Seg #40 Mt. Airy Greenway
End
|
Mt. Airy, NC North
|
N36.51585 W80.61510
|
N-S miles 2.6
|
Start
|
Mt. Airy, NC South
|
N 36.47878 W80.62312
|
Trl lgth 11mi Ride11mi
|
Ride hr 1:37
|
AVS 6.8
|
MXS 20.6 mph
|
DST 11 mi
|
Tmp65-70
|
Kcal 949
|
 |
| Most of the sites listed on the map behind me are Andy Griffith related. I should have added some education and took in the world's largest open face granite quarry. It likely would have dwarfed our Coralville River Products dig that has provided me erosion control rocks to stop the Grand Canyon-like ravine caused by runoff from my neighbor's house. |
Originally I was going to ride a trail in Kingsport, TN but after researching the Indian Pipes trail and watching some videos on YouTube of mountain bikers taking some spills, I decided to be more sane and change to the trail in Andy Griffith's hometown. The official name for this town is Mount Airy but Hollywood influenced the unofficial name, "Mayberry".
Andy played the sheriff of Mayberry for eight years but it seemed like a lifetime. Heck you can still see Andy Griffith Shows forty four years later.. He actually played Matlock two years longer than playing Andy Taylor, sheriff of this little North Carolina town. We didn't have television so I didn't watch any shows until Chris and Geoff were old enough to get a laugh out of Opie and Barney. Connie got hooked on Matlock; watching most, if not all of Ben's shows.
Nothing particular was going on when I rode the bike trail through and around Mt. Airy on a beautiful Sunday morning. The greenway was a cross between a trail and bicycle safe streets. I rode until I satisfied the coordinates and saw the sites e.g. Andy Griffith's boyhood home, Wally's squad car tours and Floyd's barber shop. I doubt if I ever would have ever stopped at Mt. Airy if it had not been for the critical latitude I needed. After ride #5 for the trip we loaded up and headed back to Iowa.
Andy played the sheriff of Mayberry for eight years but it seemed like a lifetime. Heck you can still see Andy Griffith Shows forty four years later.. He actually played Matlock two years longer than playing Andy Taylor, sheriff of this little North Carolina town. We didn't have television so I didn't watch any shows until Chris and Geoff were old enough to get a laugh out of Opie and Barney. Connie got hooked on Matlock; watching most, if not all of Ben's shows.
 |
| 1964 Chevy was Andy's car on the show. Walley the owner of a this car, says it is not the "real"car but folks like riding around town and reminisce, ala Field of Dreams in Iowa. |
No comments:
Post a Comment