A fun diversion from the same ol', same ol' Silver Comet Trail. This route starts from the Tara Drummond Trailhead in Dallas, GA to take advantage of the facilities. Instead of hopping on the Silver Comet, head across Highway 278 on Old Villa Rica Rd. for a quick spin through the old town part of Dallas. After touring Dallas, we missed our turn on N Johnston St. and had to back track a little to get back on route. There are a couple of "warm up" climbs on Mt. Olivet Rd. and on Gore Lakes Rd. through the beautiful little hamlet. At about Mile 5, the first stretch of gravel road begins. Gore Lakes Rd. transitions to gravel at the "T" intersection with either the straight-through or right-turn options. We chose the right-turn and were quickly reminded that the grades on gravel roads are typically steeper than their asphalt cousins. The gravel section ends at the Johnny Monk/High Shoals intersection. The High Shoals/Raccoon Creek descent is glorious. The next "gravel" section is on Thomas Rd. The road surface is, in reality, a very rough pavement that is similar to the chip-and-seal do prevalent in the northern states. Thomas Rd. dumps out onto Braswell Mountain Rd with its famous rollers (all paved). A left-hand turn onto Brushy Mountain Rd. will take you on a 4-1/2 mile roller coaster of silky-smooth pavement until the road dead-ends at Highway 278. The route then crosses Highway 278 (caution: heavy cross-traffic at 60+ mph) onto the 1.6 mile section of gravel on Yorktown Pass Rd. Multiple store stop options in Yorkville. Heavier traffic on Goldmine Rd and the very short (1/4 mile) section of Highway 278 that is required to reach Willow Springs Rd. -- excellent paved road. One last section of gravel on McPherson Rd. takes you back to the Silver Comet. A right on the Silver Comet trail and about 7 miles of cool-down will lead you back to Tara Drummond. There are other return options if you want to avoid the Silver Comet entirely: Hanlin Rd (gravel) to Willow Springs (paved) to Mt. Olivet, or Continuing on McPherson Church Rd. crossing through the Silver Comet. The gravel on McPherson Church does eventually change to asphalt and joins Mt. Olivet Rd.