Atlanta's Stone Mountain Bike Trail

Weather's been warm and dry enough to return with my bike to the Stone Mountain Trail. From the Martin Luther King Historic site, including one ring around the mountain, that's 38 miles round trip. There's a variety of neighborhoods, terrain, and sights. (See map at PATHfoundation.org)

In 14 years, I've seen a lot of development and improvements to the pavement, but there's a lot I've not seen. I realized that last week when I needed a bandaid. I took a detour at a light in Clarkston and pedaled over a ridge. Like Dorothy seeing the Emerald City, I was amazed by a vast marketplace, just out of sight all these years.   Dozens of shops cater to Clarkston's wildly diverse population of refugees who've settled there ever since the town welcomed Vietnamese "boat people" in the 70s. Families strolled past in distinctive dress, none speaking English, no families speaking the same language, and all of them smiling and bantering with each other. 

A couple of pieces on my poetry blog First Verse celebrate the trail. When I ride now, I remember Atlanta, Sunrise Saturday and smile at the sights I describe when I pass the sites I describe. A sunny day's ride and the live-streaming of a funeral come together better than I might have expected in Eulogy.

[IMAGE: Android turned a prosaic selfie into a lesson in drawing.  Stone Mountain is highlighted in the background.]