Journey to the edge of the world (part 2)

Cedartown to Alabama and back . . . and then to Rockmart
We cruised through Cedartown and headed west on a remarkably straight and level stretch of the Silver Comet Trail. Destination: the Alabama-Georgia border.

OK, so here it is: the end of the Silver Comet Trail and the beginning of the Chief Ladiga Trail. If you are not overwhelmed, I understand—but we were happy to be there.

Why women are smarter than men
Please note that my bicycle is carrying the overnight gear—not just for me, but for Joan!

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A new team member
My friend Will called from his home in Cedartown and said he would meet us somewhere along the trail.

This is another one of those phony Photoshop pictures combining two pictures into one. If I had not been so tired, I’d have removed my foreground shadow.

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The return to Mt. Trashmore
We awakened to a cold morning with strong winds from the east. Every map we looked at told us we had to go east if we were to get back home.

And east meant that garbage-dump dune, Mt. Trashmore. It was a bit easier sneaking up on it from behind, but my feeling is that I never want to see it again.

Just for the record, this profile view shows the elevations along the route. They are up-scaled for clarity, but it does show how this hill relates to remainder of the route.

 

 

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The complete cyclist

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Journey to the edge of the world (part 1)

Continuing our training for the winter version of the Bicycle Ride Across Georgia (BRAG) in February, Joan and I decided to ride from Rockmart, through Cedartown, and then to the Alabama line, where we would make a quick U-turn and go back to Cedartown—a total of 33 miles. There we would spend the night before returning to Rockmart. This would be our longest ride so far—and we knew it included a very steep climb called Mt. Trashmore.

The Rockmart Visitors’ Center
We found an overnight parking spot near Rockmart’s Silver Comet Visitors’ Station. Inside the lobby of the unattended building is this beautiful old Schwinn tandem bike.

Just outside the door is an interesting bicycle-rack sculpture made of welded-together bicycle parts.

 

A wooden bridge at the beginning of the journey.

The mountain
Most of the Silver Comet Trail follows the route of the old train line, meaning the hills are gentle. But there’s a section between Cedartown and Rockmart where the tracks had to remain in place, so the trail headed straight for the big, smelly landfill. Oh, and did I say it’s a very steep and very long ride up that hill.

See that little yellow dot near the center. That’s Joan pushing her bike toward the top. And behind her is the horizon, about 10,000 miles away.

Full disclosure
Just so you know, we both walked up the hill.

We made it to Cedartown
Taking a break from the action, I sat on the cold concrete and did a quick watercolor painting.

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Next: The Alabama-Georgia border (maybe)

 

 

Bringing a Schwinn Varsity back to life (Part 2)

If you read the last post, you know that the new color is green—straight out of a spray can from Lowe’s.

I stripped off the old paint, sprayed on a primer coat, and then sprayed green onto every part that wasn’t chrome plated. Here’s the bike in my custom paint rack.

Another cheap bicycle
I found a female Schwinn Varsity and brought her home to keep the male version company. Here she is, waiting for a rehab.

Originally a 10-speed, she is now mostly a one-speed bike, with a misaligned front shifter and two twigs jammed into the rear derailleur to lock it on one easy-to-ride cog.

If you lose an important component
Many vintage bicycles used a steel wedge to lock the steering column into the headset. It’s an important part. It’s the part I lost.

I looked at some pictures on Google, made a few measurements, and manufactured another part in my shop. It worked!

If you lose another important component
Yeah, I lost a ferrule (or sleeve, or bushing, or whatever it’s called). The rear brake needs two of them to secure the cable into a couple of brazed-on rings. Being a bit obsessive, I ordered 50 of them, but I didn’t want to wait.

I made one that’s better than the original. It’s also shinier.

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Next time: The test ride

 

Bringing a Schwinn Varsity back to life (part 1)

I have a soft spot in my heart for the Schwinn Varsity bicycle. It was my first 10-speed bike, purchased around  1968 for a mere $65. It’s one of the most famous bicycles ever made, and millions were sold in the United States.

It’s also remarkably heavy at 43 pounds. When I found a fixer-upper at a bike shop, I bought it and cleaned it up. Here’s the story.

It was red—with lots of scratches and dirt and solidified grease. The tires were flat. The brakes were bad.

 

This serial number (below) told me it was manufactured in  1979, making it one of the later models of the Chicago Schwinn line. Didn’t matter; they’re all the same. Heavy and clunky and almost indestructible.

 

The freewheel (gear-cog cluster) was thick with crud, as was the derailleur (gear changer). Look at this mess.

And here they are, along with some bearings and the chain, after a good cleaning.

Oh yeah. I installed a new freewheel with a new low gear. It’ll make the hills a bit easier to climb.

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Next time: Deciding on a new color (See the clue above).

 

 

A not-so-leisurely ride

In keeping with our goal to ride all the trails in metro-Atlanta, Joan and I struck out for the Arabia Mountain Trail (or something like that). It’s near Panola Road, Panola Mountain, and Arabia Mountain. Here’s a map and our path (in red).

It was to be a 10-mile out-and-back ride (five miles each way), but a wrong turn changed the ride into 12.52 miles. The green and red dots show our beginning and end points—an elementary school at one of the trail heads.

Defying gravity
It was a course full of steep hills, hairpin turns, and leaf-covered trails. Here’s Joan cresting a steep hill and proving that she can maintain her balance at under one mile-per-hour.

 

Please don’t  bother our facility
On the way back, I saw several of these signs along a barbed-wire fence. What is this all about? A secret government project? A private club for the very, very wealthy? An experimental farm producing experimental food?

 

The answer!
I think this next sign, all by itself, would be enough to keep people out.

But I keep wondering how someone could tamper with sludge.

 

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Another sign, not on the bicycle ride
I can think of two possible misspelled words. Can you?

If you try this Website and click on the blue arrows, you can hear several ways to pronounce phlegm (or maybe flim).

http://www.forvo.com/word/phlegm/

On that raspy note, I’ll quit.

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The three R’s: Riding, Rambo, and Rockmart

This week’s bicycle trip on the Silver Comet Trail
Joan and I left the Rambo trailhead in Dallas, GA and rode to Rockmart and back. That’s our longest ride so far—30 miles!

Speed bump on the trail
This little lady was parked in the westbound lane. Or maybe she was moving—it’s hard to tell. Most box turtles are omnivores and eat insects, vegetation, and fruit. A few are vegans and eat only vegetables and fruit.

Just in case you encounter a box turtle, you tell its gender by looking at its lower shell: convex for female and concave for male. Or you can look at its eyes. Males supposedly have red or orange eyes. I use the second method to avoid embarrassment (for the turtle and for me).

Beautiful downtown Rockmart
The Silver Comet Trail curves through the old town alongside a nice stream, then through the downtown area. This takes about one minute.

Bicycle parking is available overlooking the lovely Rockmart Water Filtration Plant.

We had lunch at The Rock café, which seems to cater to people who wander off the Trail looking for food and drink.

 

Going back, we stopped at Coot’s Lake, where Joan demanded that I pose for a picture.

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Killing time on a bicycle ride

Resting and relaxation are big parts of my bicycle riding. On a trip to Grant Park on a Sunday afternoon, I sat on the grass at the farmers’ market and watched the action. It looked like this, except that people were actually moving around.

Living to fight another day
Another time, I found myself in a scary traffic situation:

• lots of cars and school buses
• 55 mph to 60 mph
• too close for comfort

I gave up and pulled into a fancy apartment complex and called Joan to come and rescue me. While I waited, I stared at the hill I didn’t complete. It looked just like this, but with lots of traffic.

Keeping abreast of people along the way

Joan and I decided to try a leisurely ride from the Jimmy Carter Center (free parking) to the Decatur area (and back, of course).

Pink ladies
As we rode along the Path, a Susan G. Komen fund-raising march was moving in the opposite direction. Here’s a photo of their luncheon on the path—and I mean literally on the path.

 

A few more photos from recent rides

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Theology 101
OK, it’s a church. Its worshippers (those who honor and love a deity or participate in rites of worship) are interceding (pleading on another’s behalf or acting as mediators) for excellence (extremely high quality, or superiority). Got it!

 

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Parking lot art

Man Ray parked here

 

Jackson Pollock parked here

 

Paul Klee parked here

 

James Stephens parked here

 

Piedmont Parked here

Riding every bicycle path in metro Atlanta: part 1

We needed a goal to get ourselves in shape and to adapt to our new bicycles. That goal? Riding every foot of all the Atlanta area bicycle paths. These are mostly off-road trails, usually paved, and probably safer than riding out on the roads. Generally speaking, they are:

• The Path
• The Atlanta Beltway
• The Silver Comet Trail (includes the Chief Ladiga Trail)

First three legs
We started with the Silver Comet Trail, which runs from near Cumberland Mall to Anniston, Alabama. Each leg was out-and-back because we had to return to the car, so our mileage is twice the listed mileage (below).

After three days (not consecutive) at the Rambo Trailhead. No Sylvester Stallone in sight, but many people asked me for my autograph.

Please note the new handlebars with yellow tape. Joan and I decided the traditional drop bars (below left) were not for us, so we ordered new trekker (butterfly) bars (below right). That decision meant we had to change out our brake levers and shifters. But we no longer have to lean forward as much.

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Miscellaneous photos

Piedmont Park patterns at lake bridge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Piedmont Park

 

Surly bicycle at the deserted John B Gordon Elementary School (where I spent about seven years). The school building is in the shadowy foliage. Look hard and you can see the bricks. I played under this tree when I was in kindergarten.

 

We have some very steep hills in the neighborhood

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Next: More adventures and some parking-lot art

Learning to ride and learning to fall

When people say “It’s as easy as riding a bicycle,” I’m no longer sure what it means. Sure, riding is easy, but so is falling. In fact, falling may be easier because you have gravity on your side.

Pride goeth before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18)*
Falling is embarrassing, especially when an elderly woman leans out of her car to ask if I need help. That happened on North Druid Hills Road when I was test-riding a bicycle.

It’s also embarrassing (but more pleasant) when a young French woman tries to assist me after a fall near the Carter Center. The French woman departed when Joan arrived to take this silly picture of me.

*The quote from Proverbs doesn’t exactly apply to this situation, but I wanted to see how my spell-checker would handle “goeth.”

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Pedals
Pedals have changed a lot in 30 years. The old-style platform pedals (below) are still around (Think back to your childhood). They’re easy to use and they’re safe, but maybe inefficient.

 

Build a better rat trap . . .
Lightweight metal (rat trap) pedals with toe clips are pretty good; they keep your foot on the pedal during the upstroke so you can lift as well as push. But I sometimes have trouble getting my foot back into the clip after a stop.

 

Becoming attached to your bicycle
Today, so-called clipless pedals are popular because they literally lock your feet to the pedals. I’ve tried it, and it works. In an ideal world, you should be able to unlock them when you slow to a stop. Please refer to this detail, where my shoes are still attached to the pedals.

Nonetheless, I’ve settled on clipless pedals of the eggbeater style (below left). These are called Crank Brothers Candy 2 pedals. I’ve also included a picture of a real eggbeater.

 

It’s all about appearance
At least when I fall, I’ll have really cool-looking pedals.

Keeping it simple
Joan threw in the towel and reverted to platform pedals. But she still falls from time to time. I’ll try to get a photo.

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Next: Riding every bicycle path in metro Atlanta (maybe)