This weeks trip will take you into the Carolina foothills and past two historic sites significant to the American Revolution. 

Begin the journey by making your way to US-74 in Columbus, NC.  The fastest and most direct way to do this is to head towards Spartanburg on Interstate 26.   Once you reach US-74, get on it and head east towards Shelby/Charlotte.

Stay on US-74, traveling through the town of Shelby, until you reach the intersection of NC-216, about 52 miles from Columbus.  Turn onto NC-216 and head south into the town of Kings Mountain. Take NC-216 for about 5 miles until you reach the intersection of Bethlehem Road.  Here, turn left onto Bethlehem Road and  take until you intersect with Park Road.  (Note that Bethlehem road changes to Love Valley Road when it crosses into South Carolina).

At the intersection of Park road, turn right and follow it into Kings Mountain National Military Park.   Continue on through the park on Park Road and then merge left onto Antioch Road as the road splits.  Take Antioch road to US-29.

From here, turn left onto US-29 and take into downtown Blacksburg and then into Gaffney.  Once you arrive in Gaffney, you will turn right onto Highway 11 (aka the Cherokee Foothills Parkway) and take it across Interstate 85, past the Peachoid, and towards Chesnee. 

Follow SC-11 for about 12 miles until you reach the intersection with US-221.   Here, just before the intersection; lies an entrance to Cowpens National Battlefield, for those who with to explore it.  If not, turn right onto US-221 and head north towards Cliffside, North Carolina, and continue following through Sandy Mush.  Shortly after there, you will intersect again with US-74turn left and head towards Columbus; completing the loop.

Be mindful of the local speed limits and traffic laws,especially on US-74.

 

On this route lies two battlefields from the RevolutionaryWar.  The first being Kings Mountain,where in the fall of 1780, a battle was fought comprised entirely ofAmericans.  The only Briton was the English Col. Patrick Ferguson, whos American-born EnglishLoyalists were decimated by the Patriots. Kings Mountain National Military Park has free admission and containstrails, a visitor center, camping, and monumentsincluding the second oldest RevolutionaryWar monument in the nation, from 1815 located on the actual battlefield.

 

The battle of Cowpens was exploredon an earlier trip, Site of a decisive American victory in theRevolutionary War fought in 1781.  The site is operated by the NationalPark Service and offers visitors walking trails, picnic areas andexhibits.  Free admission

 

Also visited in a previous trip, is the Peachoid, locatedoff I-85 in Gaffney hails the worlds largest peach, a million-gallon watertower which stands as a monument to South Carolinas peach farming industry.

 

Be sure to check out the small towns of Shelby,Kings Mountain,Blacksburg andGaffney for local charm and business. Most of these towns can be very photogenic to the watchful eye of aphotographer.