‍I was a bit apprehensive about when to start this ride, as I would be on US19 for a long time after Griffin. I figured it could be either completely deserted due to it being a lesser highway and plus Sunday morning doldrums. But then again I have made this assumption before and been proven wrong as I was passed by hordes of early morning car traffic. I compromised with myself and avoided the super early departure in favor of a more reasonable 3:45 which actually worked out about as perfectly as I could have planned. The trip to Griffin was as devoid of traffic as any other i've undertaken, and somehow the trip down the Expressway stroad running through Griffin was ridden(uphill no less) without seeing any other cars at all in either direction. The small street straight was closed for construction so I diverted onto 16 and then a couple of side streets to get back on track. In the process I had to pick a way through that I hadn't ridden before if my memory would serve me and it delivered. I took the left turn to go around a (two way)circle and this was correct! I got on US19 proper and started riding dead ends in the dark early morning hours. The highway was almost totally deserted thankfully so even left turns off of it were no problem. Mostly nothing was going on in these neighborhoods but one tiny gravel road had an off leash black lab that barked at me and followed me for a bit, with their owners nearby and trying to get the dog back. It was kind of awkward as surely nobody ever goes down that road at all but I got in and out no problem. To jump backward a bit before the dog incident I rode through Zebulon and did most of the streets there in the dark with a bit of light barely making it through. I took pictures of the signs at the newish subdivision south of town, and did a little loop over to Meansville on back roads. The roads were still fairly wet from the rain on Friday and a bit of moisture from Saturday night apparently. Riding down Arthur road I was greeted with a wonderful view of the sun glinting beautifully through the trees and shining off the puddles in the road. Amazing sight. Next I did a dead end street in Meansville and was treated to a little abandoned and overgrown church at the end. As well as several abandoned houses along the roads near Meansville. I did the fairly long climb up Indian Grave Mountain without issue and barely any traffic, and enjoyed the little downhill only to turn off down a side road to start a meandering journey back to the highway again via what was supposed to be another climb up the mountain to a church at the summit and possibly some houses if it had public access. However I was stymied by an almost endless stream of cars turning onto the road for the climb up. So I waited for a gap to cross over past this line of churchgoers and avoid the climb altogether and leave it for another day. I continued on back to the highway and by now the sun was up and the temperature was really warming up fast so I was getting hot. I was totally comfortable with what I had on for the hours in the upper thirties down to eventually 35 degrees. So I stopped at a little abandoned wood in between a neighborhood and the highway and worked my way to the interior where there were signs of coyote dinners of recent past and took off some of my layers and a nature break. Worked my way along the last few dead end roads necessary before peeling off the highway and taking my first stop at a Dollar General(of course). I had brought way too much water and of course had plenty of food for a lot longer so I opted to just get a coke and a snack or two. Got back going pretty quickly and resumed my meander of Thomaston along the streets. The bits after this stop were mostly along a grid of sorts so there were fewer dead ends. I worked my way south and east and had a mostly easy and traffic free ride and was making pretty good time. Took off all of my layers soon after this stop. I neglected my eating slightly a little after this point and thus got behind so I felt a bit tired by the time I rolled into the second Dollar General stop of the day in Downtown. I stopped and sat down in the shaded bushes to eat an entire bag of Golden Flake salt and vinegar chips next to the building overlooking the construction of a new roundabout in the complicated intersection adjacent. I felt really good after this little break and I rolled away packed with food and water to see me good for the remainder of the ride. Most of the subdivision riding was done by this point and also I turned north so my speed picked up a little bit going away from the light wind. I felt the effort of the pretty hilly day and was sore but feeling good. So I decided to do the church climb up the mountain after all, since I would pass by within three quarters of a mile of it on the way home. This climb was paved and quite steep at the initial summit to the church. Then the road continued on to some more houses still public and open, and climbed perhaps another hundred or so feet up. It was a screaming descent and were I on my road bike I could have hit mid fifties easily it was so steep and straight of a road. As It was on my non aero gravel bike I still hit upper forties. All this definitely added more miles but I felt pretty good and enjoyed the immediate climb back up the mountain over to Pike county again. This way home is very familiar to me except I did divert over to Concord and Hollonville to do gravel roads never before explored by me and one last subdivision as the sun went down. I took Scott and Ward road from downtown Hollonville to get me back to Blanton Mill road as the light completely faded into darkness and I was following a route so well trod by me that I almost don't need a light to follow it. PTC was pretty dead by the time I got back and I enjoyed almost solitude on the paths remaining to home. 👍 78.01 new miles Completed 50% of Upson County 🏘 Completed 90% of Concord 🏘 Completed 90% of Meansville 🏘 Completed 75% of Zebulon -- From Wandrer