I had business in Atlanta last week and took the opportunity to drive and take my bikes so that I might get in some riding in the area. It was quite an adventure. The heat and humidity that can be characteristic of the deep south were, shall we say, in full flower.
Day 1- I started day one with a short early morning solo ride in Stone Mountain State Park. Scenic indeed but much hillier than my legs are used to!
Day 2- Occupied by my business meetings until early afternoon, I met up with Ron H of BF 50+ in the Park and he took me out on a little tour of the local bike trail, the Stone Mountain Trail. This was a little more level than the Park roads had been but we were also in the heat of the day. We called it a day after about 20 miles for me but I added another five miles of hill work in the Park. All in all a very nice outing and good to meet another 50+ member!
Day 3- I moved from Stone Mtn up to the northern suburbs of Roswell the next day to stay at a friend's home. It's a pretty "bike friendly" community up there characterized by bike lanes on most of the main roads as opposed to a major trail system. I chose to ride the "Thursday Night 20 Miler" route found at
http://www.bikeroswell.com/. The three Hs (heat, humidity, hills) made this plenty of ride for me, though it ended up being more like 23 miles counting some wrong turns on the route.
Day 4- Rented a motel in Dallas, GA just west of ATL to sample the fully paved Silver Comet Trail
http://www.silvercometga.com/ . It runs about 60 miles from the ATL suburbs west to the Alabama State line where it continues another 30 miles as the Chief Ladiga Trail. This is where my story gets more complex, so I am going to post again tomorrow describing my 62 mile Silver Comet experience.
For now, here are some pics from in and around Atlanta. First: Stone Mtn. Ride with Ron.