We left Centre. AL, the crappie capital the world!
Oh my goodness, what a day! We decided to combine two short days into one long one, our longest for the entire crossing of the country! Why, just because.
87.08 miles, 6:26 hours, 13:52 average
We were out the door at 7am greeting another cool clear morning, down the road to Piedmont AL. By 9am we were feasting on espresso and croissant sandwiches at the Solid Rock Cafe, a cute place and the only business existing in the old downtown area of Piedmont. It is sad, we have seen so many towns mostly closed down due to changes in the economy over time. Fortunately for this business, cyclists from the rail-trail add to the local clientele.
We then headed to the Welcome Center for information on The Chief Ladiga Trail. The old railroad bed has been converted into a paved trail for cyclists, pedestrians and equestrians. The Chief Ladiga runs about 40 miles from Anniston south of Piedmont to the GA border. There the Silver Comet Trail continues into the western suburb of Atlanta, Smyrna. Totaling 90 miles, it is the longest in the country. The very well maintained trail was a delight to ride.
Soon we were at the Georgia border, bidding goodbye to the Chief Ladiga and continuing on the Silver Comet Trail. We remembered while fighting the wind in Kansas that we wondered if we would ever see the Georgia state line!
Soon we were in Cedartown. GA. The old depot had been converted into a Welcome Center.
Cedartown was a little bigger town than Piedmont, and their downtown was not quite so deserted. We found a cafe and got some sandwiches to-go for further down the trail.
There was very little traffic on the trail until we got within 15 miles of Smyrna, then it was fairly busy. We were impressed with the condition of the trail, the benches along the trail, the park-like settings of the trailheads and parking areas. In the more remote areas there were stop signs along the trail at road intersections. Once the trail started crossing suburban roads, there were stoplights that the trail users could activate to stop vehicles on the cross streets. Very well done. There were old railroad tunnels to enter and trestles to cross.
It was a long day and we were happy to be at a Holiday Inn Express for the night. Bill picked us up at a trailhead and we drove the two miles to the motel, to return to that spot to start the next day. We discovered Ted's Montana Grill. Yep, Ted Turner has a chain of restaurants serving "made-from-scratch comfort food." The first one opened in January 2002 in Colombus, Ohio, and now there are 50 in 19 states. We really enjoyed the bison meat loaf, garlic mashed potatoes, squash casserole, and apple crisp. We went to sleep tired and with full bellies, anxious about riding through Atlanta the next day.
87.08 miles, 6:26 hours, 13:52 average
We were out the door at 7am greeting another cool clear morning, down the road to Piedmont AL. By 9am we were feasting on espresso and croissant sandwiches at the Solid Rock Cafe, a cute place and the only business existing in the old downtown area of Piedmont. It is sad, we have seen so many towns mostly closed down due to changes in the economy over time. Fortunately for this business, cyclists from the rail-trail add to the local clientele.
We then headed to the Welcome Center for information on The Chief Ladiga Trail. The old railroad bed has been converted into a paved trail for cyclists, pedestrians and equestrians. The Chief Ladiga runs about 40 miles from Anniston south of Piedmont to the GA border. There the Silver Comet Trail continues into the western suburb of Atlanta, Smyrna. Totaling 90 miles, it is the longest in the country. The very well maintained trail was a delight to ride.
Soon we were at the Georgia border, bidding goodbye to the Chief Ladiga and continuing on the Silver Comet Trail. We remembered while fighting the wind in Kansas that we wondered if we would ever see the Georgia state line!
Soon we were in Cedartown. GA. The old depot had been converted into a Welcome Center.
Cedartown was a little bigger town than Piedmont, and their downtown was not quite so deserted. We found a cafe and got some sandwiches to-go for further down the trail.
There was very little traffic on the trail until we got within 15 miles of Smyrna, then it was fairly busy. We were impressed with the condition of the trail, the benches along the trail, the park-like settings of the trailheads and parking areas. In the more remote areas there were stop signs along the trail at road intersections. Once the trail started crossing suburban roads, there were stoplights that the trail users could activate to stop vehicles on the cross streets. Very well done. There were old railroad tunnels to enter and trestles to cross.
It was a long day and we were happy to be at a Holiday Inn Express for the night. Bill picked us up at a trailhead and we drove the two miles to the motel, to return to that spot to start the next day. We discovered Ted's Montana Grill. Yep, Ted Turner has a chain of restaurants serving "made-from-scratch comfort food." The first one opened in January 2002 in Colombus, Ohio, and now there are 50 in 19 states. We really enjoyed the bison meat loaf, garlic mashed potatoes, squash casserole, and apple crisp. We went to sleep tired and with full bellies, anxious about riding through Atlanta the next day.
Hi Martha - Wow, was I surprised when I looked at today's Rockdale Citizen and saw you on the front page. Can't wait to tell Bill this evening. Wish we had known you were coming. I work in Conyers, and would have arranged to come and meet you. Saw in the Conyers paper that you are headed to Milledgeville. We have a lake house there (Lake Sinclair) that you are welcome to use if you need a place to stay. You would be very comfortable. Please give me a call or email me or Bill if you are interested. Bill's email is taos317@aol.com and mine is claudia381@aol.com My cell is 770-851-5796. Safe travels!! Claudia Bradbury
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