For the June event Atlanta Breakfast Rally partnered up with soon-to-be launched apparel brand Antrieb and local meet event Lifts and Lagers to promote a big public meet and forest service road ride. Starting at Fresh Donuts in Adairsville for breakfast and staging, the event already had a buzz of excitement as folks enjoyed their sugary treats and mingled through the parking lots, looking at the builds getting ready to embark on the journey. Unexpectedly, a gentleman in a Bronco showed up with his therapy animals, a lovely border Collie and a mini horse, both of whom were a huge hit with the entire group.

A quick drivers meeting set the expectation for the drive and ensured the group was all on the same channels for the radios and walkies, then 25 cars ranging from our rusty dusty old Xterra to 4 Runners and Jeeps to a Mini Cooper and a flock of Porsches hit the pavement winding our way to the Johns Mountain area.

The Johns Mountain WMA is over 23,000 acres of forest service roads, hiking trails, hunting areas and dense wooded land providing home to bear, bobcat, turkeys and a large variety of birds. We didn’t see much in the way of wildlife aside from some of those species of birds, and we only explored a few of the forest service roads, but the beauty tucked away in these lesser traveled spaces of Georgia is hard to beat. After a short stop in the campground to regroup we headed out along the main route to head up to a large open space, traversing multiple large mud puddles, lots of ruts and bumps and a few narrow spots where trees got to be a little friendly with the cars.

One of the drivers didn’t quite nail the line through a particularly deep and misleading mud pit so some folks got to break out the recovery gear and we helped to ensure the depth in multiple spots of the area, then it was back to the drive up to the clearing. It was a scorcher once the sun heated up the forest and the air was dense with the threat of a summer shower looking in the distance. As we proceeded up towards the end of the path the vegetation shifted from lush forest to shorter brush and tall grasses, giving way to peeps of the surrounding foothills before the road dead ends at a horseshoe.

We were unsure if we would all fit, but with some creative parking and shifting we were able to make sure everyone was able to take a few moments to converse and a few of us picked some wild blackberries as a trail snack- one of my favorite treats provided by nature during the summer. After some social time we made a plan- some folks would follow Hill, the organizer behind Lifts and Lagers, back towards town and the highway with some joining him all the way to Drowned Valley (the brewery in downtown Cartersville), while others would split off and go experience the John’s Mountain Overlook. This part of the drive will stay in my mind for my inevitable hiking in the area- the forest service road feels decidedly like most others- bumpy, rutted, gritty- but man the overlook is stunning. If you’ve got the ability to take on a forest service road I absolutely recommend this drive.

This whole area offers a lot for the wandering heart to explore and some lovely roads, both paved and unpaved to enjoy whatever vehicle you drive. From the overlook we headed back down to pavement, then made the trek ourselves back to the brewery from some lunch and a beverage or two. The turn out for the event was exceptional and everyone seemed to have a lovely time. While ABR doesn’t do many off-road drives, the few done each year are always some of my favorites because they usually lead to some stunning views, whether it’s an overlook or just a reminder of how lovely the uninhabited wilderness is. If you’re into driving and want to join a group out to enjoy the fun of the road the Facebook group for Atlanta Breakfast Rally might be for you.