsville before swinging west.