At Least It Wasn't Snow- December 8, 2012

The forecaster said "slight chance of precipitation, less than 20%", and with the rays of sunshine peeking through just before we started out at 10 a.m., we believed him. Wrong! By the time we got just past Ball Ground we saw the pavement was wet. When we crossed Soap Creek the windshield gathered drops and on Salacoa Road it was full fledged drizzle.

Non-the-less the six of us (Larry, Bob K., Frank, Mark, Nelson and Bob (the elder) continued on over Johnson Mountain up to Fairmount for a stop and discussion. The group decided to forgo the back road route to Amicalola and b-line it there instead. As they neared Ga 515 Nelson and Frank decided to head home as the increasing rain cut visibility for them.

The rest headed over to Talking Rock and Ga 136 up and over the mountains to Amicalola. As they gained elevation the rain was joined by fog (or cloud), slowing their progress even more.

The lodge at the top of Amicalola was a welcomed sight. The four trudged into the lobby and quickly shed their wet outer clothing and grabbed a table away from the panoramic windows (they'd seen enough fog) and next to the Christmas Tree. Dry clothes and hot food go a long way in improving one's outlook.

They decided to skip the afternoon route (good call) and head home the most direct way, down Steve Tate, Yellow Creek and Ga 372. The rain didn't give up until they were past Ga 20 when it turned to slow drizzle again.

Did we enjoy the ride? Well this writer did, but he had water resistant overalls and heated gear. If it were not for the decreased visibility and imbecile cage drivers that don't turn on their lights (what's with that?), it would  be just   another good day on two wheels.

This was the last planned group ride for 2012 and none is scheduled for January. What seems to work best this time of year are short notice ad hoc rides that take advantage of the occasional sunny and warm winter day. If you care to have company on an unscheduled ride just e-mail the group of your intentions and gather as many as want to get some saddle time.

Here's a short video of the start of the ride. I didn't have the waterproof GoPro case with me so I had to pack it up when it started to rain.Next meeting January 26th.