29 December

Poinsett State Park on Thursday with Tom. Took the new trail through the park and out to Campbell Pond. Campbell Pond needs wheels, but was pretty fun otherwise. The pic below is from where we lost the trail and were trying to find it again.



Also, found a group ride in Decatur, leaving from city hall Saturdays at 9am during the winter. About 40 miles at a good winter pace. I rode the Trek and lost the group on one long downhill, but was otherwise ok despite my low mileage lately. In the summer they leave at 8:30 and ride to the Tucker ride. I'll have to try and make that one too.

16 December

Putting the P in Crap

Yesterday I had the chance to mess around with the CRAP200 route. Been mulling over how to get from the other side of the Broad River and back to the start in Forest Acres, with little success. Had thought mostly about skirting the northern edge of town, but couldn't really figure out a route, maybe because I don't ride that area much. But yesterday I rode from the house out to Peak, and realized that my best bet was to come straight downtown and then shoot back out on commuter routes to Forest Acres. It means about 4 miles on Broad River Road to get across I20 and the river, and it also means a butt-load of lights on Sumter, but the trade off is the Statehouse and campus. I think it will work.

Downtown Peak. A bustling metropoplis.


The sneaky little back road out of Peak. Has a nasty little climb -- too much for a pic.




A Bee Effing crane in the distance from the top of the climb. I wonder what they're building?


Country road between Peak and Columbia


Controls are a challenge on this route. Might use this. There's a tall monument in the cemetery with a lot of words on it -- people may have to write down one of those words. And there's water in the back.


Another church about a mile down the road


More pastoral terrain




And finally 176/Broad River Road to cross I20 and the river and get back into town.


Sumter St heading towards the capital. I do wish the city traffic engineer would time things so you could get through more than two lights without hitting a red.


Statehouse


And campus

Abbreviated Silk Sheets

The day after Thankgsiving I had free rein for a ride. My lovely wife was painting for an upcoming show and not having me underfoot gave her more room to concentrate. I did the first ~30 miles of the Silk Sheets 200k as an out and back, starting in Sandy Springs and heading generally southwest. Sandy Springs was a very strange place, full of big houses on gated lots. Clearly these people want to keep the riff raff out. Even the main cemetery was gated. Bizarre. I think Sandy Springs folks know the people who they go to church with a lot better than they know their actual neighbors who live next door.

Once out of Sandy Springs things were much nicer -- mostly industrial and light industrial areas along the Chattahoochee River. And Six Flags. Can't forget that.

Big houses, but they have to pass the plate to take care of small cemeteries. Nice.


And I couldn't even find it. It was up here somewhere


And near this (lovely) house


Six Flags


Warehouse/shipping point under construction


Chattahoochee tributary


Doesn't this sound appetizing?


Cell tower


Self-portrait

26 November 2012

Still lacking legs and (worse) motivation, but I did get out there over the holiday, if not for long rides at least for some pretty good quality rides on new roads. Drove to ATL on Wednesday, stopping in N. Augusta on the way. Started riding from Key Bridge following the Due West permanent route, but banged a left at Liberty Hill on to Upper Mill Road for a change of pace. That brought me to Parksville where I picked up Price's Mill Road briefly then got on the Connector loop. Followed that frontage road deal past the race track, got on 23 for a very short bit in Modoc, the left on 23 and back to Key Road via Cold Springs Road.

USFS chip seal


The cemetery I missed last time


Upper Mill Road


A diversion


And back on the road


Past the Modoc Speedway


And on a little gravel to make life interesting


A view. Not a mountain view, but a view nevertheless


And a short bit of gravel back to the car


And a beer on Key Bridge

Geez. Slow month. Bailed on SWANK at Aid 2 due to a complete lack of legs and an even more complete lack of motivation. Some days it doesn't pay to get out of bed.



But I did get in a little tandem ride the other day. That was fun.

5 November 2012

Been a quiet couple of weeks here with nothing big happening. But I've got a few photos from small things, and they're adding up. A couple of paddles, one with Tom and one with Holle, and a couple of bike rides. Loving the San Jose--ride out to the fort, ride the Palmetto trail for a while, then turn around and come home. Pretty fun.













Next weekend is Swank. Its gonna hurt.

Pisgahed

24 October 2012

Took last Friday off to ride Pisgah with some friends I've never met. Drove up Thursday night, but arrived late and they were already asleep. After a couple of beers and watching the stars until I started to feel the chill, I crashed in the back of the car, waking at sunrise to see movement in the camp. Emily was feeling a bit under the weather, but Adrian/the Baron was up so we had a leisurely breakfast-and-coffee chat, and became aquainted. Knowing someone on line for ~10 years isn't the same as knowing them in person.

Then we went for a ride. I had fun getting schooled, and hopefully Adrian had fun schooling me. And the colors couldn't have been nicer. We went up Laurel, down Pilot, then over to Slate. Then back to camp where Emily was up and about and we got a chance to hang out more. Eventually it was time for me to head to Atlanta and they to the Double Dare start, so about 4 we all got on our way and that was that.

Did I mention the colors?