Lately, I have had a gratuitous amout of storytelling to do - stories about my native origin - Coosa County, Alabama. I also have to explain why I ended up here in Tyrrell County. I will attempt to explore the Coosa County area, based on its foods, lands, and people (or lack thereof). Most of this has stemmed form the blind good fotune of my dad, who met a personal hero of mine - Walter Royal. A lot of folks don't know who this is, yet gourmands would easily know - he's the Executive Chef of The Angus Barn...which in my mind is one of the ultimate destination steak houses in the WORLD...in Raleigh, NC. Chef Royal also beat Iron Chef Cat Cora in "Battle Ostrich". He owns property in Coosa County - and my dad, as the Commissioner of Revenue, often meets landowners who must settle property taxes. Walter Royal showed up to pay his taxes. My dad had no clue who he was, until Royal's partner introduced him. It still made little difference to my dad. He isn't a foodie, though he enjoys food. He makes the best ribs in the world, and can heat a steak pretty good, too. Yet, a steak wouldn't be his preferred "final" meal - I think it would include fried quail, creamed potatoes, and absolutely no macaroni and cheese.
Anyway - Coosa County...I wanted to try and give folks an idea of what the county's geography is like. Where is Coosa County? It is about two hairs of the geographical center of Alabama. The bottom half of the county makes up the far northern reaches of the Black Belt - an important farming region of the south. The top half of Coosa County is composed of craggy hills and quasi-mountains. The southernmost mountain in the Appalachian chain (Flag Mountain) is located in northwest Coosa County. So what happens when two totally different types of landscapes and environments converge? The diversity of animal and plant life in Coosa County is nearly akin to a Rain Forest. I am serious! With hundreds of miles of navigable water, mostly whitewater creeks and rivers, the opportunity to encounter some of the rarest species on Earth is pretty good. The Cahaba Lilly, which grows in exactly two rivers in the galaxy, roots and grows on the shoals of Hatchett Creek, Coosa County. The Tulatoma Snail, one of the rarest mollusks inthe world clings to hundreds of underwater boulders strewn along the bottoms of Socapatoy and Hatchett Creeks. Alabama actually receives the most rain in the United States, so our forests in the northern reaches of Coosa County are actually pretty lush. Unfortunately, many portions of virgin hardwood have been extracted to make things like the desk on which my computer sits. Replacing these forests are vast expanses of upland pine species, such as Loblolly and Longleaf. Loblolly and longleaf also command an strong presence along the bottom half of the county, too.
So let's recap. North Coosa County is hilly - with hills as steep as anything in places like Wyoming and Idaho - I have climbed up both...trust me.
The Southern reaches of Coosa County are gentle rolling hills, pocked with cattle farmers, the occasional row of corn, and slackwater tributaries to either the Tallapoosa or Coosa Rivers. The County Seat, Rockford, sits in the off center of the county, but doesn't act as the hub. Rockford, population 400, has a Dollar General, spirit store, and gas station. However, the intersection in Rockford serves as one of the final rest stops for fans racing to the Talladega International speedway, located 50 miles north. A drive from the southern part of Coosa County to it's northersn reaches will most certainly be done in a lower gear. It's an uphill battle all the way, but decent scenery is the reward. A short side trip down any side road will offer views of "country living", but not the magazine photos you are used to seeing. It's real people that live in the country. A smallish house, built wisely in the shade, with stacks of firewood in the yard. Maybe a car and a pick-up truck. A dog, tractor, and chimney, too. But no gingham covered patio furniture or seersucker suited men. This is the real country. Practicality procedes beauty. I have seen those old fashioned lawnmowers fastened to old fashioned bicycles.
From west to east, in a straight line, the landscape changes little. The western boarder in made up of the Coosa River, a fairly large river. It snakes down and to the right, seeking the Tallapoosa River to form the Alabama River, about 40 miles to the south. The eastern portion of the county is dominated by the exurbs of Alexander City. The southeast corner shares shoreline with Lake Martin, one of the most visited (and beatiful) inland lakes in all of the South. Coosa County is virually "all land". There are very few businesses, and people. The northern hills made early travel inand out of the county tough. The southern portion was and is farmed. The people of the county can seem like to different species, from north to south. I'll talk about them later. In the meantime, soak all of this drivel in...
Enjoy the day...
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