Spring Tune-Up Bike Ride around Stone Mountain

OVERVIEW:  The weather is shaping up nicely for a sunny and warm Saturday —a perfect time for a "spring tune-up" bicycle ride suitable for riders of all experience levels and bikes of all styles.  If you have (or can borrow) a road-style bike or mountain bike or perhaps an inexpensive “hybrid,” by all means dust it off, pump up those tires, and join us this Saturday morning for a leisurely 2.5-hour ride (or longer if you prefer!) into and around beautiful Stone Mountain Park.
 The "Red Caboose" Visitor Center OUTSIDE THE PARK in the village of Stone Mountain provides a FREE parking area for bikers and hikers, and FREE ENTRANCE into the Park via a half-mile "PATH" paved spur trail. The Park has no dedicated off-road bike trails, but offers a variety of paved bike lanes and asphalted roadways—suitable for bikes of all kinds—that make for interesting scenic loops around the mountain and its adjoining lakes.

WHERE & WHEN:  We’ll gather with our bikes at 9:45 AM at the "RED CABOOSE" Welcome Center, OUTSIDE THE PARK in the Village of Stone Mountain—detailed directions below.  Look for me (Charlie) with my bike, wearing a white Atlanta Outdoor Club T-shirt and black bicycle helmet.

RIDE PLAN:  After introducing one another, signing our AOC waiver forms, and making sure that all our bikes are road-ready we’ll depart the "Red Caboose" at about 10:05 AM and ride eastward via the half-mile paved "PATH" spur trail into the Park.  When we reach Robt. E. Lee Blvd, we'll do a clockwise ride 3/4 of the way around the mountain followed by a counterclockwise loop around Stonewall Jackson Dr and Jeff Davis Drive, then connect (clockwise) back to the PATH trail via Robt. E. Lee Blvd.  We'll stop occasionally along the route to regroup, adjust clothing, and enjoy and photograph the scenery and wildlife.

POST-RIDE OPTIONS:  Feel free to split from the group whenever you like, but please let the AOC ride leader(s) know if and when you're splitting.  If you'd like a more strenuous workout feel free to continue biking or hiking inside or outside the park.  The park's scenic hiking trails include its Walk-Up Trail to the summit, Cherokee Trail around the mountain, Songbird Habitat Trails, and Nature Garden Trail. 
   If there's enough interest after the ride we may regroup for refreshments and lunch at the "Village Corner German Restaurant, Bakery & Tavern" in Stone Mtn Village (corner of Main St. and Memorial Drive).

RAIN OR SHINE EVENT!  The forecast calls for great Saturday weather (50s-60s and mostly sunny) but if things should unexpectedly change for the worse (e.g. a high likelihood of strong thunderstorms) I’ll email everyone by Friday night and post “cancelled” for the event on the AOC website.  If there are a few showers we'll plan to ride with rain gear.

FOR MORE ON STONE MOUNTAIN PARK here are a couple of nice links:
http://www.StoneMountainPark.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Mountain
Perhaps too often we Georgians "take Stone Mountain for granite."  It rivals almost any other natural area in the country with its spectacular rock formations, beautiful lakes, rare native plants, and abundant birds & wildlife—it has a fascinating human history as well, of which its gigantic memorial carving is but one part. 

DIRECTIONS TO OUR 9:45 AM MEETING PLACE:  The "Red Caboose" Welcome Center OUTSIDE the Park in the Village of Stone Mountain:

1) From "Spaghetti Junction" (the I-285/I-85 interchange in NE Atlanta) take "I-285 East" (actually southward) toward Augusta about 4.7 miles.

2) Take I-285 Exit #39B (bearing Right in a clockwise loop).  Merge onto Stone Mountain Pkwy/US-78 E (toward Snellville/Athens), and go about 5.9 miles.

3) At Exit #5 bear Right onto the Memorial Drive/Stone Mountain Bypass, and go only about 0.6 mile-- then bear Right again at your first opportunity up the E. Ponce de Leon Ave. access ramp.

4) Turn Left onto E. Ponce de Leon Ave. and go 0.5 mile to the first traffic light.

5) Continue straight ahead at the light onto Main Street and go another 0.5 mile (through Stone Mtn village) to the "Red Caboose" Welcome Center and parking lot on your Left (just beyond the RR track crossing at Mimosa Drive).  We'll meet at 9:45 beside the Red Caboose.  Free parking is available in public areas adjoining the caboose, and if these spaces are filled, there are many more free spaces in the nearby "MARTA Park & Ride" lot in Stone Mtn Village.

NEED MAP or CUSTOM DIRECTIONS? If you'd like a map or directions from your specific point of departure, go to Google.com/maps and in the "Search Maps" window enter:

   891 Main Street, Stone Mountain, GA 30083

Then click on "Search Maps," "Get Directions," enter your personal "Start Address, and click the grey "Get Directions" box.

Free Event with Free Parking!  Just bring your own Bike & Helmet.