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| The Columbia Ride Page Three |
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| Start |
| Breathless, I arrived at Grayson on US.165. There I turned north on US.165 for the 4 mile, 45mph, ride into Columbia. At the foot of the steep hill there was a group of policemen monitoring the speed on oncoming vehicles, or simply a speed trap. I was speeded out, thankfully. Thinking Columbia to be a town of old buildings, I spied the old Methodist Church right off the highway. The design was brought from Europe. Wish I knew which country. Europe is a big place. |
| I went back out onto 165 and saw the bridge. Wanting a picture of the town from the opposite bank, I crossed it. The picture of the bridge is from the east side. What I saw from the east bank was not the expected buildings along the waterfront, but what appears to have been a disaster with the landing. It was torn up badly. The steamboat festival is May23, I think I saw that. If so, they have work to do. |
| I rode down the one way main street of the old downtown area and up onto the levee. I was illegally parked, but traffic was light and I figured, flashing my press creditials, I could talk myself out of a ticket. Both pictures are from that perch. |
| Below is the best picture of that bridge ever taken. I am donating it to the Columbia Tourism Council, is there one? |
| I roamed the back streets for thirty minutes looking for historical looking sites and places. I guess I should have hunted down a guide, but real men don't ask for directions. Or lazy ones. So I headed out of town. I had miles of Barry road left and it was after 2:00. I'd been here for 2 hours. Then I saw the cemetery. It was on a hill or hills above the road I'd come in on. I think geologically it is referred to as the Columbian Heights. I approached and saw a one-way road coming down from the hill with a "Do Not Enter" sign on it. More below. |
| I looked on the gps and tried to trace the road back to its source. I couldn't find it. I circled and circled, actually stopping to ask some ladies who didn't know if riding though it was possibe. I circled again and saw a police cruiser coming down from the cemetery heights. It could be done. I contemplated running down the cruiser, passing him and signaling him to pull over, making siren noises. This thought passed. On the last run through I found the entrance. At the beginning of the route there is a playground? It is a beautiful place and totally visitable if you aren't weirded out by cemeteries. I ate lunch there and realized it was my hunger and thirst which had broght on the police pullover fantancy. Refurbished and feeling saner, I left and headed back to Grayson where I'd pick up 126 again as Barry said it was a nice country road. |
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