Thursday, November 18, 2021
Fall Line Trace Trail
Today was the last fun day of the trip and also Tom's birthday! For our last hurrah, we biked the remaining large section of Columbus's Dragonfly Trail System, the Fall Line Trace Trail.
Georgia's fall line is a geologic boundary roughly 20 miles wide running through the middle of the state between its upland region and its lower coastal plain. Rivers flowing across the fall line create rapids and waterfalls, marking the upstream limit of travel and making the fall line an ideal location for early trading posts and the establishment of cities, as was the case with Columbus, Macon, and Augusta.
We parked at Flat Rock Park, just a few minutes' drive from the Hyatt Place where we're now staying. The cascades and broken rock of the park are good examples of the geology of the fall line, and we took some time walking around and exploring the area before our ride.
Flat Rock Park
The Fall Line Trace Trail is a wide, paved path that runs for 11 miles between Psalmond Road in northeast Columbus to its intersection with the Chattahoochee Riverwalk Trails downtown. Most of this trail is through a narrow, wooded greenbelt, but it's clearly an urban route, and we both preferred the scenery of the Riverwalk Trails.
Fall Line Trace Trail
Tom on the trail
We turned around less than two miles from downtown at 13th Avenue, as the trail at this point turns into a sidewalk, and the road crossings become busier and more numerous. Back at the truck, we decided to ride the northernmost couple of miles a second time, ending up with just over 20 miles of riding for the day.
North end of the Fall Line Trace Trail
For Tom's birthday dinner, we went to Texas Roadhouse next door to our hotel. The food was very good, but just like Chili's last night, it took forever to be served. So annoying. I was forbidden to tell the waiter it was Tom's birthday, so it's his own fault he didn't get any dessert - or anyone to sing to him. Ha!
Birthday full moon
Tomorrow, we'll check out and drive several hours home, so today was the end of our vacation fun.
THE END
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