I went to AuSable Forks Saturday morning to retrieve something from the post office (it was too big to fit in my maibox). I never go to town, I conduct all my business in Plattsburgh because that's where I spend my time.
I had a great time on my ride home. It's 13 miles from my house to town and those miles are really, really familiar to me. I've been riding and driving those miles all my life. The old road was curvy and of course had its landmarks. In the late 60's they built a new road--the equivalent of a super-highway in these parts. We really missed the old road but had to admit that it was nice to have the trip to town take about half the time it used to.
This is the infamous Black Brook Hill. Black Brook is a settlement between AuSable and Silver Lake. It used to be a huge small town with lots of buildings and some actual industry. When I first moved here there was an old-fashioned convenience story there (owned and run by Haven Gauthier). Jamie and I used to stop there for beer and/or soda when we were running the roads on weekends.
Anyway, the Black Brook Hill is really well known. You have to downshift to 2nd or sometimes 1st to get up it. The speed limit in Black Brook, at the foot of the hill, is 35, which is a cruel joke I think.
Ken remembers his first trip to town, which was in 1920, when he was 6. It took all day to make the trip there, take care of your business and go home. He & his father went with the team of horses. It was Ken's job to put the wooden blocks behind the wheels of the wagon every once in a while as they went up the hill here so the horses could rest on the way home. I like it that this hill has so much history.
No comments:
Post a Comment