Silver Comet - Coot's Lake

I am a bit behind on my blogging, but not due to lack of adventures. I am finding that with the warmer weather and the uncooperative nature of my digestive system of late (I will leave you to fill in the blanks here), that longer bike rides and shorter hikes are working well. Today was my second long ride on the Silver Comet Trail. I began the ride at Coot’s Lake, a private lake and beach just East of Rockmart.

I began the ride eastbound back to mile marker 30, which is where I ended last time. There is no trailhead nearby, so the only way to cover that section was to backtrack. This was a pleasant section where large hills had been cut away to make room for the train tracks. This exposed a number of interesting rock formations. Just under a mile from Coot’s Lake is the Bushy Mountain tunnel, a 700 ft lighted tunnel under – you guessed it – Bushy Mountain. I made it to mile marker 30, and turned around.

The section between Coot’s Lake and Rockmart is similar in terrain to the East section The part of Rockmart that I could see from the trail was not very interesting, but the trail passes through a floodplain area, along an old cemetery, and through a sports park, making it an entertaining ride.

The nice thing about riding Silver Comet is the fact that it is built on an old rail bed. Since trains do not handle steep hills well, the resulting path has only gradual ascents and descents. The section after the sports part leaves the rail bed, and switches to trail specifically built for the Silver Comet. It was designed for the average cyclist, assuming you consider Lance Armstrong average! This is by far the hardest section of the trail. My knees hurt so bad at one point that I had to get off and walk. The first part of this section runs along US 278, and is loud and polluted. The trail suddenly makes an abrupt turn away from the highway, and runs through the prettiest section of the trail. It passes through some great ranches and pastures, and then through a nature preserve with a camping area. I got as far as an old church at mile marker 45, and turned around.

The return trip was uphill most of the way, so my knees were about to fall off by the time I got back to my car. That being said, I managed 32 miles without much trouble. I have now completed 45 miles of the 60 mile trail. One more ride to go.