A tale of two trails: Cycling from Alabama to Atlanta

Barry made a big plan for his 12th century (100+ mile) bike ride of the year.  I'd drop him off at the start of the Chief Ladiga Trail in Anniston, Alabama, and he'd ride all the way to the Georgia border.  From there he'd ride the connecting Silver Comet Trail to Atlanta, where we were staying for the next two nights.  Even better, his childhood friend Lowell was traveling in the same area, and the old friends would meet and ride part of the way together.

Everything went off without a hitch. We had spent the night in nearby Oxford, about 10 miles away from the trailhead, so in the morning I dropped Barry off at the trailhead.

The Chief Ladiga Trail is in the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame

And he's off!  From here, I made the drive over to Atlanta, and Paisley and I waited for him to arrive hours later.

He and Lowell met up as planned and took photos at the state line.  Here's the other end of the Chief Ladiga Trail at the Alabama/Georgia state line.

Barry's Trek at the state line

Entering Georgia

Leaving Alabama

And here's Lowell!

Here's an attractive former railroad depot in Georgia, now a Silver Comet trail stop.  

View of Georgia countryside on the Silver Comet Trail

Tunnel on the Silver Comet Trail

Late in the afternoon, Barry made it to the end of the Silver Comet Trail.  He still had a few miles to ride over to our hotel on the Silver Comet Connector.

Silver Comet Connector Trail

He made it with a total of 102.... miles!

The next morning, I got to ride part of the Silver Comet Trail myself.  I'd planned on about 40 miles but ended up with over 50 as the trail was so nice!

Finally back in the Eastern Time Zone again, we'd next head to western North Carolina to visit my mother and step-dad and pack for our next adventure.  Stay tuned to see where we end up!