Well, while the weather cooperated, the family schedule did not. Somehow, the entire weekend was a wash in terms of riding, which was a bummer. Friday afternoon did provide some fun on the bike though. Had to make a run down to Perimeter Mall to pick up something for my mother's birthday. The fun thing about that stretch is that from Alpharetta I have two options. Boring highway (GA 400), or surface streets.
One of the ugly things that people who have never lived in the area don't understand or know is that the Chattahoochee River is a little bitty river that causes huge traffic headaches in the area. The reason is pretty simple. From Lake Lanier to I-285, there are only 9 bridges across the river: GA 20, Mcginnis Ferry Rd, Abbots Bridge Rd, State Bridge Rd, Medlock Bridge Rd, Holcomb Bridge Rd, GA 400, Roswell Rd, and Johnson's Ferry. Unfortunately, this is the very heart of Atlanta's north suburban sprawl. In order to get from Alpharetta/Milton to Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody, there are only two relevant bridges, Roswell Rd and GA 400.
Given my options, Roswell Rd it is. It's not that the BV can't handle the highway (particularly at 5:30 on Friday when traffic is moving at a blistering 10 mph!), but that I don't *enjoy* the highway. Fortunately the rain held off late enough that I navigated the back roads and got the gift (and a few minutes of 'personal time' window shopping Restoration Hardware) before coming home to mow the yard.
That's one of the hidden luxuries of Atlanta that I love. We are far enough west in the Eastern Standard Timezone, that during the summer months, it's still light until around 9PM. But after that ride, Bev got parked until this morning, when we got a lovely slightly foggy morning ride into work. Uneventful, but strangely peaceful.