Lake Russell

What has no arms and no legs, sitting in a pile of leaves?  Russell/Rustle!  Ha ha, but contrary to one of the best quadriplegic jokes in history, riding through the leaves at Lake Russell is no laughing matter - just look at the mugs on these guys; let's get serious.

As we pedaled out of the parking lot, Andy light-heartedly wondered if we'd be riding straight up a mountain, straight out the gate.  We all kind of chuckled anxiously, then immediately found ourselves at the bottom of a three million foot climb - what the...

No worries though, because going up is the only way to see nature at her finest, like this beautiful waterfall,   

  

and Andy holding up a tree for Clegg while he gets a quick back rub from another tree across the way.

  

Bill has since pointed out that pain is a sign of weakness leaving the body; for me, it's oxygen.  I was so depleted from all the fun I was having, I don't even remember this picture being taken.

  

Lake Russell is part of the wonderful Wildlife Management Area near Cornelia and Toccoa, and really is a lovely place to become one with nature for a few hours...unless of course you think you're surreptitiously taking a leak on the side of the trail, only to get caught by these guys with your pants down (unsuspecting girl in blue, you know who you are).

  

After looping around and crossing a dam, we hit some paved road which was sweet relief for about a second--then it turned out to be a paved trial of mental fortitude---commencing the second three million feet climb of the day.

Ahh, but waiting for us at the top was Chenocetah Mountain, and with it a spectacular view of our progress to the right:

  

and a kind of New England-y, cool looking fire tower to the left, boasting TONS of patio space;

  

a perfect place to corral the bikes and snack on some potatoes and shot block...balls (heh).

We didn't know it at the time, but we were about to be rewarded with a truly magnificent downhill back to the parking lot...

  It was an AWEsome day.