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
My Cycling Journal - Published for those interested in trying new trails. I'm based in Greenville, SC, and if there's a trail within a half day's drive, I plan to ride it.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Sunday, October 20, 2013
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
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
Sunday, June 23, 2013
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
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 |
Thursday, June 20, 2013
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...
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