A visit to Russell Lands

[Guidedawg]

I was off for a three day weekend with perfect weather each day.  We had a funeral out of town for an acquaintance on Saturday which ruled out most of that.  We had friends coming in on Monday, and I still had Christmas lights to remove, etc.

Mrs. Guidedawg knew it was a foregone conclusion, so she just made plans to join me on Sunday.  I contacted a riding friend and he and his lady decided to join us for a ride around Lake Martin.

It was after lunch before we got a chance to get moving so we went up through Wetumpka and several small towns until we crossed the lake just past Children's Harbor.  This would our primary view of the lake all day as it was as much of a visiting time as it was a ride.

SSurveyor's girlfriend has ridden horses on the trails up there and wanted to show us some buildings on Russell Lands as well as getting a quick bite. So we parked the bikes and hung out there for awhile.


This is the only bike or road picture you are going to see in this report, I'm afraid.

There were a few old cabins that had been moved to the property, so we walked around them a bit







Then we took the bikes over to an upscale dining establishment on the property.  Most everything was done with stone so I took a photo for the theme tag, but someone had already covered it.



We went inside the restaurant, known as "The Spring House".  Since Mrs. Dawg is blind, I was showing her the sign made of wine corks.



Now, for me fine dining means having to wear shoes and use utensils.  Nevertheless, I didn't expect it to be so up"scale" that the scales of the seafood were made OF utensils!



Our exploration took us downstairs through a tunnel in the wine cellar to arrive at a room housed in a round tower. If the knights are not seated at the round table, you can request to have your meal served here.


You can exit the "tower" directly onto the grounds, displaying the hillside.




After our visit there, we climbed back onto the bike and rode up through Alexander City before making our way West of Hwy 22 to New Site where we turned south and took a quick ride on the loop of Horseshoe Bend Park.



This was my first time into the park and I plan to return with at least one of my daughters when I can take time to soak in the history.

We called home to make arrangements for my daughter's transportation to evening services so that we could take the time to stop for a sit-down meal as Oskar's Café.  We enjoyed the good food and company and it was dark by the time we left.

As you noticed in the photos, I was wearing long sleeves and a vest because I wanted to take advantage of a nice day in the mid-70's.  I had no intention of being out that late.  I should have known better, and followed the suggestion of my wife.  She was wise enough to pack her jacket.

So 49 South was a series of hills, curves, darkness, and cold wind.  When I reach Interstate 85, I was surprised to see that I still had 30 miles to reach Montgomery.  Since my friend was going to have to peel off a little north of town anyway, I opened up the VTX and took off for home. 

It was a slow paced, just get out because it was a nice day, kind of ride, and there's nuthin' wrong with that.

[Nice Goat]

That is an awesome ride report.  Great photos and great narrative!

Thanks for sharing!

[VWCarlos]

I am surprised I didn't see you guys on the road. I was riding the same roads in the area but I kept heading north from the lake. Great ride report and pics.

[Crandon]

I recognize these fine folks.

[Guidedawg]

Although you know all the people in the foreground, none really meet that description.  Those fine folks you are talking about must be the ones talking near the building.  You've got good eyes!