Madison for n00bs

I couldn't think of a better way to spend a weekend.

My brother determined it was time to come visit his little sister and go riding!!

If you have been keeping up you might remember that I hold my brother responsible for starting me down the road of two-wheeled bliss.  So it was a great honor that he wanted to come out and spend some time on the road with me!  ...and Mr. Oilburner. ;-)

April is a notoriously tricky time to visit Georgia with its fickle weather.  We had been experiencing perfect weather in the 60's (F) with low humidity.  But years past had given us frosts or snow in the middle of April.  We were crossing our fingers the perfect riding weather held.  But reports weren't looking too bright.  There wasn't going to be an option to change flights.  If it rained, we were just going to have to figure it out.  Him coming from one of those perfect climes that rarely sees rain, he didn't have much experience with it.

His arrival late in the afternoon on Saturday left us hoping that we could get home, grab the bikes and ride to meet some friends for dinner.  The black clouds and downpour of rain put the brakes on the riding plans.  But nothing was going to stop the dinner plans.

Day One:

Waking up the next morning Mr. Oilburner and I were taking it slowly.  Brother was groggy but quickly perked up with a coffee infusion.  Every other word out of his mouth was "When we goin' ridin'?"  He came here to ride and was extremely antsy to do it.  First order of business:  introduce brother to bike, bike to brother.

Since we hadn't sold the Harley yet, we made it available for the riding weekend.  But needed to let Brother acquaint himself with the 1200 cc, differing from his 750 at home.  He didn't have any trepidation about the meeting.  And proved quite quickly that he didn't have any concerns.

A couple turns around the block and he was looking very comfortable.  I was hating him already for looking so darn good.  :-)

Our route today was taking us into the sweeping country lanes in middle GA so Brother could get a real feel for the bike and not have to worry about technical riding.  It would also show him the back roads and farmlands of this great state.  Beyond the "When are we riding?" nags were the "I want to experience GA" statements.  We invited our dinner/riding friends from last night.  One managed to show up on his bike, but the other showed up in his convertible four-wheeler to follow us.  Humph.

We enjoyed perfect weather on some great roads!  We took a leisurely pace and stopped once along the way to Madison to make sure everyone [Brother] was doing well.  He was cool as a cucumber and looking quite GQ with the Harley.

We stopped in Madison for lunch and a walk around the square.

What is with all of the blue bikes??  My unique granite gray is hidden at the back.

We mounted the steeds and continued on our tour.  We headed for Washington to see more antebellum homes and the Fitzpatrick Hotel.  We did make one quick pit stop in Greensboro again to show off the gaol.

Washington was quiet and uneventful, being Sunday afternoon.  The Fitzpatrick was empty and the clerk was more then pleasant having to show the hotel and rooms three different times as everyone in our group couldn't get it together.  She then recommended a couple of lanes for viewing some wonderful antebellum homes, and possibly catching site of what she considered a haunted inn.  The houses were varied and spectacular, but we only stopped for one photo of Brother with the bike and a lovely home.

The weather remained perfect.  The companionship was great.  The riding was peaceful.  Still hating my brother for looking so damn solid on that bike!  :-)

Stats:

206 miles

Great weather, food, riding and friends

Washington and the Revolutionary War

Another beautiful day and the humidity was low.  So we gathered a friend and hit the road.  We ventured forth to Washington, Georgia again.  I really like that little town.  They are doing a great job at bringing it back together for good community and tourism.  Unfortunately Talk of the Town has changed their hours and are no longer open on Sunday.  Darn!

We walked around the tourism info office and inquired about the location of Kettle Creek.  She wasn't able to give us the exact location, but we felt we could find the first sign and go from there.  We walked the square again and popped into the coffee shop for caffeine.  The antique shops were closed but I enjoyed seeing the cat on the roof.

 

After refreshments and a stretch we hit the bikes and road and headed towards where we hoped Kettle Creek to be.  The Battle of Kettle Creek is one of the most important battles of the Revolutionary War fought in Georgia. After all the attention given to the Civil War it is interesting to see something honored that brought our country together instead of tearing it apart.

Did I tell you that we had to ride another gravel road??  This stuff was a little deep, not compacted and in definite ruts from a less traveled road.  It wasn't too bad until I had to cross the center strip of grass and rocks to avoid the construction vehicles.  That and Winford kept riding up my tailpipe with him and his confidence on his 900 lb Harley.  I did draw the line at riding up the last bit of roadway that had a good incline covered in pine needles and a nice grassy/needly slope into the trees and bushes.  I didn't so much disagree with the trip up, but definitely did not want the trip down trying to steer and brake on that stuff.  No matter.  A little walk never does anyone too much harm.

I parked the bike outside the gate and everyone else decided to follow suit.

Preparing to leave and I notice a new passenger on my steed.  Funny how the butterflies seem to like the bike too.

Stats: 214 miles, fantastic weather, finally able to reach a Revolutionary War memorial, passed 18884 on my bike.

Norm! -an

Tivo has been "suggesting" Cheer's for me to view. And I am a sucker and did enjoy the show. As well as the name "Norm -an" meaning more to me as that is one of my father's names. No, I am not a test tube baby with multiple fathers. But I'm not explaining any more then that! ;-)

C, Mr. Oilburner, had Friday off for his compressed work schedule. As the day was GORG-E-OUS we were on the bikes. Of course it was also supposed to be the hottest day of the weekend. But I still think that Saturday won that distinction.

We didn't have any particular place in mind, but felt a good starting point would be Jefferson...where we left off when the bike started reeking. We hopped on the freeway and made it to Jefferson right quick.

I had come through here a couple days before, from the opposite direction, and liked the roads. So I navigated us up some of those roads and enjoyed the scenery. We stopped to fill the tanks at the main (and only) intersection of Ila, Ga.

As we staked out our little piece of sidewalk, I again received chit-chat from a few people. One lady stared at my bike as she walked past. Then asked if it was a Harley BMW mix of some sort. We cleared her up that the bike sitting next to it was a Harley, but this one was all BMW. Again...no one looked at Mr. Oilburner's Harley. :-)

Another gentlemen pulled up on his little Piaggio three wheeler. I've seen these on the road, but never really up close. So he joined us and we chatted for awhile. He rides this little thing as a commuter vehicle 60 miles one way a couple days a week.

After refreshments we headed off again. We decided to work our way down to Washington, Ga so Mr. Oilburner could check out Talk of the Town. But on the way we spied a little town by the name of Norman. We just had to go!!

On our way, we found ourselves in Elberton again. This time we quickly veered off to see the granite war memorial park we had missed before. This was an impressive little place considering where it was. The land was orignally deeded to the ladies of the Service Star Legion of Elbert County from Ora Eugene Tate in 1923. From 1923 thru 1984 the park was managed by those patriotic ladies of the Service Star Legion. Early development included a large landscaped raised star in the center with five walkways to each point, a tall flagpole placed in the center of the star, a planted magnolia tree honoring President Woodrow Wilson and oak trees placed around the perimeter honoring the soldiers of WWI. In 1984 the park was donated and deeded to Elbert County.


The oaks remain, but nothing else does. I would have enjoyed seeing it's original layout. There are many more memorials for the wars that have come since then. And each has their spot of interest.

Back on the road...and the gps again takes us down gravel roads. Feeling confident, I show Mr. Oilburner just how great I am, and continue on. He is duly impressed for the mile we are on gravel. We veer onto pavement for a couple hundred yards and again are told to take a dirt road for 3.4 miles. This road doesn't look quite so nice or well traveled. We look to the GPS' to find that if we stay on the paved portion we will be at the highway in 0.7 miles. No brainer!!

We finally arrive at a our small community that at least has a sign!! If not much else...

We have to stop and document this! And then head on our way to Washington. With the temps in the mid-80's we jump into the air-conditioning of the cafe. Hey, at least there isn't any humidity to speak of. That will come soon enough. And even with the temps Mr. Oilburner orders soup. But I sorta pushed him into it since the Roasted Red Pepper with Gouda sounded absolutely scrumptious! And it was.

I opted for the daily special Pork Tenderloin sammich. I am not normally a pork eatin' individual, but this was delicious!

Feeling fat and happy after the meal, we walked around the square a little and determined it was time to book it home. It was getting a little late and we had plans that night. We stopped over at the hotel coffee shop to get some "wake-me-up" juice. Then high-tailed it home without incident.

In all, it was 232 miles of beautiful weather and great scenery and fun.

Fatefully

Another gorgeous day came peeping through between uncharacteristically cool days and another big storm front. With nothing else to do...it was time to hop on the bike. I was torn between going out or doing nothing much at home simply because I wanted a riding partner. I just have to concede that isn't going to come my way anytime soon.

So after running some morning errands and coming home and eating breakfast it was time to face the bike. I combed the house for all my gear. And even had to clean the truck out of our hiking gear to find it all. The day was fine for sitting in the sun but was a little chilly to encounter at speed on a bike. Layering was necessary and I needed to find the layers! After suiting up and getting the equipment found, attached and programmed it was time to be off.

I am just now learning of the love of not really requiring a destination. It has taken me a long time to learn, and I desperately need to practice it. Learning to ride, I have always focused better when I have a specific goal (i.e. destination) to show as my definitive end point. It meant that I had "made it". But with my comfort level increasing so much I am learning to just enjoy taking any old road. The older the better. I decided on a direction that I haven't been to...and headed for Washington, GA.

I'm not quite sure what is up with my GPS, but I let it lead me despite me not having a clue which route it was ultimately going to take. Once it insisted on south, tho, I knew it was leading me to I-20. The long way to Washington. Why? I don't know.

I let it take me where it would, meaning that I was going to have to go through heavily traveled Conyers and Covington...and ride on the interstate. But I'm getting much more comfortable and confident with it.

Once on the highway, it was a straight shot for 50 miles. I had fun dodging the semi's. :-) I was also able to sit back and enjoy the scenery a little and not have to worry about anyone either leading or following. I was able to take this in on my own and start to really understand being at one with myself on the bike. It was liberating and relaxing.

When I reached my exit I stopped at the nearest gas station and filled up, the bike with fuel and myself with water. Took the time to call C and let him know where I was. But he didn't answer! ;-)

I continued on my way and wanted to make a little detour to find an elusive Revolutionary War memorial that I had read about the night before. I found the first turn without incident, but the second turn eluded me. No problems. Just meant more riding for me on the empty back roads.

I loved the communities I was riding through. The people were friendly and waved from their vehicles. They even waited extraordinary times for me to pass, instead of turning in front of me. Turning onto this tiny road that one wouldn't expect to see much traffic on...and up comes a police officer...waving. I passed a well tended farm house and barn with a nicely restored Model T poking its nose out. Something I wished I had stopped and taken a picture of: fire hydrants...with a sign posted next to each reading Fire Hydrant. I'll get one my next time through.

I actually made it to Washington and stopped into the Visitors Center. C and I had visited the Robert Toombs State Historic Site about 8 years ago and haven't been back. I was able to pick up some interesting information and a walking tour map. First order of business was to eat! The nice lady at the visitor center recommended Talk of the Town across the square. YUMMM!! I tried the special turkey breast sammich and fruit.

This is where the trip was fated. The restaurant even called them sammiches!!!

And my turkey sammich was wonderful!!

After stuffing my tank I walked back across the square to visit the restored Fitzpatrick Hotel. This hotel has an interesting history, originally built in 1899 with the hotel starting service in 1902. The hotel was closed in 1952 and remained vacant until 2002. 50 years of deterioration! There are "before" pictures showing roofs caved in, rooms open to the elements and trees actually growing on the second and third floors! The hotel was purchased in 2002, restored and reopened for business in 2004. It sports 16 lovely rooms with tall ceilings, tall doors, stained glass windows and period furniture. Nice, nice, nice.

I took a quick walk around the square and snapped a few pictures. But didn't do anything of the walking tour.

Time to head home. Decided to take the "shorter" route and made it in 2 hours. Just in time for C to roll the garage doors up and let me drive right into the garage. Now I just need to clean the bug remains off of the windshield. My little 215 mile route was great! Can start planning that cross-country trip now... ;-)