Callaway Gardens is beautiful. It is only 100 miles from home, so it has been a special place for us over the years. We brought visitors to the South to show them Southern Style, hiked and biked along the paths with our kids in every season. We have watched it transition from a family centered place with camp-like accommodations to a golf destination with "villas" and lately to a kind of spa culture with emphasis on the new communities of expensive second homes appended to the gardens. 
Today the Gardens were deserted. We only saw six bikes on the trails all day and only a handful of cars at the visitors center. That was great. We had negotiated for Senior Annual passes and were ready to see every feature and ride every trail and road several times over our five day stay.
It was cool in the breeze as we rode and we watched for the storm buildup that was predicted for the afternoon. The roots are already pushing through the surface on many parts of the bike paths, but that may moderate the speed a little; some portions show evidence of resurfacing. The main roads are smooth and traffic free. The only activity seemed to be preparations for the Ski event at Robin Lake.
Back at the rally site we enjoyed talking to Robert and Anita about "Grace", their beautiful Golden and their equally beautiful new 30' Flying Cloud. The storms came in the late afternoon, but the worst passed North and South of us. We stayed buttoned up through the evening with light rain every so often.
Callaway let us down the next day. At the gate they wanted another $25 per day for the rest of the weekend for their "Special Event". They gracelessly refunded the $80 we had just shelled out for Annual Passes. Still, it felt like a betrayal by an old friend.
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