Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/762678
24 UCW DECEMBER 14-20, 2016 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM A few weeks ago, I was going to meet some friends from Raleigh in the town of Morganton, N.C., for the Knob Mountain motorcycle chapter's Blue Ridge Knobby ride. The original plan was to camp out. However, after checking my schedule, I realized that it would be around 10 p.m. when I arrived, so I decided to tough it out in a hotel room instead. I called my friend Rick the night before and asked him to join me. He did some sweet talking with his most wonderful wife, and she agreed to let him come out and play. We talked about what time we should leave, and we talked about which route to take. I suggested getting there quickly via the interstate. He wanted to take a route that would take us mostly back roads but would take longer to get there. Surprisingly, I hung up with Rick agreeing to travel via the interstate. Now knowing Rick for as along as I have, I should have gone right there and played the lottery because he hates riding the interstate when possible. Two minutes after we hung up, the phone rang. Rick had called me back and said he would just meet me in Morganton because he wanted to take the back roads. I quickly agreed to ride his route because I value the friendship and camaraderie way more than time and distance. I've always thought there should be a name for people who prefer the through town route rather than the around town route. It was not until this week that I discovered a word that needed further investigation. The word is shunpiking, which comes from the word shun, meaning "to avoid", and pike, a term referring to turnpikes. Turnpikes showed up on the American landscape back in the early 1800s. Towns started charging to take a path or cross a bridge. The term turnpike is another term for a toll road, a toll gate or barrier. Believe it or not, American's really don't like paying tolls and quickly, they built routes and bridges to avoid paying the toll. Historically, the paths around the tollbooths came to be so well known they were called "shun-pikes". I think most motorcyclists are shunpikers at heart. As I was writing this story, I realized that I can actually set my GPS up for shunpiking. If you have a GPS, you can go to settings and then navigations and pick the avoidance settings. There you can chose to avoid highways and toll and fee roads. If you are looking to truly avoid the grid of modern roadway, and your bike can handle it, unclick the off-road setting and let the adventure begin. Let's face it, driving the interstate is good for shipping commerce but along the way, they have killed many a good town. Before Colonel Sanders was a colonel and famous for his chicken, he owned a small restaurant, gas station and motel in the town of Corbin, Kentucky. When the interstate bypassed the town, his business failed. Today, no matter where you are, almost all interstates look and feel the same. I hope the term catches on with a new movement. Imagine going down a two-lane road and start seeing mom and pop stores popping up again. That would be great for us and great for America. If there is a topic that you would like to discuss you can contact me at motorcycle4fun@aol.com. RIDE SAFE! Shunpiking by JIM JONES Most GPS systems can be set up to avoid interstates. JIM JONES, Motorcycle Enthusiast, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200 JANUARY 7 • H-D 101 NEW RIDER BOOT CAMP at Ray Price Harley-Davidson, 1126 S Saunders Street, Raleigh. 10:30 a.m. Visit www.rayprice. com or call 919-832-2261 for more information. FEBRUARY 11 • THE CAROLINAS' FULL THROTTLE MAGAZINE -19TH ATTEMPT, ALMOST A TRADITION – PRE- DAYTONA, VALENTINE'S DAY PARTY & OYSTER ROASTat Ted's Famous Chicken, 4695 S Main St. Winston-Salem, N.C. Noon -6 p.m. Free. Oysters, music, contests, 55" TV & diamond Heart pendant raffles, giveaways, event T-Shirts and more. No kids. Call 336 885- 5400 for information. APRIL 22 • VA SPRING RUN 2017 at Baker American Cycles, Fayetteville. Registration at noon. Group ride to VA Hosp, live music and food at clubhouse after. Hosted by Veterans MC, Hope Mills. Call 424-3549 for information. PATRIOT GUARD RIDERS The Patriot Guard Riders is a diverse group of patriots from every state that come together to honor fallen soldiers at funeral services across the country. Visit www.patriotguard.org for more information about the group. 4624 BRAGG BLVD. Ladies Gift Exchange 12.22.16 12.22.16 12.22.16 7PM