Date line: Dahlonega, ga
from: gainesville, ga
to: dahlonega, ga
Slept quietly behind the mattress store, overslept really, late getting up to make bfast, clean up & drive to TH. made it a few minutes late but well ahead of majority of volunteers. Project today was to beautify the TH parking lot. didn’t count numbers, maybe 13. I worked on the spreading wood chips. Left pinky is afflicted typing this. Ground frozen early on but blue skies warmed up to 50. Parking lot of maybe 40 stalls almost filled up w/ riders. Good vehicles & great bikes mostly. Riders coming back in showed signs of a muddy ride from freeze thaw mud.
Work pic:
Worked to 12:00 & those that wanted geared up to ride. My group was 8 and shrunk to 4 to just me later. Finished up all trail miles of chicopee. Today ride was 14.0 miles & 1930′ vert. I measured the google earth map and the area we rode in was 1 mile square, again, just 640 acres. Check out the ride data in Google earth to see the trails snaking around. Impressive. Some spots of freeze thaw mud. Trails mostly hand cut, lots of roots but almost no rocks. red mud even in woods.
trail pic:
Trails are on land formerly owned by Johnson & Johnson that gave sold land to city. Dirt bikes used to tear it up, they are banned.
Back to van just after 4, needed to call Daniel @ bike shop to ask for a shower b4 they close. He said yes and I had 30 mins to get to shop & in & out of shower b4 closing. Made it.
Frenzied day, on go all day long meeting others’ schedules. Van got pretty messy from not putting stuff away.
Entered city of dahlonega into gps & drove onward. A college town. Wandered around looking for the perfect urban camping spot. Found a good un.
NGASORBA officers are only ones allowed to close or open the TH gate that has the closed notice if closed on it. The TH is a ways back the road used to get to nature center. I heard tales of riders sneaking around closed gate to ride so the club has its problems w/ controlling poaching.
At 1 of our ride rest stops some other riders joined us, 2 were on Turners. Robin, a SORBA officer was on an older Spot, she had her fork PUSHed. I suggested she do her shock also. The other rider was on the 29er. No, the bikes did not nuzzle each other.
Volunteers were just a bit younger than me. No riders joined our work.
Tomorrow is Bull Mtn. Forecast for tonight is snow.