‍I left the house a bit before 5am in very hot soupy 76 degree air. The forecast was for upper eighties, and a 60% chance of rain mainly in the morning. Skies were cloudy and it was dry all the way down to LaGrange with a stiff west wind. I had to stop for a really long fast moving double stacked intermodal train in Moreland. The little bits of highway I did going into Hogansville were pretty deserted except for two cops with their lights on who I got off the road for and who were going at least 80 even through the beginnings of town, only to then screech to a crawl to turn down some street and disappear. In Hogansville there was another long intermodal sitting on the very long siding there. I began doing neighborhoods in the outskirts of LaGrange as the sun rose and I heard thunder off in the distance. Eventually I got curious as to what I was up against so I checked the radar and found that there was a lot of very heavy rain just north of my location. I found a little secluded spot on a dead end off the highway as it began to rain to situate my gear for protection from water. I didn't quite get my garmin enshrouded in a ziploc bag as well as last weekend and so I was fighting with it a bit for the next few hours. It made it a bit hard to see and interact with which was a shame because I had several complicated subdivisions that had new bits that would have been easier if I were able to fully interact with the map. But as it was I was able to see the map well enough that I mostly managed just fine and went off script and just explored as if I had no plan. The rain was heavy at first but soon slacked off, and lightly rained for the next 3-4 hours. Mostly not more than just a steady rain, it did rain enough that water overflowed gutters and there were large puddles everywhere. In this section I had to connect neighborhood riding with some of the busy roads near the interstate and despite the rain and some traffic this went pretty smoothly. I definitely wish I had installed my little rear fender at least to prevent the spray on me and my radar but it held up well. I packed heavy for a long carry till my first stop in the heat. I brought around 4.5 liters of water and a decent amount of food. My top tube bag eventually collected some water and after it finally stopped raining I cleaned it out as best I could and wiped it down to absorb as much liquid as I could with what I had(toilet paper) while riding down a deserted road. I stopped for the first time at what was supposed to be mile 108 at a Dollar General south of town but turned out to be at mile 117 mostly because I did more miles exploring new roads than planned. I felt good and decided to try to make this my only stop like my strategy last week so I loaded up with water, two sodas and lots of snacks. The second half of the day turned out to be as hot as predicted but it still wasn't too bad. Nothing like a bad day in summer but certainly far from a pleasant spring day. I had decided during the rain that I would perhaps skip the gravel in Meriwether county and head home on pavement. But the sun and warmth dried things out a lot plus most of the roads are on gravel anyway. There's not many truly dirt roads left in Meriwether and I decided to just roll with it and perhaps skip the bits after Gay. So that's what I ended up doing. I enjoyed the gravel and deserted roads in Meriwether county a lot and had a nice tailwind as well. I saved another giant turtle on Mount Carmel road in Joe Kurz WMA(I saved the first big one in a new subdivision in LaGrange). Alas though I couldn't make it all the way home on what I had as I ran out of food and so I diverted to Haralson to stop at the store there for more food mainly but I also got a coke too. I felt pretty good going up and through Senoia and got home right before sunset. 👍 60.8 new miles 🏘 Completed 50% of LaGrange 🏘 Completed Gay -- From Wandrer