Porch's Are Nice but...

My wife and I have been saving for a new screened in porch for 8 years.  Every time we've gotten close to our goal, something has popped up.  4 years ago it was the sink drain going out to the main sewer line.  Called our plumber, and he fixed it.  3 years ago, we had a power surge that fried several outlets along with a few appliances.  Called the electrician, replaced the breaker box, grounded it, and re-wired the main systems.  Porch fund spent.  And just last year, our water heater went out.  Called the plumber back, and he replaced it.

At this point, my wife was close to tears.  "I can't ask my friend over to enjoy our new wiring," she lamented.  "I can't snuggle up to the hot water heater with my coffee like I could on the porch."  No, no she couldn't.  But that was just a bit of frustration slipping through that quickly passed because we know that these are the things you do when you own a home.  One day soon, we'll need a roof.  Probably need to do some painting too.  This is the cost of home ownership.  This is our private responsibility.

The same thinking applies to our public infrastructure.  The only difference is that it's a shared responsibility.  We want good roads that are necessary for economic prosperity; that are necessary for getting around safely day to day.  We demand that our bridges are strong enough to carry the trucks full of Michelin tires, Milliken textiles, and BMW roadsters.  We call for sidewalks so that our children can walk safely to school.  These are the projects our community asks for.  This our shared responsibility.

So here we are in Greenville County, in the great Upstate of South Carolina.  We have a public problem - deteriorating infrastructure.  We also have a solution.  On November 4th, we can go to the polls and own up to our shared responsibility.   We're not borrowing money and passing the debt to our children.  We're not begging Columbia for a hand out.  We're not praying for Washington, D.C. to rescue us.  No, we are listening to our fellow citizen who have identified Greenville's most pressing transportation needs.  We are calling on our neighbors, co-workers, and friends to step up in Greenville County to solve Greenville's county's problem.

Follow this link to view the transportation project list. 

http://www.greenvillecounty.org/roadscommission/

And please join me November 4th in voting for shared prosperity in Greenville County.

Thanksgiving

A cold front moved into Greenville Saturday night, and it was 33 when I left the house this morning.  A light rain starting falling soon thereafter.  I'm prepared for the weather and actually enjoy the cold mornings rides, but a couple of miles later, my back tire went flat.  I was just behind the train station, only a mile from my office.  I forgo the tire repair and finished my commute by foot.  Then the sleet started.  The mile from the train station to my office is literally and figuratively the other side of the tracks.  There's two liquor stores, the post office, lower income residences, and a men's shelter.  So I had to walk to work, but my wool socks were dry and feet toasty, my rain coat did it's job, my layers held back the cold, and that warm thermos of coffee steamed in my hands.  But I passed about 10 men along the way, huddled in trash bags to stay try, gathered under awnings shivering in the cold.  Others still  lay sleeping on the edges of abandoned buildings, a few lucky enough to find an old porch.

So I sit in front of my computer typing up this note, sipping on my coffee.  Next step is to write a check to Triune Mercy Center where one can access drug counselling, heating assistance, warm clothes, or a solid meal.  I'll continue to support Habitat For Humanity in it's mission to work with families to build homes and provide stable, safe shelter for their families.  And most importantly, I will daily offer my thanks to God for His many blessings, and I will pray for guidance for the best way to leverage my gifts to help my brothers.

Happy Thanksgiving

Tirune Mercy Center
Video About Triune Mercy Center

Habitat of Greenville
Habitat For Humanity

Rusty Rides A Comet

I first heard about the Silver Comet when I was finishing up college in Atlanta around 1993.  The idea of taking something abandoned and decaying and turning into into a civic treasure grabbed my attention.  I remember too working in Rapid City, SD is January 1995 and frequently visiting an old Fire House turned Brew Pub.  Similar stories have played out again and again in the form of an old train depot transforming into a visitor center or even an old rail car cleaned up and made a Boy Scout hut.  And of course the real zinger for me was when Greenville, SC built the Swamp Rabbit Trail.  I remember the old rail line - weeds really, and that abandoned railway was cleaned up and made into an economic engine, a transportation alternative, and a community fitness treasure.  Rail trails - what a genius idea!  I ride on one weekly.  When I travel, I look for a chance to ride a new one.  I plan vacations around new rail trails.  Rail trails are everywhere.  More are being built.  Business are locating near them.  Restaurants and shops are opening along them.  Towns along the way are reaping the economic benefits.  Citizens of those towns are enjoying the health benefits.  For me, it started with the Silver Comet.

Our great family friend, Ben, came to Greenville for a visit in the summer of 2010.  I had just bought my bike and had rambled on and on about the Swamp Rabbit Trail.  He borrowed my bike and rode from Greenville to Traveler's Rest.  Hooked.  Ben went back home to Georgia and bought a bike of his own.  My wife saw the fun I was having on the trail, and she too purchased a bike.  Fast forward to April 2011.  I launched Rusty Ride's Rolling Razzmatazz for the three of us to have a cycling vacation.  We were novices but wanted to ride.  We wanted some distance but nothing too intimidating.  We also wanted hotels and restaurants and the other comforts of life.  Silver Comet was the logical choice.  I checked out the websites, e-mailed some bloggers, called the local police along the trail, and researched and researched some more.  We left a car between Jacksonville and Anniston, AL.  We drove another car back to Cedartown, GA which would be our base for a couple of days.  We left Cedartown early on a cool Sunday morning.  We had too much water; we had too much food; too many spare tubes; too many contingencies, but we didn't know.  We all were a little worried about hills too tall or trails too rough.  But on that trip we found one of the great benefits or rail trails: mild grades.  Apparently trains like steep hills about as much as out of shape middle ages novice cyclists.  The ride was easy and fun and beautiful.  The Silver Comet joined the Chief Ladiga at the Georgia/Alabama line and rolled trough the Talledage National Forrest on the way to the college town of Jacksonville, AL.  We had lunch and peddled to the trail end in Anniston.  I wrote down the mileage somewhere.  I don't remember exactly how far we rode, but I think it was 43 or 44 miles.  We did it.  We loved it.  We've done a Razz every year since.  Madison, FL then the Pinnelas Trail around Dunedin,Fl.  The year after was the Fall Line Trace and Riverwalk in Columbus, GA.  Next year we'll ride around Greensboro, NC and the many trails of the Research Triangle.

I continue to find new, enjoyable rail trails wherever I travel.  The new is always exciting, but despite the fun of that first Razz, we didn't do the Silver Comet justice.  The Comet and Chief Ladiga trails total almost 100 miles, and we didn't even ride half of that.  This summer my wife suggested going back to the Silver Comet for an afternoon ride.  We rode from the beginning near Smyrna, GA and made it to Powder Springs.  That day was hot, and we had our young son with us.  With the connecting trails, we were looking at 25 miles round trip, and any more would have too much for him.  But the Comet had bit me again, and I resolved to ride the entire trail.

I circled a day on the calendar when I'd be in Atlanta for a football game.  I grabbed my friend Ben and headed back to the Silver Comet.  We started where we last left off in Powder Springs, GA.  I knew we wouldn't finish the trail and make it all the way to Cedartown, but I wanted to put some serious miles in and be close enough to finish the trail completely sometime in the next year.  As the Comet leaves Atlanta, it passes through several suburban towns like Powder Springs, Hiram, and Dallas.  And then you're out there.  The stretch after Dallas is beautiful and peaceful, and there are no obvious turn around points.  Ben lives in the flat lands of south Georgia, and he doesn't ride often.  I told him we'd turn around when he was ready while secretly hoping he would get caught up in the ride and forget about the mileage.  We passed 15 miles.  I stayed quiet.  We hit 20 miles, and I knew Ben would be ready to turn around.  Lacking an obvious turning around point, he kept pedaling.  At this point I started to hope that reaching Rockmart was a possibility, but that would mean 50 miles round trip, and neither Ben nor I had passed the 43 mile mark that we hit on that first Razz.  But I was feeling strong and knew we could make it to Rockmart.  The topography maps showed only gradual elevation changes up to Rockmart.  We could do it, and I was ready to pull out all the stops to convince Ben to push on.  We stopped for a drink at Coot's Lake Beach which was about 23 miles from Powder Springs.  That would make a 46 mile round trip.  I knew Ben would want to turn back, but I was prepared to push him.  Luckily, I didn't even have to question his manhood, Ben was on board for pushing on to Rockmart.  And I'm glad he was.  Rockmart is a really neat down that rolls out the red carpet for cyclists.  We found a seat before the church rush at Frankie's restaurant.  They brought us bread sticks and offered to fill our water bottles before we even had a chance to consider the menu.  Great service, delicious food. I'm going back to Frankie's.  After riding around Rockmart for a while, we headed back south to Powder Springs.  We visited with some nice folks along the way back and stopped for pictures at trestles and tunnels.  It was a long ride back, but we made it, and thoroughly enjoyed the day.  When all was said and done, we put 58.1 miles in the book.  Looking back to that first Razz and where my fitness level was, it's hard to reconcile how easily the 58 miles came.

The last stretch of the Silver Comet to be tackled is the Rockmart to Cedartown section.  Everyone says this is the tough one with lots of elevation change over 14 miles.  I'll keep riding and make the last section a goal for the spring.


PATH Foundation Web Site for the Silver Comet Trail

Chief Ladiga Trail

Frankie's Restaurant

Rockmart, GA from the Explore Georgia Website

Silver Comet Website

Fun Video from Nashville Motion

Family Triatholon

Doing this notes style a la Peter Gammons' former Boston Globe column


My family loves to travel and stay active, but that means less time for the must dos around the house.  We were in town this weekend and had some yard work to knock out, but we were going to pack all the fun we could into Saturday.  The yard work would have to wait to Sunday afternoon.

I proposed a family triathlon by hiking, biking, swimming. Here's how our Saturday went:

08:00 - 10:00 Coffee and WNCW's Jazz and Beyond
10:00 - 11:00 Cereal, showers, getting dressed, loading car
11:00 - 11:15 Sunrift Outfitters for new sandals
11:15 - 11:30 Park Hop clue at Gateway Park
11:30 - 13:00 Ceasar's Head State Park.  Overlook, Walk down Devil's Kitchen, Picnic
13:45 - 14:30 Nature Trail hike behind Pisgah Forrest Ranger Station
14:30 - 16:15 Brevard Bike Path with stop for Ice Cream at "Love That Yogurt"
16:30 - 17:30 Swimming and panning for Gold in Davidson River
17:30 - 18:00 Ride around Davidson River Campground picking out Camp Site for our Next Visit

Then rush home, feed the dogs, grab dinner, and hit the hay.

I highly recommend trying some or all of the above activities.


I wrote about the Brevard Bike Bath in August 2011.  Read about it here:
Brevard Bike Path

WNCW: Eclectic Music from the Mountains of Western North Carolina

Sunrift Outfitter on the Swamp Rabbit Trail in Traveler's Rest, SC

Greenville Rec Summer Park Hop

SC State Parks : Ceasars Head

Love That Yogurt

Pisgah National Forrest

Davidson River Campground

Dad, are you SURE about this bridge?

Mountain Bike Skills Course In Gateway Park

Cooling Down on the Davidson River After Biking the Brevard  Bike Path

Dads Love Comets: Father's Day Weekend By Bike in Atlanta

The family headed down to the Atlanta area Friday to spend some time with my father-in-law for Father’s Day.  My son enjoyed the new puppy-in-law and my wife was able to catch up with her parents.  We planned on taking my father-in-law out for breakfast Saturday, but instead I made an emergency run to Target because I forgot to pack underwear. After addressing that wardrobe oversight, I headed into Atlanta proper for a Braves game with a friend.  We spend the night near Georgia Tech and were able to bike to the game and back.  Exercise, taking in the city sights, money saved on parking, and a fast egress from the stadium made the bikes a good choice.

 I asked for a Father’s Day bike ride and thought we’d ride some of our favorite Atlanta trails like PATH to Stone Mountain or the Beltline, but my wife suggested the Silver Comet instead.  We rode the Comet from Cedartown, GA to the Alabama border in 2010, so I was intrigued about experiencing the other end of the trail heading out of Smyrna.  I’d read about the congestion the first few miles of the Comet, but I saw online some connecting trails (Part of Cobb’s county’s impressive and growing trail system) which looked to be an easier approach.  We parked at Cumberland Mall and took the Cumberland Connector and East-West Connector about 5 miles to start of the Silver Comet.  The trail head is directly behind the Cobb Country Transit bus transfer station (Food Court Entrance to mall.) Several hotels border the mall, and if you’re visiting from out of town, this may be a good put in point.  I appreciated the connecting trails, but if you’re in for a casual ride, the sun exposure and character building hills should be avoided.

We biked through the crowded, but large, starting trail head and parking lot for the Silver Comet about 10:30 Sunday morning.  The temperature immediately dropped five degrees and the topography smoothed.   It was great to see so many people enjoying the trail, and despite the crowds, traffic moved quite smoothly.  The first few miles featured a mix of casual cyclists, runners, and strollers, but after that it was more serious cyclists and runners.  We changed at least 100 feet in elevation over 10 miles, but it was steady and relatively easy.  Several railroad bridges remain and take trail users over beautiful creeks.  Almost the entire trail was shaded and despite being June in Atlanta, the temperature was comfortable.  We exited the trail in Powder Springs (10 Mile Marker for the Silver Comet, 15 overall) and had lunch on La Parilla’s patio.  (Downtown Powder Springs also featured a BP convenience store, KFC, Dairy Queen, Subway, Mac Land Wings, and McDonald's)  The restaurant was busy with baseball teams, the church crowd, and cyclists, but the service was attentive and the food delicious. Our server filled up our water bottles, and after briefly entertaining the notion of going a little farther, we decided the smart move was to head back.  The ride back was just as enjoyable and the connector trails not as challenging.  We made it back to the car at 29.9 miles and were ready to get home (but not before an ice cream!)

I’m looking forward to getting back on the Silver Comet.  I’ll probably drive to Powder Springs the next time and head west from there.  I’ll turn back before Dallas and the big hills.  Or maybe not.  I know a good Mexican restaurant and an affordable hotel in Cedartown...

Silver Comet Trail Map (1st 5 Miles)

Silver Comet Trail Map (Miles 5 to 10)

Web Site for the Silver Comet Trail

Cobb County Trail Map

Bike Cobb

PATH Foundation Site

Cobb County Transit

Cumberland Mall Web Site

Powder Springs, GA Web Page

Turn here for good eats

Directional Signs for Connector Trails

La Parilla Mexican Restaurant, Powder Sprints, GA

Pinterest - Swamp Rabbit Trail

I started playing around with Pinterest and here's my first attempt at a Board about the Swamp Rabbit Trail.


Pinterest - Swamp Rabbit Trail

Impromptu Ride in Music City

Fall is my busiest time of year.  As football season cranks up, I find myself on the road most weekends cheering on the mighty Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. For the last couple of years, I've combined football getaways with bike rides as much as possible and have experienced many new trails.  In addition to following Georgie Tech in Atlanta and select road games, I try to join my brother in Columbia once a year for a South Carolina game.  These trips have yielded some pleasant rides such as riding in Columbia to the tailgate, exploring the Three Rivers Greenway, and a detouring to the nearby North Augusta Greenway.  My schedule didn't allow for a game in Columbia this year; however, I received a special invitation to join my brother and two old friends in Nashville for a South Carolina - Vanderbilt game.  With the promise of S.E.C. football, live music, and a chance to catch up with old friends, my answer was a quick yes!

The gang picked me up late Wednesday morning, and we headed out on a six hour drive to Nashville, TN.  We checked in around 4:00 local time and headed down to Music Row and the honky tonks on Broadway. We lucked into prime seats just feet from the stage at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge.  After catching a full set from Jake Maurer and his band, we took off for a night of music, catching a song or two in just about every spot on Broadway and a few spots off off Broadway.  After a picture with an Elvis impersonator, we capped the night off with a gourmet Southern meal at Merchants.

After breakfast the next morning, I took my coffee to go and explored the area immediately around our hotel.  It was Thursday in Nashville, a work day for most, and I noticed the people waiting at the bus stop, and then I noticed the bike racks on the buses, and then I noticed bike commuters, and then I noticed a greenway, and then, I knew what I was going to do.  I was going to find a bike shop and explore the city by bike!  When I pulled up Google, the first result was for a Bike Share, and there just happened to be a stop just 5 blocks from the hotel.  I encouraged my travelling companions to join me, but they saw no need to bike when there was plenty of gas in the S.U.V.  Undeterred, I headed out solo.  I'd never used a bike share and wasn't sure what to expect, but I had cash and was excited to get moving.  And the day got better.  The bike share was free.  And not only free but a nice bike with fenders and a basket.  My goal was recreational, but the Nashville Bike Share provides a valuable transportation option for its citizens.  I met a gentleman who didn't drive and used the bike to fill his prescriptions.  My new friend headed off to the drug store, and I headed down the Music City Bikeway.  I didn't have a plan nor a map, but the bikeway was well marked, and maps were posted frequently along the route.

Greater Nashville is home to several greenways and many miles of bike paths.  I started at the Riverfront Transit Station (Broadway and 1st,) and followed the Music City Bikeway north past city hall and out of downtown.  The Cumberland River was to my right.  I could see LP Field across the river and several barges docked along the bank.  The trail quickly left the skyscrapers and turned through a working river front district with storage tanks (grain and fuel,) concrete plants, and docks. The Music City Bikeway turned inland, but I took the fork right and continued along the waterfront on the Cumberland River Greenway.  The trail was gravel but being paved and ran along the levy beside the bends of the Cumberland River.  I rode this a couple of miles, crossing under I-65, enjoying the river while dodging the paving crews.  When I turned around, I was struck by the Nashville skyline in the distance.  I pedaled back toward the city and took a slight detour on the Morgan Park Bikeway which ran about half a mile and joined Morgan Park and its surrounding residences to the main bike network.  I noticed later online that the Nashville Bike Network has many spurs such as this that make for a more robust, connected bike transportation system. I've enjoyed many linear park type greenways, but by branching out from a main line, Nashville's system is more functional that those others.  Back to the Cumberland Bikeway and then to the unexplored fork of the Music City Bikeway.  This area had a nice mix of office, light industry, and residential development. After about half a mile, I came to Tennessee's Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park and adjoining Farmer's Market. I enjoyed a few minutes looking around here at the monuments and landscaping. The state Capitol rose impressively on a hill several blocks away. After the Mall, the Music City Greenway took to the streets ,mostly bike lanes but an occasional sharrow.  I felt quite safe and rode maybe another mile in traffic before heading back to the transit station.  Later that night as I tailgated by Centennial Park near Vanderbilt, I learned from many passing cyclists that I was probably less than a mile from where the Music City Greenway joins up with the Vanderbilt area.  With some better planning, I could have scoped out the campus and surrounding areas before the game.  But the morning ride was a success, and I turned the bike in after 2 hours with 11 miles logged. Nashville has quite a bit going on with bike infrastructure, and I hope to visit again soon to explore the rest of their network.

And if you're wondering, South Carolina pulled out a close win over Vanderbilt.


Walk / Bike Nashville

Nashville Greenways

Nashville Green Bikes / Bike Share

Singer Jake Maurer




Well Marked Routes




Freshly Paved Trail on the Cumberland River Greenway







City Bus with Bike on Front Rack



Centennial Mall





Heading South Toward Downtown Nashville





Cyclists Finishing a Twilight Ride on Broadway





My Friend Lilly Pad courtesy of Regions Bank and Nashville Bike Share







Informative Maps Placed Frequently Along Nashville's Greenways




Jake Maurer





Riding With the King