Sardis Church RD 8-5-10

I LOVE old houses and cabins. This one is boarded up and has no one living in it but the grounds are kept up very nicely. A fun little discovery for me.

front porch




the honorary outhouse


the well



something on the back porch...a gold pan?

Hamilton Mill 8-2-10

There's an area close by called Hamilton Mill. I remember when I first saw it years ago, I wanted to bike to this fake mill. But I had no idea where it was in comparison to my house. Turns out, it's not too far, only about 10 miles. I decided to ride by my friend's house then figure out a different way home and I passed by the mill in the process.

Shadburn Park 7-29-10

I parked my car at the mall bike trail on the way home and took off down a road I hadn't ever been on. I didn't realize I was that close to the lake. But I was because I came upon a lake park.


Playing with my panoramic setting again. :o)

It was very peaceful there. There was a woman fishing while her friends were unloading the boat. She actually caught something.

As I was getting close to my car, the sun gave me a nice show.


I haven't been back down that road again yet but I thought it was a really nice ride.

Mulberry Park 7-28-10

I found the back way into Mulberry Park so I took a little detour into it. There were lots of ducks swimming and lounging on the shore.


Then there was this strange bunch of butterflies. I couldn't figure them out. They were all right together and if something spooked them they would fly off and return back together...weird.


I love the bike trail in this park. It makes me feel like I'm in the redwood forest...even though I've never been.

And it gives a view of some hills. Nice park.

Arabia & Panola Mountain trails 7-24-10

During the spring, Olympia had me convinced I could run a 5k with her. As it got closer, I had to tell her there was no way I could run it. I could walk it but I HATE running. I run with the dogs but I don't really enjoy it then either...and they're pulling me. So we decided to do a bike ride together and a weekend backpacking trip. That will be in October. Hopefully we'll get to see some fall colors.

I found these two connecting bike trails on Google maps. There's a new biking option. If you push and hold the street view button and scroll over the map, it shows green roads. Those green roads are actually bike trails, not roads. That was how I found out about these. I had never heard of the trails before. They, together, added up to 10 miles, one way. We were looking for a 20 mile ride so it was perfect.

Since it was a bike trail, I foolishly thought there would be water fountains and at least pit toilets here and there. There was a visitors center where we parked but that was it for the whole trail. I only brought one bottle of water...not too smart of me.

We took a right from the visitor's center. After a few miles, we found the trailhead we had looked for but couldn't find. Maybe we couldn't find it because the trail head was on a residential street without a single parking spot. Kind of weird. But at the trail head were these siamese twin trees. Olympia's husband is a botanist and she asked him if he had ever seen anything like it and he hadn't...he doesn't know how it happened. However it happened, it's pretty neat.


We turned back and followed the trail past an old farm that was still being worked.


We stopped at the visitor's center for water and a bathroom break. But the ranger had locked herself out of the building and was waiting on another ranger to drive over and let her in. In the mean time, we had no access to a bathroom but there was a water hose I filled my bottle up with.

This time, we turned left and it wasn't long before we saw one of the mountains...not sure which one it was. Both are really just exposed granite domes like Stone Mountain....not mountains at all, really. Which ever one it was that we passed, it used to be a rock quarry and the old office building was still there, but in ruins.


We thought it must have been some kind of jail judging from the barred windows. The building had no roof and the floor was just the rock. A few apricot trees were growing inside, as well as cactus and some flowers. The apricots weren't ripe yet...and we both wished that they were.

The top of the mountain:



Frog pond on the mountain.



Back on the trail, it was getting mighty hot! We were running out of water and we were grateful to be in the shade of all the trees.


But, when this trail met up with the second trail, it was all in the sun and when I stopped and asked someone if there was a restroom anywhere on the trail they said no. SInce Olympia was already thinking it was time for her to turn around anyway, we turned around and headed back. We stopped to have a snack before tackling some of the bigger hills.

Olympia did really well considering the heat and the fact that she doesn't even own a bike. We did about 15 miles when all was said and done and she wants to go for another ride in the fall.

Past mall of Georgia 7-23-10

I kept looking at this road on a map and I decided it would be fun to ride on. I was wrong. It was too busy with not so great shoudlers

This is the side yard of a vet's office. The best I have ever seen. So pretty with all the flowers and of course, the hydrant is a fun touch for the dogs.


Relics from the past.


One thing Georgians love (but only pure bred Georgians from what I gather) is boiled peanuts. Adam and I passed a stand selling these once on our way up to North Georgia and decided to take the plunge. Those little stands are everywhere around here and they seem to do well enough. Let's just say they are like tasteless, slightly hard beans. Not something I ever want again. I don't know why they are so popular!


I saw a deer eating dinner.


I was a bad girl and wandered back on a trail that I probably shouldn't have been on but it wasn't signed so I don't know for sure. There were two small reservoirs. Here's the first one.


Lots of dragonflies everywhere.


Here is what Georgia's woods are filled with. Poison ivy and lots of different varities of thorns. You almost need a machete in some areas to brave the woods.


I jumped onto the bike trail and rode along the river briefly. There's a spot where an old mill used to be. All that's left now is the rusted out wheel and the dam that alllowed them to control the water for it. I didn't get any pictures of the wheel but here's where the water flows over the dam. It had just started to rain big, fat, cool drops which was a very nice relief.

Dacula 7-22-10

Just a quick juant after work to Dacula. This is my usual place to ride to. It gives me about 20 miles and gets me home just in time for sunset and time to walk the dogs. Then I cook dinner and we eat...by then it's about 9-9:30...not that that has anything to do with this ride...

I took a side road I'd never taken before. There was this barn with a horse wagon in beautiful condition. I wonder if they ever use it.


Then further down the road, I found this little dirt road with this hand painted street sign. I really like the name of the street.


There is a house just across the main highway from my subdivision. They have 2 hourses and most evenings the daughter is out practicing with her horse in their arena. Today, she was out riding and the mom was working with this horse. The horses were kicking up lots of dust and the sun was shining just right to light it up.

Buford 7-18-10

I used to ride on this road a lot. But they have taken out the old road and moved it over. It's not moved a lot but it used to dump me out just before the bridge over I-85. The bridge has a small shoulder, but a shoulder nonetheless. It now dumps me out on the same road but about .25 mile from the bridge. The road is fairly busy and there is absolutely no shoulder. So I have to play a game of hurry and wait. I wait for a break in traffic and pedal as fast as I can to a spot with a slight bit of shoulder. I stop there and let the cars go. Then when it's clear I get back on the road. I have to do that 3 times. I don't like coming this way anymore but do it for a change of scenery on occassion.

The new portion of the road passes a small pond. This heron was walking near it so I parked my bike to get a good picture of it. He didn't like having me be there though so he moved.


I followed him.


He didn't like that either so he flew away to another pond that was too far off the road to bother with...plus I had bothered him enough already.


This is the new road...wonderfully smooth.

Ride to Auburn 7-17-10

So I haven't been posting much lately because I am preparing for my tour next month by biking a lot. I don't have enough time for blogging, working, biking, walking the dogs, working on a secret project, working on my house project and my daily chores. I stayed up too late last night uploading some pictures of different rides I have been on. Not that these are amazing pictures or anything but I find great joy in seeing all the beauty that God has created for us so I like to show you pretty and cool things.

It was super hot on this ride as it has been everyday for the last 2 months. It was threatening to rain and I wished it would to help cool me but it ever did.


It's so green here and thick with trees.


Kudzu taking over an old barn.


It did rain on this road but it was before I got there, unfortunately. The steam was still rising.

Fixing my car

About 3 weeks ago, Adam did some work on my car. He was changing the anti-lock brake sensor and mechanism since it kept locking up. Poor guy sliced his thumb right through the nail doing it. It really hurt him but he wiped it up and I put a bandaid on it and he got right back to work. My dad may have nicknamed me Tuffy Tiffy but I'm not that tough. He went over to his dad's house to get a tool he needed and his dad came over to help.

I thought that pic was kind of cool. He was tightening something that took a lot of strength.

This tool was used for breaking something free. It reminded me of the tool the aliens used to keep the guy's eye open while they put a needle through it. Kind of creeped me out!

I love that Adam and his dad have a good relationship. They work together really well and they laugh a lot together. Adam has learned alot from him about fixing cars and how to do house repairs. If we can't live near my family, I'm glad we're able to be near his at least.

Poor Black Jack

In the mornings, I get all the dogs downstairs and while they're eating breakfast, I run up and close the bedroom door. It had to be done because Jack and Bear didn't want to go outside anymore. Then Adam would have to put them out in the hot afternoon instead of me putting them out in the not as hot morning. I could always get Jack out but Bear was not going once he got in the room. This solution has worked really well.

Sadly for Jack, it has worked too well. As soon as he finishes eating and goes to the bathroom, he races back up the stairs and lays there. He doesn't all fit on one step though so he flows onto the next stair as well. We always looks so sad about it too. But as soon as I offer a milk bone for going outside, he perks up and runs down the stairs and everyone spends the morning out and then they get to cool off inside for a few hours before I get home.