Hunt for the Melungeons
We decided to head to the Southeast for a quick two-day trip before Mother’s Day and wanted to be riding some good roads before lunch time. Our focus was on southwest Virginia, eastern Kentucky, and parts of Tennessee. I had read an article in Blue Ridge Magazine about a people that have middle-eastern ancestry that have lived in a remote part of Tennessee along Newman Ridge for over a century. This area became our destination, but of course, getting there was more than half the fun.
Day One
We started early on Friday morning headed south on I-75 to Lexington and for whatever reason I blew past I-64 where we needed to be to get on the Bert T Coombs Mountain Parkway. I realized the mistake by the time we reached exit 104 at Athens. We exited, looked at the map and headed east on KY418 towards Boonesborough. We saw a sign that stated no traffic eastbound on KY418 and we knew it might be a good side trip. Indeed it was. The road was rather narrow but it was a nice short little ride through Kentucky horse country. We wound up back in Winchester and hit the Parkway over to Salyersville. The Parkway is much like an interstate but there are limited exits and traffic thus making relatively enjoyable. After a short jaunt on US460 we hit KY114 to the south. This road was an open two-lane road that had a few twists and turns as we traveled through the Middle Creek area where numerous tributaries and creeks of theBig Sandy River ran. The area exhibited rolling hills and once hosted several Civil War battles. We stopped at the Middle Creek National Battlefield for a look around. This park marked the spot where there was a somewhat famous Civil War battle occurred between Kentucky regiments of the USA and Kentucky regiments of the CSA. The most famous participant was the USA’s captain James Garfield who later became President. The park was a nice setting but had lots of very loose rock in the parking area. We jumped back on US460 and headed south through Pikeville KY. US460 is a four-lane highway that was fairly busy on a Friday afternoon. As we got through Shelbiana we discovered the road was closed. So, we headed west on KY122 which turned out to be a nice two-lane road with plenty of twists. After a just few miles we got on US119 south before heading back east on KY611. KY611 and KY195 lead us back to Elkhorn City through some hollows. These roads were not very good and took us through some pretty rough areas of poverty. Back on US460 we were soon in Elkhorn City and ready to hit the Breaks Interstate Park area. By the time we reached Elkhorn City we were on KY/VA80 and the twists and turns increased. As we got into the park area we found we were climbing the eastern portion of Powell Mountain. The road was just really getting good when we came upon an overlook in the canyon area so we decided to stop for some pictures. We continued on blasting up the mountain and before we knew it we had reached VA83 just north of Haysi VA. VA83 continues alongside Russell Prater Creek past Vicey, then splitting to follow the War Fork past Prater. It crosses a ridge atLovers Gap and then follows theBig Lick Branch andBig Prater Creek to a bridge over the Levisa Fork and junction with US460 atVansant. US460 follows the Levisa Fork into coal country. We thought we should have stayed on VA83 but we were back on the four-lane road looking for something better. We stopped at Keen Mountain and rode up to a little park where we viewed the map and plotted a new course. We decided to run down to Claypool Hill VA and by pass Burke’s Garden which both of us and been to before. Once in Claypool Hill we wanted do something a little different so we decided to take VA610 & VA609 down to Maiden Spring to pick up VA91. VA610 goes over Paint Lick Mountain crossing Little River. The road is mostly tightly packed gravel and the scenery up and down the mountain is good, but the road left something to be desired. Once we hit VA609 the road was paved albeit not great pavement. At Maiden Spring we turned onto VA91 which is on the western edge of Thompson Valley. This area is full of farms and long vistas with farm land all the way to the horizon. Once on VA91 the road improved and once the road crossed over Maiden Spring Creek the ascent up Clinch Mountain begins. The road wasn’t big enough to really wind it out but it was still pleasurable. Down Clinch Mountain the road flattens out into Freestone Valley. Soon we were in Bradford and turned east on VA42. This road took us over to VA16 where the fun begins. We turned south on VA16 and were instantly into tight turns and nice sweepers. We’ve been on this road and it is absolutely fantastic. I would put this stretch of road up against any in the area. Up and down Walker Mountain it is just one switchback after another. There was a little bit of loose gravel in some of the turns so we had to be careful but it wasn’t anything serious. We were flying through the turns as it ended at Hungry Mother’s Park. We stopped for a break to re-group and get ready for the next leg. We had to get through Marion but we were quickly back into the good stuff. On the south side of Marion we entered Jefferson National Park and traversed up Pond Mountain crossing over a section of the Appalachian Trail. On the down side of the mountain the road continued to be full of curves; it was great! We continued through the Rye Valley and the town of Sugar Grove and before we knew it we were to our turn off at Troutdale. There we headed west on VA603. We headed directly into the setting sun, so we were hampered a bit but still we going at a good clip. The road is a little narrow as it follows the Big Laurel Creek. The road finally connects with US58 just west of Konnarock. Some more tight twisties greeted us as we approached Damascus. We have traveled this way many times and Damascus has that familiar feel to us. The road form Damascus to Abingdon is fairly flat as it crosses the Holston River and proceeds into the Watuga Valley. We spotted the Alpine Motel on the East side of Abingdon and stopped for the night. There were other bikers that arrived about the same time as we did and we had a good conversation. We shared with them some must-ride roads and they seemed appreciative.
Day Two
We started by heading west on US19 and caught AltUS58 in Hansonville. Rain was threatening and we were experiencing occasional rain, we even stopped to put on our rain gear. AltUS58 travels through a valley with Clinch Mountain to the south and Moccasin Ridge to the north along the Big Moccasin Creek. After about 24 miles we connected with VA71and into Gate City where we stopped for some breakfast. Gate City is in the area where Clinch Mountain and the Moccasin Ridge pinch together, here the road, US58, follows the Clinch River through the gap and begins the climb up Powell Mountain. US58 to Jonesville is pretty good riding, up the mountain is twisty and the back side is almost equally as good. We stopped up on Powell Mountain for a rest and to take some pictures. Once in Jonesville we were about to enter Melungeon territory. We headed south on VA70 and back up over Powell Mountain. The road is narrow but it has one switchback after another. Just before reaching the Tennessee line we turned west on VA610 just north of Blackwater TN. The road quickly turned to dirt and we didn’t know what we were in for. The road traveled through some backwoods farm country and some rough looking homesteads. After several rough miles that caused my front shock to completely bottom once we reached the Malhala Mullins cabin which has been turned into a museum. We first read about the Melungeons in a magazine article in Blue Ridge magazine. The article told of a people who were of mixed ancestry including Indian (native American), Black, and Middle Eastern. There are various theories and legends of where these people came from. Some of these legends and theories have suggested descent from Spanish or Portuguese explorers, from the “Lost Colonists” of Roanoke Island, from shipwrecked sailors or pirates of various nationalities, from one of the Lost Tribes of Israel, or from ancient Phoenicians or Carthaginians. More recent theories have proposed that the Melungeons descended from Mediterranean or Middle Eastern ancestors. In any event the museum was in good shape and we had the place to ourselves. There is also the Vardy Chruch which was an outcropping of a Northern Presbyterian mission. This mission was also responsible for the Vardy School that served the region from the 1930s until the late 1970s. After browsing around for awhile we jumped back on the bikes and rode to where Vardy Road meets TN63. The road west of the Mullins Museum is paved so if you’re planning a trip, come in from the West and avoid the dirt road. We went north (or west) on TN63 back up over Newman’s Ridge and Powell Mountain. This road has many switchbacks and was loads of fun. After about 6 miles we reached Mulberry Gap TN near the state line and we stayed on TN63 even though we intended to go back up to US58 in Beech Spring VA. TN63 wasn’t bad despite the fact we weren’t exactly certain where we were. We began to realize we were not where we thought but we kept on riding since the road was enjoyable. After consulting the map we figured it out and before we knew it we were on US25E where we headed north and through the Cumberland Gap tunnel. Once in Middlesboro KY we decided to try something different. We went west on KY74 climbing up Log Mountain. The road here was in poor condition; it was a mix of pavement and loose gravel. We got to Garmeada which is not really even a wide spot in the road and took KY3485 &KY3484 down to Frakes KY. This road was in not much better shape and was very narrow. Once through Frakes we headed north on KY190 over Pine Mountain through the Henry Bowlin Gap. Continuing north we caught up with KY11 and headed towards Barbourville KY. This town has a great deal of history to it including Kentucky’s first Civil War battle and home to Union College founded in 1879. We were rushing to get back so we didn’t stop to sightsee. We continued north on KY11 and were quickly into the Daniel Boone National Forest. KY11 is a fairly wide road but has nice sweeping curves and it was enjoyable through the forest. Once in Manchester we caught US421 that brought us into Richmond. We stopped along US421 outside the Blue Grass Army Depot where spotted three historical markers. One was for some Civil War action, another was a marker for the Civil War Hospital once located nearby, and finally how the county was named.