February 2021 – Georgia Racing Hall of Fame

How do we ride during cold winters? Start later, ride shorter and slower, and pick good rest stops to warm up. So… Saturday the 20th, Larry and Dave rode to Dawsonville to visit the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame. We pushed our start back to 10:00 which gave the morning low of 30 a chance to warm a bit to 37. The backroads to Dawsonville were pleasant, but their heated felt even better.

Neither knew the depth of Georgia’s history with stock car racing. While not a large museum, it was interesting. If you’re inclined, there’s also a moonshine museum, distillery and tasting room on site as well.

After the museum, they enjoyed lunch at the Fajita Grill across the road. Good food and worth a stop if you’re in Dawsonville. By now, the clear, sunny skies were rapidly warming the day.

On the way home, they decided to stop at the Wildcat Tract of the Dawson Forest which is bordered by Big Canoe (S), Steve Tate Rd (E ), Hwy 136 (N) and Monument Rd (W). The only vehicle-accessible area is off a ½ mile FS road just a little N of Big Canoe (although there is a “top of the mountain” trailhead on Monument Rd just a bit S of the Eagles Rest park we’ve visited a few times). It was a pleasant ride in the now-51 degrees to the parking / camping area on the banks of the Amicolola River. Judging from the number of cars, but complete lack of tents, plenty of day hikers were enjoying the trails. If you’re not familiar with this tract, it’s a real gem and close to home as well. One trail offers 4 different waterfalls. Ask the googler for details.

Larry was really enjoying the new KTM, although it’s taking some getting used to a bike that tells him what gear he’s in, has an extra gear he’s not sure he’ll ever get to, and he can’t find the choke, yet it still fires right up and runs smoothly on the coldest of mornings?! Maybe he should have done this sooner.

110 miles of smiles and home by 3:30. Join us next time.