Got going relatively early so I could sail across the 154 Campbellton river crossing and a couple busy roads around Lithia Springs. Encountered a train at the end of Gullatt road but it was absolutely flying past so it didn't last long. Traffic wasn't too much of an issue. Lee road was interesting, it was a narrow two lane road that is clearly usually very busy, I got passed a few times here. Looks like they were in the middle of widening it to a divided 4 lane road. Once I got to south Cobb the traffic mostly thinned out and I rolled through Powder Springs and across the Silver Comet for the first time. Did a few very rich subdivisions near the trails on the way, stopped for the first time at the nearby Kroger. It being pretty early in the ride(around 68 miles) I didn't really need all that much but I wasn't going to get another stop till well after the trail portion was over. So I left with lots of cheetos and a coke. I figured I had plenty of water and hoped that I could refill at the bathroom at the trailhead. I rolled up to the trailhead at 9 something and it was already full of cars. They had a very nice bottle fill water fountain that worked well. I took the opportunity to use the flush toilet, then headed out to do the trails. I thought they would be busy but I barely saw anyone out there. They're directional depending on odd-even days of the week. So I did everything counter-clockwise which to be honest made things easier. Just pick a direction and stick with it. It also meant that I would never encounter an opposing rider, which was very nice. Barely anybody hiking as well. The trails were pretty mellow the first three loops, but the last big loop of Voodoo, Hocus Pocus and Mumbo Jumbo was very technical, twisty in the extreme, and had lots of steep little pitches. I was really just trying to manage my effort and stay at a relaxed pace as best I could, because of the enormity of the day's effort required. I was already getting a bit tired and by the end of Mumbo Jumbo I was beat. It veered off once away from the track onto some new trail that added to what was there, and I was really confused. But stuck with it and it eventually ended and I prepared myself for some busy road riding. The next bits were busier that I would have liked but weren't too bad. I stopped at a CVS across from a Publix, and in retrospect should have gone to the Publix. CVS is so damned expensive it's silly. I was famished though so I bought a ton of snacks and a soda of course. I really ate a lot in the next few miles and began to feel better as the ride went on. Seven Hills Boulevard which was the main road from here, was very busy, and while at first it had a shoulder, that petered out. It wasn't even a regular two lane road, it was a divided two lane road with a median, no shoulder and a curb. The WORST. I hate these with a passion. There's no where for anybody to pass a cyclist without getting 1-2 feet from them. There was a little widened sidewalk-path beside the road but of course it wasn't consistent which side it was on. I saw a couple golf carts on them so good job Paulding county at being the worst place you could possibly be. In addition the hills were steep especially in the subdivisions. Eventually though after an agonizing few miles as I went south the traffic went away and I was finally on rural roads. Trip into Villa Rica was okay, but involved one of the steepest hills i've ridden around here in the Mirror Lake subdivision. It was 15% for awhile. Stopped again for the last time for insurance food and another pick me up soda and rolled away as the sun faded down towards the horizon and crossed over I-20. The roads south of Villa Rica were almost traffic free which was nice. The sun had already set by the time I made it down Capps Ferry road and while there were a few bunches of cars, it wasn't an issue. I was glad to get off and ride part of Dirty Sheets in the dark solitude. I was very sore and tired but felt serviceable despite the efforts of the day. I had managed my pace pretty good I figured. Still though it meant I was pretty slow on the day and so my hope of finishing before 10pm was dashed and it was stretched out past 10:30. It was also a suprisingly cold day in early April. It began with low forties that eventually settled down to around 36. Then in the evening it cooled off to around 49 for the last hour or so. So I had to put on gloves, ear and arm warmers again. Saw two turkeys a couple of times, one time in a subdivision in Cobb county. Heard an Owl hooting while riding the trails. Most surprising I saw two groundhogs. Forget where the first one was but the second was in Dallas on a side street! I never see them around here. I've seen them lots up in WNC but it's rare to see one here. On the way back of course I ran into a stopped train at Gullatt road and 29. I almost went straight on Tatum road to take Johnson road across but I don't like that way. Cursed myself when I rolled up. It was just barely poking out of the yard, stopped, so i hoped it was backing in. I decided to wait for a bit. Thankfully after a minute or two it backed into the yard and I was able to continue. Survived the remaining miles on mostly deserted roads and paths and was glad to be done but not completely spent at the end.