To avoid unsafe roads and heavy traffic, we took a local bus to Weaver where the trail begins and prayed that our wildly-bouncing bikes were secure on the front rack.
We were dropped off at the barber shop. Billie hoped she could use their bathroom where these guys made us laugh as they joked around with each other.
Billie, “Arlete, come over here and look at this.”
Crossing the state line where the Silver Comet begins:
The tiny buffalo provided Billie with some privacy
and a fertile pkace to sprout a new plant:
New wildflowers as we arrived in Cedartown:
Miles = 44
Tag Archives: Chief Ladiga Trail
Day 4: Rest
Our hotel is VERY nice.
Ginger Marsh, owner, did all the decorating.
We walked around downtown Anniston today and had lunch at Noble Street Deli. Peach cobbler cupcakes came with our meal. Yum!
Then we stopped at an art gallery which featured the works of 25 local artists. The owner Ann gave us some good news: the Chief Ladiga Trail will soon be extended all the way to Anniston. And we met Jay Ingram, a totally charmimg and funny guy.
Jay, now in his 90s started working at this Rexall drugstore when he was 15 years old. He and the owners got along really well. Jay took on more and more tasks and learned the business quickly. By the time he graduated from high school, he owned 25% of the business. Eventually he owned it all and sold it only when he retired.
Another famous Anniston landmark established in 1899. The brothel was upstairs.
Day 3: Chief Ladiga Trail
9 am and it’s 41 degrees. We were each wearing 5 layers of clothing and still cold. Riding warmed us up fairly quickly. We took Subway sandwiches because we weren’t sure what services would be available, especially since it’s Sunday and most businesses are closed.
We are always concerned about wildlife encounters (my scariest was riding past a watchful bear) so when Billie said, “What’s that down the trail? Is it an animal?” I don’t know. It looked like a tiny buffalo but maybe it was a huge dog. It didn’t move, we approached cautiously. The tiny buffalo:
At the state line, the Silver Comet Trail ended
and the Chief Ladiga (luh-DIE-guh) Trail began:
Terrapin Creek:
Duggar Mountain, second highest point in Alabama:
The end of trail in Weaver with an immediate welcome sign for Anniston which was still 6 miles away.
We rode until the shoulder disappeared on the 4-lane, high-speed road into town. It just wasn’t safe so we called the local taxi company who sent a van to pick us up. A $10 solution! There was a bar at our hotel! We had a great time talking with Jessica, the front desk manager and bartender. Then more patons arrived.
We really enjoyed meeting Dan and Sharon who live just 30 miles away. Then we visited with some other cyclists (the photo-bomb guy).
Miles = 48 and 52 degrees at 4pm.
arletelouise 