McIntosh Reserve Park

I left debated on whether I should ride with my family or go solo on the bike behind everyone. The day was beautiful and I knew the colder weather would be here in a couple months, so my rubber arm was easily twisted into the saddle.

It was a short ride that amounted to 110 miles total. We planned on going up to McIntosh Reserve Park in Carroll County and then back through Newnan for a little window shopping and coffee.

Sarah Joy took position as photographer in the cage as I cruised along behind or beside them.

The park has some beautiful wooded roads and I spotted a copperhead slithering off the road as we entered the park. Elizabeth had already pulled over, because she knew that I would be doing the same. Unfortunately, we believe this snake was hit prior to us getting there because it was moving awkwardly and had some blood on one side of its head. We ended up walking by it later in the day and it didn't look good. I love these snakes and have been graced to see a number of them in our travels.

We didn't have a definitive plan, so we found a trail and just started walking. Our only goal was to hit the "water park" and walk along the water way.

The water park amounted to a couple fountain type things that would get you wet. I liked the mushroom.

We visited a small family cemetery where most of the graves were from the 1800s.

They also have a replica of an old cabin that was used as a inn.

Your faithful narrator

The Chattahoochee runs through the reserve and we saw people fishing, boating and just enjoying view.

Elizabeth along the Chattahoochee

Dylan tearing up the trails on his unicycle

After we left the park, we went into Newnan and enjoyed a cup of coffee at Barnes & Noble before heading home.

Cloudland Canyon

I planned out an ambitious bike trip earlier this week. This was ambitious for me because it would be my longest day trip and would include riding on the interstate, which I hadn't done in the two years I'd been riding.

I had heard good things about Cloudland Canyon, GA and for one reason or another, we haven't been able to make it up there. It is a long drive and something else usually gets in the way.

Googlemaps told me that it would take me 3.5 hours to get there and that is exactly what I needed. It was a good ride, but I was pretty cold for most of the trip. I threw on a flannel thinking that it would help, but it didn't do the trick. Other than the cold, the trip up was uneventful. I did ride on I-75, but there was so little traffic that I didn't really consider it riding on the interstate.

I parked at the top of the canyon and the view above is the first that I saw.

The path down into the canyon to the waterfalls was very easy. It consisted of metal stairs, wooden walkways and flat dirt trails - such as above.

Above is the first set of water falls. As I got closer, I got nervous because I didn't hear any water. When I got there I realized that it may have been better to make this trip in the Spring rather than the fall.

Above is the river bed that signs told us to avoid because of slippery rocks and danger of falling in the water. I managed to stay dry.

The area was very peaceful. I saw two people coming down when I was leaving and that was the only time I saw anyone other than the people working at the park.

Below is the second set of water falls, which was fed from the first set.

The leaves haven't started to change in LaGrange and it was nice to see the colors as I walked around.

Below is the walk down to the overlook that gives you a good view of the entire canyon.

Most of the life I saw consisted of squirrels getting ready for winter.

My bike ended up with 9,980 miles by the time the trip was over. I knew that I was close to getting my 10,000 miles maintenance check and that I also needed a new back tire. I had planned on stopping at Great South Harley on the way back but didn't plan on getting the work done that day, which I did. I got there around 3:30 and they finished at 6:00. I didn't mind staying at the dealership for 2.5 hours, but it is a dangerous place to hang out.

Mentally, I think I spent a few thousand as I customized my bike visualizing the things on the wall on my faithful stead. I planned out all new foot controls, hand controls, replacement chrome parts and various other accessories. I didn't get any of these, but I did end up getting a new skull gas cap and a Harley addition to the back of the sissy bar.

The trip totaled 370 miles and I rode on I-75, I-285 (through Atlanta) and on I-85. The interstate riding wasn't bad at all, even Atlanta, which had me a little nervous. It was fun just leaning back and cruising along with all the folks in their cages. I left at 7:00 in the morning and got back home at 7:00 in the evening. It was a full day but I felt awesome as I parked the bike in the garage.

In the beginning of the summer, I wrote down 10 destinations. I have hit 5 of them and would like to hit a few more before the weather turns.

Sweetwater Creek

It had been a long time, possibly over a year, since Elizabeth and I had a Friday to take off on the bike and enjoy the roads, sights of Georgia and each others company.

The initial leg was about 80 miles on back roads. The GPS, also known as the sticky note on the windshield, got us there without any problems. It was a little cool on the way up but we knew it would be heating very soon.


Sweetwater Creek boasted a visitor center that is one of the greenest buildings in Georgia. They have composting toilets, recycled rain water, photovoltaic panels, a vegetated roof and other elements of conservation. The bathrooms may not smell the freshest, but it is worth the effort being put forth.


We had been here before with the family and took the trail by the mill that was burnt down during the Civil War, so we decided to take the bridge over the water to explore the other trail.


After finding the bridge out, we decided to retrace the path that we had previous visited last fall; when it was a lot colder and a lot less green.


One of the nice things about our Fridays is that most people are working or in school, so we have an opportunity to visit many of these parks with few other visitors. We saw a few joggers but that was about it.


This is the ruins of the New Manchester Manufacturing Company. It was a mill that produced cotton prior to being burnt down during the Civil War.


Beyond the mill is a walkway that takes you down to the creek where you can walk along the water.

My attempt at taking our picture on a rock in the creek.

The creek without our mugs

After out hike, we ate lunch and hit the road. The drive back was much warmer and I ended up losing my sticky note on turn, which placed Elizabeth back in the role of navigator. We broke up the ride back with a stop in Newnan for coffee at Barnes & Noble.


After our coffee, we drove down to Great South Harley and were greeted at the door by C.G. I hadn't been there in about a year so it was nice to look around again. They had a bike on display that had 16" ape bars that I was able to sit on and see how they felt. I got a silly grin on my face that let everyone know what my bike was going to look like in the not too distant future.

This shot has been edited upon request

We were about 20 miles from home when we noticed the dark foreboding sky ahead, which was accompanied by flashes of light, heavy gusts of wind and some rumbling. We drove through some sprinkled that quickly turned into a downpour. I slowed way down, stayed upright and focused on the road ahead of me. I don't believe the taxi in front of us could see very well because it kept crossing over the lines on the road - first one side and then the other. We pulled over so I could empty my pockets and then road on. The ride was cold but enlivening - I do like riding through a storm (I might feel differently if this happened in the beginning). Once home, we changed, got a mug of tea and curled up on the couch to wait for the kids to come home.

Andersonville, Georgia

I planned out 10 trips for the year based on the distance from home. I've seen a few clubs making trips to Andersonville, so I threw it on the list in complete ignorance of its place in history.


It took Dylan and I about 2.5 hours to get there. We left around 9:00 and the temperatures were nice at that point. We threw four water bottles in the saddle bags and put on a liberal coat of sun screen because I knew the temperatures were going to rise quickly in the afternoon.



We weren't sure where to go once we got into Andersonville, so we stopped at the visitor center in the Civil War Village. After eating lunch, we went back across the train tracks to the National Historic Site.



"Andersonville, or Camp Sumter, as it was officially known, was one of the largest of many Confederate military prisons established during the Civil War. It was built early in 1864. During the 14 months the prison existed, more than 45,000 Union soldiers were confined here. Some 13,000 died from disease, poor sanitation, malnutrition, overcrowding, or exposure."



This at the site of the prison, which contained many monuments from various organizations. The temperatures reached about 100F that day so we tried to go from shady spot to shady spot.



The prison extended to about as far as you can see in this picture. Dylan was running ahead to see if he could see the stream over knoll.


Our last stop was the National Prisoner of War Museum. We watched a 30 minute video on Andersonville, that gave many first hand accounts and a historical overview of the prison and its place in time. The actual museum centered on all prisoners of war and had displays covering most of the wars America has participated in, as well as American prisoners taken outside of a war environment.


We had to get back to LaGrange by 4:30, so our time was limited and we were running out by the time we hit the museum. Unfortunately, we quickly browsed through the displays and left feeling unsatisfied with the amount of time and attention that we wanted to spend there.



Prior to leaving we rode around the prison site and took a picture at the South Gate.


The ride back was uneventful. My back was sore and Dylan's butt was ready to vacate the back of bike. I decided to take the windshield on the journey because I can write down the directions on a sticky pad and stick them to the windshield. It makes the journey so much easier. I hope to get a GPS for the bike in the future, but until then it'll be sticky pads.