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Weekend Rover: To West Point Lake by land: Land Rover's 2009 LR3
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Photo Credit: Olympus Stylus 1030 SW
MSRP: $46,750
MPG: 12 city / 17 highway
Annual Fuel: $2,849
(15,000 miles @ $2.66 gallon/premium)
With gas prices being far more manageable thus far this summer, now is as good a time as ever for Atlantans to explore the vast recreational opportunities aside from shopping, restaurants, theater and nightclubs within close reach (an hour away).
In this summer's "Weekend Rover" series I will introduce you to some of the most perfectly suited vehicles for a comfortable journey to a recreational exploration worlds away from city life as you know it. And it all begins this week with Land Rover’s LR3 and LaGrange’s West Point Lake... Located just about an hour south of the airport, you could not ask for a more beautiful within which to completely surround yourself for a day, or two three, or more. But first, you’ve got to get there.
Introducing the LR3
Major kudos to Land Rover in general for paving the way and setting the standard for SUV’s here in America. And in the footsteps of its big siblings (Range Rover and Sport), the LR3 for 2009 is loaded with amazing features, advantages and benefits for a sublime driving experience--whether off road, or on.
From nearly every angle of the front grill, the massive bumper, lighting fixtures and front body side panels with air vents the LR3 is chock full of reminders of the Range Rover and Sport, not to mention being the same height as well. And with the technology of today’s electronic stability control, long gone are the days when a car of this size and height ran a great risk of being overturned. Nowadays you can't even get to close to the front, or rear of this car without a warning indicator alerting the driver, which is great way to keep your investment free of scratches and small dents.
Photo Credit: Olympus Stylus 1030 SW
Powered by the same 4.4 liter/8-cylinder engine, available 4.0 liter V6, or a 2.7 liter TDV6 diesel, the baby of the bunch is just a badd as its siblings! While the V8 version achieves nearly the same gas mileage as the larger Rovers, it is super responsive to the slightest tap of the gas, a well suited solution to the power hungry man, or woman within. Personally, I would encourage everyone to take a look at the new diesel version, which burns clean and efficiently, while providing amazing mileage on just one tank of gas.
LR3 is loaded with goodies. My list of favorites includes the turn signals on the front-side body panels, rather the side mirrors like everyone else, and when you swing open either front door at night a beam of light shines down on the ground to illuminate the pathway for your feet to follow and bi-xenon headlights to follow your eyes in the direction your heading. Also of exterior note are the chic and sturdy six spoke, 19-inch alloy rims. Keep your eyes on the road if a sudden douse of rain come crashing down—the wipers will activate at the proper speed all on their own.
Interior highlights for the ultimate in comfort along the one-hour trek to Lagrange begin with huge, comfortable premium ruched leather seats, an electronically adjusted steering column with tilt and telescopic functions and amazing exterior visibility thanks to a perimeter of glass that virtually eliminates blind spots. And I just love the 14-speaker, 550-watt Harmon Kardon stereo with Sirius satellite radio and the ability to play my iPod perfect for playing my theme song—Living My Life Like It’s Golden! But there's more...there's a cooler in the center console cooler box to keep a cold one chillin' for the crew. Speaking of the crew, dual video display screens for the factory installed entertainment system should keep comfortable all five adult passengers comfortable on the second and third row seats, with headphones so not to disrupt the driver.
To keep it interesting for on-road drivers, I’ll skip the amazing off road capabilities of the LR3. If, however, your eyes have begun to light up by the thought of off-road driving, Land Rover offers an off-road driving course that will blow you away! You’ll stay at the luxurious Biltmore Resort, in North Carolina and learn to master harsh conditions while driving the Range Rover, Sport and LR3 models. It’s a perfect trip for a group of guys seeking a behind the wheel adventure. Later this summer I’ll take you on an up-close experience thereof. Manwhile, off we go, down (southbound) I-85 for a weekend at West Point Lake. Oh yeah, go to www.landroverusa.com for more information on this amazing vehicle!
West Point Lake
Surrounded by deep forests and rolling fields, West Point Lake extends 35 miles along the Chattahoochee River on the Alabama-Georgia state line where 525 miles of shoreline provides excellent opportunities for fishing, camping, boating, hiking, bicycling and a host of other fun and exciting recreational activities.
For a look at how it all came to be, the Flood Control Act of 1962, authorized construction of the West Point Dam for flood control (due to seasonal variations in water flow), hydroelectric power, navigation, fish and wildlife development and general recreation. The dam provides water storage for navigation on the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Waterway, running 260 river miles from Apalachicola, Florida to Columbus, Georgia. Its three generators produce enough power yearly to serve 24,000 homes.
Chalet interior at Highland Marina Resort
Late last summer, I had the pleasure to meet supervisory park ranger David A. Barr, of the US Army Corps of Engineers West Point Project, who in the tradition of great southern hospitality, so graciously took time to provide a tour of the vast grounds immediately surrounding West Point Lake in Lagrange.
Surrounded by deep, fragrant woods to include various pines and other picturesque trees, I found it hard to believe I was just an hour away from Atlanta. I mean, the air actually smelled fresh and sweet-like air! Oh, and speaking of David, catch a personal tip or two from him the next time you're down in Lagrange by tuning in to West Point Lake Report, a TV show he hosts, airing on channel 19 every morning and evening. And at http://westpt.sam.usace.army.mil you can find pretty much everything you’ll need to know to prepare you for your visit to West Point Lake.
Where to stay
Since it’s just an hour away, my first visit was a day trip to help me get the lay of the land. The beauty of it all was so compelling that I was instantly convinced that I should return for a multiple days journey. Luckily, I discovered Highland Marina Resort ( www.highlandmarinaresort.com ). Purchased a few years ago by husband and wife team, Danny and Chris Ellrich, the resort provides camp grounds in one area, as well as recently renovated cottages and cabins to accommodate anywhere from one to 12 people. And the new lake front chalets with vaulted ceilings (some with lofts as well) are fabulous! With exposed wood logs, wild animal print furniture and fixtures throughout, every aspect of the interior design and decor is reminiscent of lodge life. At the same time you have state of the art conveniences of wireless internet, flat screen TV’s in the living room and each of the two, or three-bedrooms, beautiful kitchen appliances to include everything but a washer and dryer and more. The exterior of every chalet includes a wrap around porch with a grill for barbecuing, a table and chairs, with optional chairs for taking in the magnificent lake views. Rates for a one-bedroom lakeside unit this time of the year are as low as $89.95, with the much more fabulous chalets starting at $229.95 for the two-bedroom and $259.95 for a three-bedroom unit. Even the three night minimum stay required for summer holidays is a mere fraction of what you will pay to stay in nearly any half decent hotel in Atlanta, less the splendor of being on the lake. On top of that, MENTION YOU READ THE AD ON WWW.EXAMINER.COM/ATLANTA FOR AN ADDITIONAL 15% DISCOUNT!
Highland Marina Resort offers a plethora of watercraft for daily rental. 20 and 24 foot pontoon boats rent from $29 per hour. Jet skis rent for $59 an hour. Paddle boats start at $12 per half hour. Me and my friends Stefan and Farris packed some food and drink and set off from the marina with a pontoon and a jet ski mobile where we had big fun till the sun came down. We took turns on the jet skis, stopped every now and then for a swim and a tan...Short and sweet, we were living life just the way God intended!
Stefan, Ken Hacken (Lakeside Bike Trail engineer) and Michael
Bicycling
Approximately three years ago, the International Mountain Bike Association’s Trail Care Crew paid a visit to West Point’s R. Schaefer Heard Park for what culminated into the eight-mile Lakeside Bicycle Trails, which officially opened on May 9th of this year. Traveling along the lake and through the woods, the trails are comprised of previously unused property belonging to the US Army Corps of Engineers, who signed an agreement with Ken Hacka---president of the Chattahoochee Valley Area Southern Off Road Bicycle Association (CVA SORBA)---to build and maintain them, with room for an additional four to six miles.
“The US Army Corps of Engineers received $10,000 to be used towards the project that was for the most part used up on the first 1.6 miles section of the trail,” explains Hacka. That paid for building supplies for the large observation deck, bridge, kiosks, trail signs and equipment rentals. “The remaining trail sections were constructed using all volunteer time, equipment and materials. Labor towards the trail has been provided by roughly 95% volunteer basis and 5% US Army Corps of Engineers contracted labor,” says Hacka, with honorable mention of an upcoming fund raising campaign for future construction and maintenance on the existing trails.
Along with my buddy, Stefan, we joined Ken and a couple of locals for an early Saturday morning experience of the trails. The air is clean and the views are spectacular, as is the entire aura of being situated between the lake and the woods. Pay attention to the road in front of while you're riding, or you’ll soon find yourself on the forest floor---from personal experience, that is my gift to you!
As for the terrain, I’d gage it at intermediate for the average rider. As for my buddy Stefan, well, let’s just say that if there were bears there to chase us, he’d be the one you’d want to have along! Since there are no bears there, we just sat and waited patiently for him to finish.
More information, including directions and amazing trails for hiking can also be found on the official West Point Lake website athttp://westpt.sam.usace.army.mil.
Last, but certainly not least, on the Friday we arrived at Highland Marina Resort for check-in, owners Danny and Chris introduced us to a local lunch favorite---Katie's. Picture this: three aisles of souther style cooking...Everything from fried fish and hushpuppies, fried chicken, baked chicken, a plethora of salads and vegetable sides, not to mention a station laden with full of luscious cream pies. Located at 614 Lincoln Street, in Lagrange, Katie's is open for lunch daily. I would call first to check if the buffet is served daily, in addition to Fridays (706.884.6666). And while there was no barbecue on the buffet that day, I hear it's no less than amazing when served. By the time we left we were definitely ready to ride the Lakeside Trail a few times!
Here's to a great time!
