I left really early for this ride to get a jump on the day and also I had some highway sections and the earlier in the morning I could approach them the better. I was so early I even took 74 from Paschall road south, but I made a boo boo and while I had yet to load my route, I for some reason turned down Rockaway. I had planned out several iterations of today's ride when the wind and rain forecast kept changing every day, and one route included going through Senoia twice. I almost just kept going and then turn on 16 to get back towards Brooks but that made zero sense so I turned around at the top of the first hill. I rode through Griffin in the dark and was already on to doing some dead end roads in the Orchard Hill area before sunrise. Reminded me of the first few times I began riding the subdivisions of Fayette county more than 2 years ago, super early in the morning. Eventually I made my way over to Monroe county, via High Falls road. The west part near 36 was closed off with large equipment blocking the way, but I of course just went around. It ended at the next cross road with no bridge out or anything. Only thing I could think was filming of some kind, in the one subdivision that was blocked off. Anyway it made the trip down High Falls road better with basically no traffic, although that could just be from the early hour. Next I took Boxankle road, which was very narrow and hilly and curvy for a lot of its length, with no traffic till further south. This brought me to Forsyth, I rode a couple subdivisions and rode to a recreation complex and used the facilities preemptively which were open. Also topped off my bottles, so at the gas station stop by the interstate I only got a coke(and lots of snacks). A subdivision just south of Forsyth had many more new roads and I rode them all of course. Several other roads turned out to be a bit longer than I had anticipated, so this ride was shaping up to be quite long. Still the clouds obscured the sun and it stayed at 58-60 for a long while, even well after sunrise. The sun really didn't come out till the afternoon, and the wind held off too. I managed to make almost all my east and south bits before the wind picked up in earnest from the southeast. So on the run in to Thomaston and back home I had a good tailwind. I had an uneventful trip down hwy 42 and 74 to Culloden, just a few motorcycles and a few cars, nothing too crazy. I almost bypassed stopping for a little snack at the gas station here but ultimately decided to at least get a soda and chips, and I am really glad I did, because it was a long and difficult way down and back up to Thomaston. I was unsure about a road connecting through from the Salem community almost to US 19. It started out like a normal lightly maintained gravel road, but eventually there was a gate. There was a sort of sign that probably at one time said no trespassing or something but it wasn't legible anymore and anyway I decided to just go ahead anyway. There weren't any fresh tracks in the dirt and I proceeded quietly(as I could). Along the way there was a really cool old abandoned farmhouse that was still standing but the porch was very unstable and in any case I didn't have time to check it out. At length I arrived at the reason for the road closure originally, the bridge was out. Auchumpkee creek. It was similar flow to Flat creek in PTC and I just forded the creek, which got just up to my thigh at the deepest, in the middle. The rest was all sandy and I got a lot in my shoes. I pedaled out and went around the other gate and found the next dead end road I was to take also gated, this one with a fancy electronic one with a keypad and a bunch of signs so I definitely wasn't going down that. I cleaned my shoes really quick and got going. I climbed my way up to Thomaston and was really ready for a little break and some snacks and a soda. This really picked me up and I felt great the rest of the ride in. I had lots of energy and actually rode pretty hard up and down Indian Grave mountain. I took it a bit easier on the Pike county gravel and then rode hard again on the paths partially due to golf carts but mostly because I just wanted to be home. I felt really good at the end, better than usual after one of these.