The planning for this adventure began about a year ago. Early on I had learned about the Silver Comet Trail (a paved rail trail) that goes from Cedartown all the way to Atlanta from a Georgia cyclist (Lawrence Tanguilig) that occasionally visits Chapel Hill and rides with us. We made our way there in the darkness of a 5 am start. About halfway the sun began to rise and we probably saw about 30 deer along the way. We also intersected with the Trail of Tears again today near Cave Spring. After a quick second breakfast at Bojangles in Cedartown our journey on the Silver Comet commenced.
It was absolutely fantastic. High quality pavement, gentle grades and virtually all shade made for ideal riding into Atlanta. Along the way we traversed on bridges, through tunnels, across ponds, and as we approached Atlanta, navigated around joggers and walkers enjoying the same natural environment.
We stopped about 20 miles to go at a DQ for a Blizzard to power us to the end.
As we entered Atlanta we felt a bit of stress initially with a lot of traffic and super hot asphalt. Fortunately the route took us mostly through shaded side neighborhoods with ample space for cycling. The last few miles of course gave us a few hills to climb, but we arrived at Hotel Clermont in great spirits knowing our finish is on the horizon.
A shout out to my cousin Kim and Aunt Pam who have been tracking our progress each day. And my Dad who has been on the computer following the ride tracker and Google Maps in an effort to guess what restaurant we are eating at each day. As this adventure gets closer to conclusion we have all been thinking about our families, friends, and furry friends. We have been on the road for long time and just a few more days until we can be with them again.
