Jeremiah Watt

6:15 and I am up, ready to hit the road into West Plains. Its not very far into town, maybe 15-20 miles and it doesn't take me long to get there. I ride right doentown, and take in the ususal town sqaure. I stop at a coffe shop and buy some JOe. It turns out that owner of this shop is also from California, and he moved here some 6 years ago. He retired out of California, under a messy divorce scenario, and arrived with nothing. Today hje has the coffee shop and a great wife.........none of which would have been possible in Califonia he says.

The coffee is good and more folks are coming in. I get to visit with a medically retired truck driver who has now turned Photographer. The area has treated him well also. Good strong ag community they tell me, the best type, casue folks care for one anotehr.
Then the town square bike shop owner shows up drawn by my restless stead which is parked right outfront against the curb of the Coffee Shop. Mike, has had the bike shop now for 3 years, and it just keeps getting busier as he goes. The most of the bikes are youth mountain bikes, but slowly the road thing is catching on he says.

Headed into downtown West Plains, to work on the blog at the Library. I got most of one section done and then got kicked off. SO, I was alittle ticked at the whole process and decided I would do it at another town someplace else. Rode on east on a very narrow road #160. Plenty of hills here to test the old legs and the hills are very sharp. So sharpo that long cars get stuck at both ends in the bottoms and high centerd in the middle at the tops. Thats a little over board, but I want you to know they are very pointy topped around these parts, they didn't knock so much as 1 foot of the top of the hill in building these roads.

I can hear a bussing noise from down in the trees, and it seems like maybe the sound of a saw mill. SO I park my bike and walk the short way doen over the hill and can then see the ruff hewn buildings that make up this back woods saw-mill. I am walking rather carefully, half expecting a pack of dogs to come a running form some covert hiding place......................I am safe as it runs out.

I walk close to the sawyers end of the cutting operation, and give the sawyer internationally recognized handsignals that let him know I am just an ignorant tourist with a camera....................he mouths something that must have been french. I find a safe place and commence shooting the various ends and operations at this 3 man sawmill.

They are cutting Oak, and its not real large stuff. Finally the operator shuts the mill down, and walks over my way. HIs name if Glen, and he is a bear for stout sort of fellow, the sort of thisckness that comes from all day hard work, a smile breaks over his face with ease and I feel somewhat assured that my pic's are okay with him. We visit, about me for awile and my ride, the wheres and whyfore's of it. Then I get Glenn started on the sawmill business, and the forests around these parts. He mentions the clear cutters and that mind set, it is very evident in the West Plains area. A vast majority of it is simply bulldozed and no one is given time nor permission to log it. They just puch it in a pile and burn it in the late fall says Glen. But the real shame is what our State Forestry Service is doing with trees, they refuse commercial loggers unless they will clear cut areas and go back in with a replant of Pine. Thats foolishness says Glen, becasue this area can produce some beautiful hardwoods if managed correctly. BUt once the Gov has ita mind made up, there ain't notyhing going to chan ge it.................and surely not common sense. ANd when it comes to State owned patches of timber, they would sooner poison it that have it logged. Now come on Glen I says, you mean they will kill off mature trees rather than go in and allow them to be harvested? Absolutely.

I rode on feeling somewhot more compatible with what Sam had been trying to tell me just the day before, only he was choosing to blame it all on one adminsitration at one time, and according to Glen at least this has been going on for sereral sessions for sure.
The bike hit 94 degrees on this day and I stop in the town of Alton for some Gator and an Ice Cream bar. From there I rode on out into an area that is know for its twisting roads and wilderness. It delivered both, and was a beautiful ride. I passed over 11 Point creek, and was thinking of camping on the banks, but it was a mosquito heaven. Once I figured that out, I headed a little further down the road..................I should say up the road, becasue the east side is all hill. It is about a 3 mile climb up from the shores of the blue strip of heaven amongst the hardwoods. And once I topped out, I took the first flat spot I could find and set camp up on that.

Good camp, good supper, and a great sunset to lull you to sleep.

Good NIght and God Bless

A GOOD BEFORE SHOT OF JEREMIAH

AND A GOOD AFTER SHOT OF JEREMIAH