Long view...

 

This is the West Rim again, but you can also see along it and to the North the topography of the area. The Appalachians run down through NE Alabama as well, and this area is part of the Lookout Mountain part of the Range, just a little SW of Chattanooga. When I was flying, heading to Chattanooga took me over this area and a little more Northerly...pretty country, but not as spectacular as the mountains in NE Georgia and SW North Carolina...it was a pretty nice ride. Temps were in the low 70s when I left around 10AM, and held to 80 or so by the time I returned around 3:30PM or so. Averaged nearly 50 mpg on "The Beastess" going and coming. I came home via a different route, cutting along the Alabama line down to Summerville, then East to Adairsville and on to Cartersville. Bike rode good, strong and steady all day.

Hikers

 

Better shot of the hikers on the West Rim...

West Rim

 

This is the West Rim of the Canyon, looking across from the parking lot on the East Side of the Canyon. If you look closely you'll see hikers on the West Rim, which is a 4.7 mile hike over.

Cloudland Canyon

While BD was in Portland, Oregon visiting Sarah and the kids, I rode up to Cloudland Canyon Staqte Park. I've tried to get there two or three times before, but was rained out each time. Today, though, I made it. Two hours in the saddle, some very nice scenery and some routine scenery as well, but the canyon is pretty spectacular...this shot is righ over the railing out over which you can see the canyon. It is near the Alabama/Tennessee/Georgia convergance in NW Georgia near LaFayette.