Day 42: Newnan, GA to Perry, GA

100 Miles - Century Ride To Central Georgia; Highway 341 To Fort Valley, GA and Perry, GA - April 2, 2011

Caution: Dirt bikes?! :)	I was up especially early to ride, as the weather today and tomorrow would be beautiful. Today's high would reach the low 80s. Sunny. And would you believe it, a northwesterly wind! For much of today's ride, I had a tailwind. :)
	Griffin, Georgia 37 miles brought me to Griffin. From here, I turned south toward Barnesville.
	Traveling south on Highway 7 near Griffin.
	Barnesville, Georgia Rest break in Barnesville. 52 miles so far. Another mix: Did you know mixing yellow and light blue Powerade give you a teal green drink? :)
	Leaving Barnesville, I was very confident Fort Valley, GA, the next town with lodging, was a reachable goal. The wind was at my back, the weather was warm and inviting, and the roads were relaxed.
	I cycled on Highway 341 toward Roberta. This road would take me all the way to Brunswick, just miles from the beach! I cruised nicely. The scenery became rural. The land flattened. The wind was friendly. The shoulder was smooth and clean. Everything was going my way! :)
	The Crawford County line.
	The Peach County line.
	Fort Valley, Georgia At Fort Valley, I gave myself a "thumbs up" at a major traffic intersection. At a Subway, I opened my paper map of Georgia. The red star is Fort Valley. Yes sir, I was in central Georgia now. The end was near! :) 90 miles so far. Ten more miles to Perry.
	Perry, Georgia As I approached Interstate 75 in Perry, I noticed a number of motels and knew this was the day's end. My odometer read 99 miles, and to top off my mileage at 100, I casually biked in circles in a nearby cemetery. There's something about cemeteries that awakens me. Perhaps its the fact that the grave is the fate of all of humanity. "Live life to the fullest," they say. Well today, I felt so grateful and humbled to be on the verge of successfully biking across America for the second time in my life. I'm no expert on what it takes to bicycle across America. I know having money and time (at the same time) is a key component, but after that, I'm not sure. If I had advice to give, I'd say you must have drive. You've got to want it. It's got to be something you want so badly that you're willing to take risks, look like a fool, or seem "irresponsible" to the so-called "responsbile." Life's too short to sit on the sidelines. Your dreams won't fall in your lap, and relying on other people to achieve your dreams is foolishness. Sometimes you need to bust out and grab things by the throat to make it happen. Or maybe it's as subtle as admitting your fears and asking someone for help. If you're reading this and desire to do a long-distance tour, I want to encourage you that I've done it twice, and there's nothing special about me. Best wishes, Steve
	Apparently the cost of living in Perry is low, because I stayed at a higher-end inn at a very reasonble rate. They served a hot breakfast, had a pool and hot tub and a business center with a computer with Internet access. Grateful! 100 miles. My third century ride on the journey. Enjoying my journal? Let's connect on Facebook ...