jppe

Day 2 Riding from Jacksonville back to Smyrna went well. My legs actually felt better today than yesterday which was unanticipated but very welcome.

Jacksonville is on Central time but my body clock was still on EDT. Plus I woke up in the hotel extra early but felt rested and knew it’d be fruitless to try and go back to sleep.

I piddled around forever just trying to kill time. I had front head lights on my bike but if I’d left the hotel at 2 am I’m not sure they would have lasted until sunrise!!

I’m not sure of the exact time I left, but the only thing open for breakfast was McDonald’s. All the other 24/7 spots had restricted hours. Even Waffle House wasn’t opening until 7am.

I was actually pleased McDonald’s was open as I often eat their pancakes before doing long rides. However, I was surprised when I got there that they were only serving “lunch food” until 5 am. What in the world??? I don’t know that I’ve ever had a burger meal with a Coke for breakfast so that was a first, but at least it got me going.

I finished up back in Smyrna around 11:30. Always fun to do an overnight on the trail.

A burger meal for breakfast???

Humidity was suspended in the air! Going to be another hot one!

Back in GA!

Sunrise over the trail.

Made it to the State line around sunrise.

Sausage balls and an apple fritter from a local bakery. The fritter was awesome!

I’d made this pb&j 2 days ago and it had marinated to perfection! It hit the spot.

big john

Can you describe the sausage balls?

Elbeinlaw

I'll be they're kind'a round ... and sausagy ...But I'm out on a limb here.

Elbeinlaw

JPPE: Where'd you park? Where'd you spend the night? I live in Atlanta and I'd like to do an overnight on the trail. A little concerned about staying in a hotel in Covid Times, though.

big john

Funny guy.

indyfabz

Sometimes you gotta eat what you gotta eat.

indyfabz

Looks like there may be corn in them.

Elbeinlaw

He didn't mean it as a compliment. Or maybe he meant that he was annoyed that he didn't think of the quip first.

big john

That's what I thought but then it could be something sweet.

Elbeinlaw

Down here in the South, corn can be sweet: Sweet corn. You eat it with your "sweet tea."

indyfabz

New Jersey sweet white corn FTW!

sch

I have done this twice, back in the '08-'12 time frame from the Weaver side. Smyrna has a lot more choice of
motels and restaurants than Weaver/Anniston and of course Anniston is a bit of a slog from the Weaver end
of the trail. Both times I noted that doing 95+ miles one day and same back on the next is MUCH easier
on an R<->T than it would be on the road system. Grades of 2% or less make a big difference in how much
your legs are depleted. Of course the Georgia side (SCT) is a lot better now than it was then as most road
crossings are on dedicated bridges/underpasses as you get closer to Smyrna.

Even before Covid, there were several restaurants in Cedartown and Rockmart that were there in '12-14 but
closed by '15. Suspect it is even worse now. The Italian restaurant in Rockmart had a signature wall for
cyclists. Looks like Knucklehead restaurant is there now.

big john

Do you eat fried chicken with waffles? I love that combination.

Flip Flop Rider

that's cheese in the sausage balls, not corn. Ingredients, sausage, cheese, bis-quick.

16 ounce block of cheese (grated), 16 ounce sausage (like a roll), 2 cups of bis-quick. Mix all together, form into balls and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Turn them midway for best results

big john

I'd try it!

jppe

yep. But you should use the spicy Jimmy Dean sausage. My wife makes them and these tasted very similar to hers. I had six of them.

jppe

I leave my van in the Publix parking lot beside the trail at mile zero. The trail looks like the sidewalk alongside the highway so my van is literally 20’ from the trail. I’ve left it there along with others several times with no issues. I would not recommend leaving a vehicle overnight at the first parking lot about a 1/2 mile away. They might even tow it.

The two most popular hotels in Jacksonville are the Hampton Inn and the University Inn. I’ve stayed in the University Inn 4-5 times and I like it. It’s $25 less than the Hampton. I didn’t have any concerns about COVID with these hotels even in Smyrna. I had my mask and hand sanitizer. I wasn’t around anyone.

Cedartown has several hotel and food options. There is a fairly new BBQ restaurant in Rockmart 2 blocks from the trail. I was passing through there both days way before it opened at 11 am so I haven’t tried it.

The trail seemed like it was shaded about 75% of the way which was nice. However the trail is a lot rougher from the state line to Piedmont with tree roots pushing up on the asphalt causing some bad bumps. Lots of hills between Rockmart and Cedartown, some super steep, not Very long but probably 14%.....I was in my easiest gear and it was a grind.

pvillemasher

I have never been able to confirm this but I have heard that this is what God eats when he rides

smoore

I'm north of Atlanta in Gainesville. If you find yourself in my neck of the woods let me know, I'll buy you lunch, coffee, etc. I'd offer to take you for a ride but I'm not sure I'm fast enough for you.

Hope you enjoyed GA...HOT as it is.

jppe

Excellent and thanks! Good to know. We might have stayed in Gainesville one year doing Six Gaps. I bet yours is a nice area to ride if the roads aren’t too busy.

David Bierbaum

I think that was cheese, if those are anything like what I used to have back in the 1900s...

Edit: And now I see that Flip Flop Rider beat me to it, with a more detailed version of the recipe. Those things are really good.

Wildwood 

from your pics, i hafta ask:
Does it go anywhere but flat and straight?

I thought ovals were popular down there?


Most of the Katy in MO is unbelievably tedious.

jppe

I’d guess about 8o miles of it is pretty flat with some 1-2% grades here and there. There is 10-15 mile stretch that’s pretty hilly. The hills aren’t terribly long but I was using my easiest gears on several of them. Plus it’s all paved. There’s not a lot of coasting going on.

Katy is on my list to do. The logistics keep me from riding it though. It’s a long trip from NC, but I’ve driven much further. I’d most likely need my wife’s support, maybe I could ride it on the way to another destination??

GAP/C&O will probably happen before Katy.