My last attempt at catching trout in the Chattahoochee ended miserably. Maybe today I'd have better luck. The guy at one of the local bait shops had told us to try right down behind the hatchery. "Follow the fence." So we did that today. It might be a good spot with waders. We spent the next half hour bushwhacking through the jungle, looking for some rocks to stand on. Eventually we settled on some logs and got down to it.
A Grey Rat Snake kept me company.
Sophie was having a good time.
Iz was hot and bored.
I was with Iz. With enough weight to get a good cast, I'm on the bottom in two seconds, snagging everything down there. I'll have to try some lighter line. Maybe I'll just break down and buy a spincast rig. That's what everybody else seems to be using.
We didn't catch anything, so we headed to the hatchery's family fishing pond, only to find our gear lacking even further. With enough weight to get a good cast, no cork I own is big enough to float and white bread appears to be the only bait the fish like there.
Fishing Fail. Maybe next time.
We caught up with Kathryn for lunch and me and the girls took off to the Big Creek Greenway for a spin. There's a section that maybe one day they'll connect to the Alpharetta Greenway, but for now it's just sitting there by itself between McFarland and Bethelview. We rode that.
Long sections of it were boardwalk, which kind of made Sophie nervous. Going over the side would be a serious crash for a little girl, and doubtless into some deep mud. She held it together though and pretty soon she was confident.
The girls spotted a baby turtle, just hanging out in the middle of the trail. We rescued him.
We took a little break at a road crossing. I'd brought two full bottles, but it was getting really hot and I was starting to wonder if I'd brought enough.
First really hot day this year. And no sunscreen either.
Across the road, there was this explosion of color...
...and friendly cows.
At the Bethelview lot, we took another break.
Water was short. We rationed it and headed back. Sophie led on the way out. Iz led on the way back. Iz is steady. Sophie's a yo-yo. I kept jogging her on. She almost took out my front wheel once slamming on the brakes and turning in front of me. Almost.
My feet were killing me. My glutes were killing me. This little recovery ride was turning into a 3 hour dehydration-fest. Not quite a death march, but not exceptionally far from it. Kind of like last year's hike around Stone Mountain on the day after Mt. Mitchell. We were out of water, out of food, burning up and even a little sunburned. The girls' stamina was impressive. They had way more than I did. The walk across the gravel to the truck was exhausting. But, we were done. Yay.
We hit Macaroni Grill for supper. They have good bread. Iz likes their Mac and Cheese.
The backs of my knees are sore.
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