April Roadtrip Day 1, Atlanta to Columbus

Day 1

Wednesday, April, 1, 2026

   I really wasn't going very far today, just to Columbus.  It seemed a good way to ease into the two week roadtrip.  

      The first stop of the day was LaGrange.  Never gets old...

     There's a series of walking trails throughout the city.  Some are loops, while others connect one part of the city to another.  They call the system of trails The Thread.  

     Always good to get some walking in.  The trail around Granger Park is only .9 miles.  Add the spur and it's 1.5 miles.

    Definitely an Ironman vibe...

     Ignore my walking pace.  I did stop in for coffee.

    In the end, I walked the loop and spur three times.  

   There's a lake loop trail I'd love to tackle in the area. At eleven miles, it's a bit of a commitment.  It's one of many things on the list for next year.  Instead, I just walked around downtown.

   Lafayette Square 

     LaGrange in bloom...

      Passing through LaGrange also gave me the perfect excuse for lunch at Beacon Brewing.   I've been here a few times in passing.  There used to be a lot of variety and the food is always really good.  Strange, they only had three of their own beers on tap when I walked in.

    Wild Leap Brewing is a much bigger place, with higher brewing capacity.  The owners of Beacon decided to focus more on food. So, they have an agreement with Wild Leap.  They brew their three beers there.  In turn, Wild Leap gets two taps at Beacon.  I understand it from a business perspective.  But, Beacon always did make better beer.

     There was still plenty of time before check in.  A quick Google search for trails brought me to Cooper Creek Park in Columbus.  It wasn't a strenuous trail.  But, I did enjoy the scenery.

     That's Cooper Creek on the right.  

     My home for the night was the same Motel 6 where I stayed the last time.   Other than road noise, it was fine. 

     They gave me Room 232.  

     Then they gave me Room 229.  The card key didn't work.  Back to the desk.  

    The view from the room...  

     I was a little kid during the Apollo missions to the moon.  While I had no clue how big it was, it was certainly cool to me.

     It felt weird how little attention there was about the Artemis II launch.  Sure, the astronauts aren't actually landing on the moon.  But, this should be a bigger deal.

     I watched while waiting out the brief afternoon rain storm.  

     The rain passed just in time to take the short walk to the riverfront.