Single Speed Soul

     I bike because I love it.  All of it. The sore muscles, bumps, bruises, and broken bones. I take all of it in stride to get that feeling I get while rolling through the woods.  I am only just getting back into riding after a while out of the saddle.  A broken middle finger that was pinned together for 8 weeks, 4 weeks getting that finger to bend again, and then the lack of opportunity due to schedule and weather kept me off the trails.  I'm getting my legs back under me, and I am on a mission to visit the multitude of local parks that have biking trails and bring you some current reviews.

     You may have heard the term soul surfer, not the movie, but the surfer who doesn't care if they are the best, or if they ever ride the really heavy stuff; they just surf for the love of it and the emotions that come with it.  That is why I bike:  I guess I am a soul biker, out there for the love of the ride, and the love of nature.  I am not the fastest nor do I ever care to be.  All I want to get out of biking is the feeling.  Some folks ride with headphones in and their music cranked up:  I ride without because I love to hear my chain spinning, my tires on the dirt, the crunching leaves, the wind in the trees, and the animals in the woods. 

     Bikes are simple machines, you can see all of their parts, how they work.  Being a wrench head myself, that appeals to me.  I love to take a bike that isn't working, strip it down, clean it up, re-assemble it, and have a perfectly functioning machine. There is something about that act of taking something that was almost useless and making it functional again.  Kind of like the guys who fix up old cars just to sell them so they can finance their next resto.  There is just something about it.  Fine tuning a shifter and derailleur can be a pain, but some times it is just what the doctor ordered.  I usually come away clearer, and more able to focus.

     Get out and do what ever you do just for the soul of it!  Even if it is reading a book, go to the park, find a spot under a tree, and get lost in your book, just do it for the love of it.

Allatoona Creek Park- Acworth, GA

Allatoona Creek Park's main trailhead is off of Old Stilesboro Road in Acworth. This park's trails are maintained by the West Georgia Chapter of IMBA(International Mountain Bicycling Association)-SORBA and are tucked in around Little Allatoona Creek.  I rode the Turtle Back Trail today a 4 mile intermediate loop trail that has some very small climbs, a few bridges, a couple rock gardens and some really great, tight turns. Most of the trail just rolls and turns, some is tight and curvy single track, and some more of it is a little wider, more open, and straighter.  All in all it is a great park, from what I have seen so far.  The folks that maintain the trail do a great job as the trail bed is great and the route is fantastic.  Signs to trails are a little lacking.  So here is a tip park at the main trailhead and go to the kiosk to the left in the parking lot as you enter, from there cross the street and follow that trail(keeping in mind that it is bi-directional) to the Turtle Back Trail trailhead. I definitely will be heading back to Allatoona Creek Park soon .  Load your bike, grab some water, don't forget you helmet, and hit the trail.