Monday, September 29, 2014

Learning to Road Bike Along the Soque - A Story

Submitted by: Scarlett Fuller



Biker Chic Buddies: (left to right) Christie Stegall, Scarlett Fuller & Mary Katherine Crews
Neals Gap - Mtn Crossing

I learned to bike along the Soque...road bike that is.  Anyone who has ever learned to road bike knows, it is a learning process. For my graduation present from graduate school at UGA I received a brand new road bike from Habersham Bicycles. I was already a regular mountain biker, but had been wanting to get into road biking for some time. My maiden voyage ended with a crash and bent handlebars due to forgetting to clip out of my pedals in time. This is NOT second nature and is a learned repetitive behavior one has to remember when first starting to road bike. Being all fired up about road biking, I signed myself and a friend up for 6 Gap Century ride held each September in Dahlonega, GA. Except, they have a half-century called 3 Gap which is the one we opted for. Still...a 58 mile bike ride across Neal, Wolf Pen and Woody Gaps is no easy feat...so the training began. My training ground for this ride, as well as just learning to ride period was scenic Hwy 197. Three days a week, my biking buddies (there's safety in numbers, right??) and I would head out from the Clarkesville Mill down 197. Let me back up and also note, the FIRST time you ever road bike, well frankly you hate it and think to yourself, "Why would I EVER do that AGAIN??!" You must get use to sharing the road with sometimes not so generous drivers. You have to watch out for ANYTHING on the road that might cause those skinny little tires to flip right out from under you. Unless you ride about 75-100 miles a week your leg muscles burn so badly and your breathing is so out of control you think you are about to have a stroke and heart attack all at the same time. So went my first, second and third road biking experiences. This is where the Soque River comes in. Each week we would push ourselves a little further and a little harder. Once we were finally able to climb the beast of a hill at Soque Wilderness subdivision to the top at Lovell Properties office, WOW were we in for a treat of down, down, downhill all the way to Turner's property and the "dip" to our reward along the Soque. Imagine early summer mornings with fresh mountain air, no traffic and the rushing Soque flowing past as you leisurely pedal down the road. This began my love affair with road biking along the Soque River. I fell in love with this stretch of the road and river, and it made all the effort to get to this point worth it. The Soque was my inspiration each trip to make it over the tough hill climbs, scary drivers and sometimes inclement weather (those skinny tires and oily roads do NOT mix). Believe it or not, this 15 mile out and back stretch (30+ miles round trip) was excellent training for our 3 Gap ride that September. Did I make the grueling 58 mile mountain ride...yes!  All thanks to my training along the Soque. 

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Snapping Turtle on the Soque - Photo

Submitted by: Lisa Staggers

I work at Mark of the Potter on Highway 197N. This past spring one of our elusive snapping turtles put in several appearances over the course of a week. I managed to get several photos of it before it took back off to the depths of the river. These are a few of my favorites.


 



Friday, September 12, 2014

"Hey Dad!" I could use some help here!" - Photo

Submitted by:  Tom Wilbanks

Thirty-two inch rainbow trout caught and released by 6 year old nephew Sawyer Burgess. His dad Tommy Burgess is holding the fish.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

First Time on the Soquee - Story

Submitted by:  Justin Ellis

The first time I went canoeing on the Soquee, on Memorial Day weekend in 2003, I didn't see a single living soul the entire trip. I did see kingfishers, a beaver family, canada geese, and a rainstorm that made each water drop invert into the sunshine when it plopped in the river. I also went skinny dipping and caught a catfish. At the end I rode my bike back up Pea Ridge Road to Cannon Bridge to complete the sensation of paddling and biking the entire lower section of the river, not to mention that great feeling of self sufficiency. That trip (and others like it) permanently bound my heart to this "one of a kind" river.                                                                                                    ~Justin Ellis, SRWA Director

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

"Misty Morning" - Photo

Submitted by: Barbara Johns

"This photo was taken early one morning while I waited for Mark of the Potter to open its kiln.  It was a very misty morning and this river is just glorious any time of day."