We're delighted to report that August in Georgia doesn't have to be unbearable. Last year we endured day after day of temperatures in the 100's. So far August 2008 has been amazingly tolerable. For the past few weeks we've had temperatures in the 70's and 80's with low humidity, which has provided spectacular cycling weather. Occasional rain has kept the air clear and the temperatures down. Fortunately those storms have occurred during the week, so the weekends are clear for great riding.
We took full advantage of the weather to hook up with the Georgia Peaches, a group of tandem riders from in and around Atlanta. The group gets together for one ride each month and we've enjoyed joining them several times during the past year. They generally ride outside of Atlanta to get away from city traffic. Rural Georgia is truly beautiful, with many tall trees, frequent rivers and lakes, rolling hills and scenic vistas. The only down side is the dogs. Although there is a leash law, it doesn't appear to be enforced in the rural areas, It's not uncommon to get chased by packs of dogs determined to protect their homesteads. Fortunately we learned last summer that a loud whistle seems to confuse them enough to allow for a quick getaway.
Being a control freak, one of the challenges for Nancy has been learning to be a good stoker (the person who rides on the back of the tandem). As the captain, Michael has control of the steering, brakes and choice of gears. In other words -- total control! To appease Nancy, we mounted a bell on the back handle bar which she can ding as a friendly greeting or to alert clueless pedestrians of our presence. Now, she also has control over the dog whistle! So as we're spinning madly to escape the drooling beasts, she is also in charge of madly blowing the whistle.
Our Georgia Peaches ride began in Moreland, Georgia, about an hour south of Atlanta. The terraine south of Atlanta has gently rolling hills, which is ideal for a tandem ride. It is much flatter than the extremely hilly portions of metro Atlanta as you approach the Georgia mountains to the north of us. It was a delightfully cool start for August (low 70's). Nine tandems showed up for the ride and we enjoyed joking that our group was the equivalent of an 18-wheeler on the country roads.
Riding with a group of tandems is very much like being in a parade. We definitely create a sensation everywhere we go. Kids always get excited to see us and adults smile and wave as we go by. Even the drivers of passing cars seem more courteous and friendly. As our group approached one small town, we passed a sheriff who immediately flipped on his flashing lights and gave us an escort through every intersection, allowing us to blow through the stop signs! We waved our appreciation as we headed out of town and continued down the road.
After the ride we enjoyed celebrating the birthday of one of the women who was turning 40. As you know, the secret to feeling young is to hang out with older people, so Michael and I definitely were an asset to the birthday girl in that regard! Looking at the photo of the post-ride feast makes us realize that bike clubs all over the country (and the world) are very much the same. It reminds us of our frequent visits to Taco Pablos with all our wonderful friends from the North County Cycle Club in San Diego.So we're rolling along and enjoying another Summer in Georgia.
