Quote of the Day: "Georgia is on my mind ..... as the most bike unfriendly state I've been in yet - both with respect to infrastructure and driver attitude". (more on that later)
I may not be the brightest but I think I know bad advertising when I see it:):):)
This is the nice town of Ball Ground:
I had been told to stop at Martin's General Store in Ball Ground for the fresh produce. So this is Georgia peach, Bridget Martin, with her South Carolina peaches:
Ball Ground is thought to have gotten it's name due to the fact that the Cherokee used to gather here to play stick ball. Bridget and I agreed to research the question of the origin of the town's name:
I stopped in Gainesville GA to do an interview with Gainesville Times. Best print interview yet!! We got front page coverage as well as page 5 with two photos as well - except that they chose one in which I really had my "game face" on. Must have been thinking about the Georgia drivers:):):)
Now to the Georgia cycling piece. This is an example of the breakdown lane of a typical highway - impossible to ride on for any length of time without your hands going numb from the vibration. When you ride the white line drivers blare their horns and some come quite close even with an extra lane available:
It got so bad I decided to try a country route that the state police had advised against as being too dangerous with steep hills and curves. In getting to it I passed these tracks and it left me wishing that my balancing skills were such that I could just ride the rail:
The Old Cornelia road proved to be rather quiet and the drivers very considerate. This is Lulu GA at dusk:
Here is Will, Dylan, and Alyssa of the Cornelia DQ after making me a fantastic Blizzard. I told Will I wasn't feeling all that great and he said ice cream can always fix that:
I stayed in the Hampton Inn of Cornelia. In the morning the manager informed me that he was reversing my charges on behalf of my efforts for SBF - thanks very much Hampton Inn!!
Donations update: Currently at $685
About Soldiers Best Friend ..... If you have been following along you already know that I am trying to collect donations for the charity called Soldiers Best Friend. This is a charity that provides service dogs to Vets that are suffering from PTSD. These dogs can literally be life savers for these men and women.
My blog averages approximately 175 hits per day. I think that suggests folks are interested in the trip and hopefully are being informed and entertained. I am at the half-way point of the trip at 2151 miles. I consider this my job for the summer of 2014. I am putting in the the "blood, sweat, and gears" to steal a phrase - so would you consider a donation to this very worthy cause?
I've done the math for you .... My entire trip is going to be approximately 4200 miles long. Do you think you could donate $.006 per mile (like about slightly more than 1/2 cent per mile)?? If so then that would be a $25 dollar donation to SBF. Or better yet could you afford to donate at $.012 per mile (1.2 cents per mile) then that would be about a $50 donation. And so on .... give what you can - I know this sounds like a Nation Public Radio fund drive but come on - what a worthy cause!!
Please follow the link below to donate and include my name - just "Neil" will do or "Neal" if you like that spelling better:):)
It's time folks please.......
And finally please remember the cause - soldiersbestfriend.org I will go into this in more detail and perhaps some level of haranguing later on, but for now here is the link .... and an additional link for donation SoldiersBestFriend - Donate Please :):) Oh and I would be a lot more comfortable if you use the "honorarium" option vs the "memoriam" option - you'll understand when you click on the link:):).
As you donate please enter my name in the "In Honor of Spot" so the folks at SBF can tally the results to encourage me and let me know WE are getting something done TOGETHER. I recognize we are really trying to honor the Vets but this is the only way SBF can tally the results of this drive (tour)
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