Tuesday Group’s Sussex County country road bike-about was a huge success primarily because Mother Nature provided us with an absolutely beautiful December day for biking. Temps in mid to high 60’s, overcast in the morning, sun in the afternoon, and, although there was some wind, it basically was blocked by the many sheltering tree-lined country roads. During our 28-mile ride which began and ended at the Airfield 4-H Conference Center in Wakefield we first got a glimpse at that amazing secluded 218 acre activity facility located on the banks of Airfield Lake. They even have a small pig and a couple of sheep as friendly greeters. Taking off then on our bikes we first passed a group of hunters who, thankfully, were gathering around their trucks to leave after finishing their morning of hunting and shooting. We rode on to later pass two or three major pig farm operations which, again thankfully, only show their good side to passersby, i.e. buildings and fencing. Before cruising further along the rural, little used country roads heading toward lunch at the Virginia Diner in Wakefield, we made a side trip in order to visit Five Ash Farms LLC for the group to see the type, number and storage of the farming equipment it takes to plant and harvest five different types of crops over dozens of farms and hundreds, maybe thousands of acres. Joe Stephenson, the patriarch of this family- run business, is seen in one of the attached pictures greeting us as we bike up to his Five Ash farming operation. Joe explained the five crops they plant and manage are corn, soy beans, winter wheat, peanuts, and cotton. Joe also told me that in 2017 the Tuesday Groupers just may see cotton planted around the Big Belly Hunt Club, a crop that in decades has not been planted there. Speaking of Hunt Clubs, we also must have passed six or seven of those throughout the day’s ride. Lunch at the Virginia Diner was relaxing, fun and good. We even attracted enough attention to draw over another diner from NC’s OBX who, as a member of Silver Slippers, the OBX biking group, had to know more about us. Our return ride after lunch took a different route, another quiet relaxing one, with one exception perhaps for one rider who just happened to get lost. For a third thankfully, he stopped not far from the rest of us once he realized something was wrong. He had missed the turn into the 4-H Center which only put him about 3/4 of a mile beyond its entrance. Fortunately it was the perfect spot to stop and for being picked up later when his driver left the 4-H facility. Enjoy Bob Mooney’s pictures of our ride on this website if you already have not seen them on Facebook. Sandra Canepa
Here are Bob M's pictures for you to enjoy: https://goo.gl/photos/mtLEwMQ3QecN5e1A7