November 16, 2024
For various reasons, it’s been a while since we’ve explored any new routes. It’s not that we haven’t been out and about, but we’ve been revisiting favorite places since our Old Bryan Road adventure.
Today, we spent a relaxing Saturday together, eating lunch at our favorite restaurant, doing some shopping for Christmas decorations for Kristi’s classroom, and treating ourselves to some delicious pecan candies from Rattlesnake Ranch Pecan Company.
One of the many fun things about going to the “pecan store,” as we call it, is the journey there and back. There are several routes, most of which cross some pretty countryside. Our favorite is the one that takes us through Vistula, Weldon, and into Kittrell’s Cut-Off via a choice of several county and farm-to-market roads. Precisely which road we choose in the latter part of the journey depends on how quickly we want to get home and how much time we want to spend enjoying the scenery.
As we crossed into northern Walker County on Piney Woods Road I told Kristi, “We have a decision to make. Go straight or turn.” “You’re the driver,” she responded. So, I made the executive decision in favor of form over function and took the longer, unpaved route down Chalk Cemetery Road. As we turned onto the dirt road, Kristi looked over at me and smiled. Apparently, I made the right choice (in more ways than one).
Unlike the posts I’ve made up to date, I’m not going to post any pictures–we didn’t take any, anyway. Instead, I decided to try something different and post the dashcam video of the drive.
Kristi and I didn’t speak through this whole segment (not planned). I thought the rumble of the road and the sounds of the truck might make good ambient noise, but I removed the sound from the video because the quality was terrible. So, here is a silent drive down Chalk Cemetery Road in Kittrell’s Cut-Off from Piney Woods Road to FM 230:
Nice drive. Everything is so green! Thanks for taking me along.
We’re near the edge of the Piney Woods, so it stays green year-round. The taller grasses turn brown but are sometimes replaced by winter rye grasses. There is a noticeable difference if you drive just a little west of here where the hardwoods dominate.
There is still a considerable amount of green in the national forest during the winter because it’s mostly pine trees. The undergrowth mostly dies out or goes dormant, so the forest feels fairly open under the canopy. Come spring, though, it gets crowded out with small bushes!
About seven years ago there was a forest fire in the area near the end of the drive in the video. It has grown back nicely with lots of young pines and flowering plants.
They say all roads lead to Rome so I’m a little surprised you didn’t end up there having lunch with the Pope. Maybe if you had kept going straight instead of taking the right.
Well, I suppose that’s true. It’s only 3.5 hours away.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/81hZbkgpnG7JnmaD7?g_st=ac