I am sure most, if not all of us, know what a hayride is, but let me reiterate for those who somehow have just not been enlightened. A hayride is enjoyed while sitting on hay in the back of something. The fun part is that YOU do not have to drive and are free to look around without constantly watching the road. Hayrides in the Cove are given for a fee on a large flatbed trailer pulled by a truck. Usually guided by a ranger, they can be a very relaxing end to your day.
Stopping at several points along the way, a brief overview of the Cove history is given by the guide as well as personal anecdotes and insight. It begins before sunset and returns you to the stables well after dark. Be mindful of the season for the temperature can drop drastically during the spring or fall. Hot days can quickly turn into cool evenings especially when out in the open air with a wind driven by forward movement.
The majority of the time it is I who drives through the Cove. For this reason, these hayrides are a special enjoyment of mine. Though still not at the slow pace I prefer, they give me a chance to wonder at the beauty of this place. The evening air is invigorating and the views breathtaking. It is a completely different outlook when seen this way. Instead of just to the left or right, eyes can gaze upwards too at the tree limbs passing overhead. It was on a hayride I first noticed the black walnut tree. Quite abundant in the southeast, its leaves grow in such a fashion as to create circular clusters. This pattern only becomes clear when looking at the branches from underneath the tree.
As the tour makes its way around the loop road, the forest comes alive with countless sounds created by its nocturnal inhabitants. Hundreds of insects seem to compete for who can be the loudest. It is amazing all this noise comes from something so small. One of the quietest denizens of the night sometimes seen is the brown bat. Flitting about at dusk or just after, they are often mistaken as swallows or other small birds. The erratic flight and quick change of directions will reveal their true identity.
Bats are very interesting creatures doing us a grand favor with all the insects they eat. However, they are almost as misunderstood as the wolf and just as much a victim of unwarranted bad publicity. Contrary to hype created from movies and books, bats are not out to get the unwary human. They have no interest in us at all for we are far too big of a morsel to even draw attention. The vampire bat, not indigenous to this area, gets its name from biting livestock, not people. Even then, it is just a bite and not a swarm of bats on the hapless animal. The majority of bites to humans are caused when someone catches a bat and tries to hold it. It is not the bat’s fault. It is doing what any other animal would do if cornered. I would strongly advise not to try this for in addition to being painful, bats are known to be carriers of rabies. Though usually never showing the effects themselves, it can be transmitted to anyone bitten.
The mountains and ridges transform as the setting sun paints upon them different shades of red and orange. Finally, as darkness begins to take its hold, the stars emerge for their own grand show. If you have never been far away from the lights of the city when night fell, you have indeed missed something never to be forgotten. Literally thousands of twinkling stars beckon from the dark skies above making it difficult to pick out even the most recognizable constellations. A bright moon will take some of this away, but it will still be far beyond what most are accustomed to seeing from the backyards of their subdivisions.
Excerpt from Under the Smoke
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