Georgia was my grandmothers name

Have had a tremendous last 4 days. Stopped in Greenville, SC - was 39* and pouring rain when I arrived but when I left it was about 70*.  Wild weather here in the south. 

Had a great lunch and ride with Neil and Pamela of Tour Chats fame.  If you don't watch this great show, you should.  A must for even the casual cycling fan. Fun, informative and you never know what might happen. Here is the info - http://www.tourchats.com/

From there I made my way to Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday.  Staying at the Stone Mountain RV park.  It is the closest I have come to actually 'camping'. Still have all the hookups, but it is hilly with lots of trees on a small lake with a view of Stone Mountain.  Very nice. If you live within 3 hrs of this area, you must come for a visit.  It is really beautiful - tons of wildlife, cycling, hiking and fishing if you want.  On Sunday I met with another twitter pal, watched some bike racing, had Krispy Kreme from one of the original stores (yum) then had a tour of the city.  Thanks to Valerie for that!!  Then on to some other friends to bike part of the Atlanta beltline and more, have a fruit smoothie, and watch many dogs romp at a local dog park. Even saw a greyhound, Sal - my trip is complete. :-)

Then I got to take a real BATH!! That was a treat!  Ahhhhhhhhh! Then a couple of cocktails and a delicious dinner with friends at their home.  Nothing better. 

Today, I rode my bike around to the Walk Up entrance to Stone Mountain.  You can actually walk to the top or take a tram. It is approx. 1.2 miles up and pretty steep. You gain 786 ft of elevation to get to the 1686 ft. mark.  That was a workout. Beautiful views from all around. I could actually see where my trailer was parked. 
I passed a woman who told me she had climbed it 427 times and wanted to get to 1000 before she turned 80. She has 7 years to go. And, oh btw, she was carrying 1 lb dumbbells in her hands.  What an example!!!  

From there I went to the largest bas relief in the world.  It is located on the side of Stone Mountain. The carving depicts three figures of the Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis. Pretty impressive. 

 

Hard to see in the photo but it is 90 ft tall and 190 ft wide and the carved area is 3 acres.

I like it here so I have decided to spend one more night before moving on. Have been inquiring about where to go next and have heard lots of enthusiasm for Charleston, SC.  So, I think that will be my next and most eastern stop.  Then I am starting to weave my way home.  Bummer.

Off to another fabulous dinner!!  

Thanks for reading.......