NYC -2- ATL

Today I awoke full of excitement to ride home! I’ve had an incredible time on this journey, and in many ways I do not want it to end, but I am very ready to see my family and enjoy the comforts of home. We were packed an on the bikes by 8:30. Dad had done this exact route from Madison to home only a few months ago, so we followed what he already knew to be a great ride.

Early in the day, we saw the city of Rutledge setting up for their Country Fair. I had been there many years ago on the bike and remembered Yesterday’s Cafe and the Caboose. The fair looked like a lot of small town fun. We spoke to some ladies at a booth promoting cycle friendly routes through scenic and historic Morgan County. It really is a beautiful part of the state just a stone’s throw from Atlanta.

Back on the road, we faced some of the strongest headwinds we had seen all month. I was so glad we were facing them now instead of back in the Outer Banks where they could have been much worse. We passed through other small towns where I know I’ve been before, then into larger towns where I don’t think I’d ever been before. We stopped for lunch in Loganville and charged our batteries for almost an hour.

After lunch, we made our way through Grayson which has grown quite a bit since I had seen it last. Not much further, we joined the bike lanes on a part of Sugarloaf Parkway further out than I’ve ever been on it before. A few more miles and things began to look familiar. We were back in the range of where I’ve ridden the bike while exploring the area. We were both getting excited, but we paced ourselves and tried to take the same number of breaks we did on any other day.

Due to the headwinds, by the last five miles I was down to almost no battery. It didn’t matter as the excitement to return home pulled me there with an almost magnetic effect. A block from my house I began ringing my bell, knowing my son would be waiting for me in the yard. As I rounded the curve, I was greeted by a front yard full of friends, family, and neighbors cheering our arrival! What an awesome surprise!!

My son presented each of us with a trophy and flowers and I got the huge hug from him and my wife that I’d been dreaming of for weeks! Thank you so much to everyone who came to welcome me home. I was quite surprised and so happy to see you all. The party was fantastic—another big shoutout to our Platinum-level sponsors, without whom the entire ride would not have been possible.

I hope you enjoyed reading along with our ride and my creative writing experiment. If you did, all I ask is that you take the time to tell me so by leaving a comment. I’ve really loved hearing from you all, and it became easier to write every time you told me you were following along.