June 1989

Upper End of the Doe River Gorge at Tunnel 5

Wanna hear a good story? Well, I was exploring on my own at the top end of the Gorge close to Blevins where Old Railroad Grade Road ends and the road turns from asphalt to dirt (mud). Anyway, along the right-of-way, in the middle of nowhere, I came across this old hand-tinted portrait. Someone had broken off a limb on a small tree beside the roadbed and hung this framed photo. Very strange. I would have picked it up as a souvenir, but having seen the movie "Deliverance", and being by myself, I decided discretion was the better part of valor and left it there. Still don't know who it was, who hung it there, or the big question....why? If anyone recognizes this as a long lost relative, please let me know.