August, 2022
As soon as I retired about 7 weeks ago, my wife and I got an ABB in north Georgia. I brought plenty of the toys: the kayaks, the mountain bicycle, my hiking shoes, and the Dual Sport. Every day has been a blessing. Each morning after coffee, I go to the patio, pick a toy, and off I go.
It’s better than I could have dreamed. I hope you like the pics.
On this day, I chose the Dual Sport. I packed a simple lunch and some water. From the cabin, it’s about 15 miles to the Chattahoochee/Ocoee National Forest, a nice mix of gravel and twisty pavement. At the entrance to the forest, the pavement ends and I start climbing. About 5 miles in, I stopped at the first overlook. I like the way the “smoke” is settled in between the mountains.
Good visibility today.
I move on, continuing to climb. The road is fairly packed and I’ve got plenty of grip. Whenever I feel like a break, I stop. “I could go east or I could go west. It was all up to me to decide”.
Here, I chose north. Good choice if you ask me.
This is Murray’s Lake, near the Tennessee State line.
I’m all by myself. The solitude of this place is indescribable.
The water is crystal clear. I’m seeing plenty of small bluegill and I was wishing I brought my ultralight fishing rod.
My horse seems content to just wait.
I get back on the gravel and double back a bit south toward another road I’m eyeing.
I stopped somewhere to drink some water and heard motorcycles coming. Two young men stopped to say hello and make sure I was OK. I’m learning that this is a common thing off the pavement with motorcyclists. Everyone stops to make sure you are OK. It’s very reassuring.
They told me they were running the Trans America Trail (TAT) from end to end. I guess I didn’t realize it, but the road I was riding was indeed the TAT. Neat.
We talked for a bit and since I was going the same direction they were, I decided to follow them a bit. I told them not to wait for me. Good thing – in about 75 yards, they were gone.
You can’t get to these views from the highway.
I turn west on FS630 and I’m enjoying the ride very much. My Garmin XT is very accurate, showing all of the roads and trails available to me. Every once in a while, I try a side road just to see where it goes. For the most part, those were dead ends, but it didn’t matter. It’s all good for me.
I found this primitive campground (Hickory Gap) just in time for lunch.
The water in that creek was too inviting to pass up.
Nothing like mountain water to cool off your feet.
Then it was back on FS630 heading west.
I popped out of the forest near the community of Crandall, GA. Took a peek at the GPS and headed south. I found this dirt road that runs through a milo farm. It was so much fun just putt putting along here.
I stopped and talked to the farmer, who was having a snack. He was a nice man. I told him his land was beautiful. He thanked me and said that sometimes he takes it for granted. I guess we all do at times.
Fine with me!
I popped back into the forest on another forest service road that parallels Holly Creek.
I ran this for about 5 miles and stopped at this inviting looking place.
I found this flat rock and took a nap listening to the white noise of the water.
I woke up rested and got back on the bike. I wound up back where I started this morning, completing a 75-ish mile loop.
Since I got here 7 weeks ago, I’ve noticed these draft horses in a field not far from the forest entry. Today, they are eating close to the road and I had to stop and admire them. These are beautiful animals.
What fun I am having today and every day!
On the way back to the cabin, I crossed this small creek.
That was the last picture I took. Shortly thereafter, I got to the cabin with plenty of time to put everything away before happy hour.
Come to think of it, they are ALL happy hours now!
Stay thirsty, my friends.
