Hey everyone!

Today we’re in Alpharetta, Georgia. This public library is nice. Anywho, you’re probably not reading to hear about the library, so let me tell you what’s been up since we last wrote.

Oh my… the morning after we stayed with Mike and Joy we woke up and Caitlin’s throat was killing her. We ended up going to a walk in clinic in Eton, Georgia. We waited for what seemed like a few days, but eventually the doctor took her in. It turned out she had strep throat. The doc told her she needed a couple days rest so I thought it would be a good idea to stay in a hotel in Dalton, GA. The map had an arrow pointing near Chatsworth which made us think that Dalton was nearby, but it turned out it was 12 miles away. We hitched a ride (me in the back of a pickup balancing two bikes) with a lady (don’t remember her name) to Dalton. Without her we would have been in big trouble. Thank you, mystery lady!

We went to Dalton and stayed in the Econolodge… wow… Let’s just say it wasn’t the Ritz. Broken toilet seat, bad service, not allowed to lock up our bikes, and other things that are best left unsaid on this blog. It wasn’t the best stay, but it gave us time to recover. I did meet a cool guy there named Reinaldo who showed me several places in Mexico that I need to go, including the volcano near Toluca.

We went to Historic Downtown Dalton and were a bit disappointed. There wasn’t much to do or see, but we did see some excitement. We were heading back to the hotel and I told Caitlin to turn right. She was ahead of me and saw two right turns and took the first one. It led to an underpass with railroad tracks. I was sure we were going to get attacked by hobos, but luckily we escaped unscathed.

After staying at the Econolodge for a couple of days we pressed on. We went to Cartersville, GA and had the time of our lives being yelled at, honked at, whistled at (I think they were whistling at Caitlin), and getting the cops called on us. It was pretty late at night when we realized we weren’t going to find anywhere to stop so we pulled into a wooded, abandoned lot and popped up the tent. It was an exciting night and definitely an adventure. We were sure the cops would come get us again, but it never happened.

We left the next morning and were going to go to some indian mounds, but missed the sign. We decided to go to Pickett’s Mill. It was closed, but we had a good lunch there.

After that Caitlin’s leg started to tighten up so we hitched another ride (me in the back of a pickup again). This time it was Keith Holloway who gave us a ride. I saw his wife Linda walking through their neighborhood and asked her if she knew where we could camp. She didn’t know, but she did call her husband and he was able to take us to a campground near Roswell, GA. Thanks, Keith and Linda. You saved us that day!

The campground was BEAUTIFUL. It had a lake and we were on a point where we had a great view. It’s one of the prettiest places we’ve seen so far. The first night we camped in a bad storm. We were hanging on for dear life and there was an inch of water under the tent by the time it was over. It was fun, though. And the tent never leaked! The next day was much better. No storms, just a little rain. One of the campground attendants was particularly helpful and kind to us. His name is Marvin Hires. Thanks for all your help Marvin. We won’t forget you or your advice!

Yesterday we went through Roswell, GA. I didn’t see any aliens or novelty shops. I’m a little disappointed, but I’m thinking maybe after our trip we can open one up. OK, maybe not. We liked Roswell. It was very biker friendly and all the people were kind to us. We ended up camping in a church yard last night. We didn’t know if the people cared, but we didn’t figure God would mind since we were only sleeping there.

We woke up this morning and pedaled our way to Alpharetta. It’s a nice town and the people are good too. I don’t know where we’ll end up tonight, but I know that things will work out. They always do!

Thanks for reading. We’ll keep you posted on the rest of our adventures.

Until then, may the wind be at your back and your tires be trued!