This past Sunday Laura and I rode down to Prosperity to visit my parents. We had a nice lunch out, and then we went for a Sunday afternoon drive. It was apparent that I come by my love of wandering naturally. My parents like to get in a car and drive aimlessly about as much as I do. I’ve got tons of memories of Dad loading all of us into the car and getting lost on some dirt back road somewhere.
For this trip, we explored some of the communities that border the western banks of the Broad River. Our trip started with a quick tour around Prosperity, proper. We paused to let me take a couple of pictures of some of the old warehouses and the old train depot.
From Prosperity, we traveled to the little town of Pomaria, then turned onto New Hope Road just north of there. Dad was looking for a historic church he remembered visiting. While we passed several very old white frame churches, we didn’t find the one for which we were looking. We eventually reached the intersection of New Hope Road and Broad River Road, and paused so I could get a couple more shots of an old country store and a barn across the way.
We headed south along the Broad River Road towards the town of Peak. The road wound through some very isolated areas, and crossed a couple of branches of Parr Shoals Reservoir. It was quite windy, and the lake was stirred with whitecaps.
Peak is a U-shaped town. It’s limited by the Broad River on one side, with the train trestle being the only way across the river, apart from the main highway that bypasses the town. I was a bit disappointed that there weren’t more historic photogenic buildings, but the town does seem to be quite isolated.
I made particular note of the railroad, which has had the tracks removed. There are two prominent bridges/trestles in the area, and I understand that there is a move to convert these to trails. I also understand that the residents of Peak are against this. It’s my understanding that this has been resolved, and the railroad is set to become part of the Palmetto Trail system. I may have to come back this way with my mountain bike and explore a bit more.
We left Peak and meandered back towards Prosperity. It was a short Sunday outing, but I still got some good shots. I like to think of it as a scouting trip for further exploration.