Georgia State Line
This is my first post about why I'm riding, and here's where to donate to Water Life Hope. We'll be finishing the ride tomorrow. If you have an urge to donate to this fundraiser this might be a great time.
It had been a while since I'd ridden this far west and there had been improvements. Carol and I rode by bike-share depots, benches and past all sorts and conditions of people using the trail. One woman had three long-haired foo-foo dogs on leashes, all four of them looking remarkably alike. We went through fields, past Jacksonville State University and through the woods that followed. Deer looked curious as we went past, turtles didn't notice, and there was no roadkill.
There's a welcome center in Piedmont, housed in a beautiful little Victorian house. There were used bikes for sale inside, including a lovely little hand-crank and a spiffy-looking road bike. A guy named Len was on duty, a retired military guy who likes to ride bikes. He and three of his buddies had settled in Piedmont for the riding. We gave out ride cards, and they went over big.
We got to the Georgia State line and barely stopped for a picture of the event. Steve was waiting for us in Cedartown. A movie crew was in town, making it fairly complicated to get a spot in the hotel. The Quality Inn is kind to cyclists, though, and they made it work. We had pizza at Zorba's and sacked out. Good day.
The few miles to Cave Springs went quickly and we rolled into Rolater Park. It's a great place for Cave Springs people watching. The duck pond was the center of activity, since the swimming pool wasn't open yet. Families came to picnic and the ducks and geese did their best to extort them. One guy came to the park prepared, with plenty of bread. He was rewarded with loud quacks of appreciation and wiggling duck bottoms.
We enjoyed the duck pond for a bit and chowed down on our Pirkles goodies. Carol sacrificed a Nature's Valley bar, along with a couple of crackers. It didn't last long but raised expectations. A trip to my pannier brought the resident Canadian geese family running to no avail. Soon it was time to get back to Cedartown so we weren't on the road during commuting hours. As we left the park a man cautioned us that a big storm was on the way. He sounded dubious about our ability to ride 10 miles before the weather changed but we had the feeling he didn't have a good basis for estimating. Even so, we headed back as the sky darkened.
When we got back to the hotel it sprinkled a bit. We loaded the bikes up and it stopped.
Later on, Steve and I walked to the Kroger for dessert. Kroger in Cedartown had an array of plant-based protein options. Wow, things have changed.
Steve picked up riding buddy duties from Rockmart and rode with me the last 16 miles into Dallas. We saw friends of Carol's on the trail, thrilled to see her. And we got a chance to meet and thank one of the local police officers who ride the trail to protect us.
We loaded the bikes into the bus and drove to Cartersville. Carol's husband was quietly happy to see her, the dogs more noisily so. Steve and I will stay here tonight. In the morning Steve will drop me off where we left off the trail in Dallas. Then he'll drive the bus into town and I'll ride my bike. We'll rendezvous with friends and family in Piedmont Park and ride home to Decatur. It'll be a big day.
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| Steve and me with Julia's sculpture of Jimmy Hightower in Cedartown |
May 14: Guntersville to Weaver by bus, Anniston to Cedartown by bike. 47 bike miles.
We followed our plan, busing it through about 50 miles of poorly-designed Alabama roads. As we got closer to the Chief Ladiga/Silver Comet Trail we cheered up. Almost home, and we get to ride a wonderful trail that we're lucky to have nearby.It had been a while since I'd ridden this far west and there had been improvements. Carol and I rode by bike-share depots, benches and past all sorts and conditions of people using the trail. One woman had three long-haired foo-foo dogs on leashes, all four of them looking remarkably alike. We went through fields, past Jacksonville State University and through the woods that followed. Deer looked curious as we went past, turtles didn't notice, and there was no roadkill.
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| Crossing the Georgia State Line |
There's a welcome center in Piedmont, housed in a beautiful little Victorian house. There were used bikes for sale inside, including a lovely little hand-crank and a spiffy-looking road bike. A guy named Len was on duty, a retired military guy who likes to ride bikes. He and three of his buddies had settled in Piedmont for the riding. We gave out ride cards, and they went over big.
We got to the Georgia State line and barely stopped for a picture of the event. Steve was waiting for us in Cedartown. A movie crew was in town, making it fairly complicated to get a spot in the hotel. The Quality Inn is kind to cyclists, though, and they made it work. We had pizza at Zorba's and sacked out. Good day.
May 15: Cedartown to Cave Springs and back, 22 miles.
Carol hadn't ridden to Cave Springs before, so we took a day to ride up to Rolater Park and hang out. We stopped at Pirkles for sandwiches, took pictures at Julia Knight's sculptures and then headed north. I usually ride all the way from my house to Rolater Park when I go to Cave Springs. It was amazing how much flatter and more friendly the road looked when you haven't already ridden 85 miles or so. I'd never ridden the road on a weekday either. Drivers seemed more relaxed than on the weekend. |
| Ducks hoping to get lucky in Cave Springs |
We enjoyed the duck pond for a bit and chowed down on our Pirkles goodies. Carol sacrificed a Nature's Valley bar, along with a couple of crackers. It didn't last long but raised expectations. A trip to my pannier brought the resident Canadian geese family running to no avail. Soon it was time to get back to Cedartown so we weren't on the road during commuting hours. As we left the park a man cautioned us that a big storm was on the way. He sounded dubious about our ability to ride 10 miles before the weather changed but we had the feeling he didn't have a good basis for estimating. Even so, we headed back as the sky darkened.
When we got back to the hotel it sprinkled a bit. We loaded the bikes up and it stopped.
Later on, Steve and I walked to the Kroger for dessert. Kroger in Cedartown had an array of plant-based protein options. Wow, things have changed.
May 16: Cedartown to Dallas, 33 miles.
It was time to get Carol home. Her husband had had quite enough of coping all by himself in a big house with Carol's dogs. We headed east on the Silver Comet and over the only significant hills on the trail, between Cedartown and Rockmart. The biggest one goes past the local landfill, and is known colloquially as Mount Trashmore. It was more than Steve wanted to do, so he met us for lunch in Rockmart. |
| The west side of the Silver Comet is as beautiful as anything I've seen on this ride. |
Steve picked up riding buddy duties from Rockmart and rode with me the last 16 miles into Dallas. We saw friends of Carol's on the trail, thrilled to see her. And we got a chance to meet and thank one of the local police officers who ride the trail to protect us.
We loaded the bikes into the bus and drove to Cartersville. Carol's husband was quietly happy to see her, the dogs more noisily so. Steve and I will stay here tonight. In the morning Steve will drop me off where we left off the trail in Dallas. Then he'll drive the bus into town and I'll ride my bike. We'll rendezvous with friends and family in Piedmont Park and ride home to Decatur. It'll be a big day.
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