Yesterday I
rode the West Georgia Fall Line 200K permanent.
I was fully prepared to ride it alone, but I was so happy that a couple
of rando buddies, Ian Flitcroft and Robert Newcomer, joined me. I hope they enjoyed the day as much as I did.
Waffle
House
The ride
started at Waffle House in Thomaston.
Thus, I forwent my usual pre-ride oatmeal at home and fueled up there
instead. Because Waffle House is not
known for its vegetable matter, I ate some fresh grapes on the drive over. Then, with a pecan waffle, a couple of
scrambled eggs (with Tabasco), and hot tea with lemon, I was rarin’ to go.
Waffle House
is the stuff of Southern lore. Many a
college student has gone there in the wee hours after a night of
merrymaking. I also have fond memories
of Waffle House being the only available food source after being snowed in for
several days during the blizzard of 1993 in Atlanta. More recently, with it being open 24 hours a
day, I’m rediscovering it as a valuable resource during my long bicycle rides. Ah, Waffle House: haven for rapscallions,
raconteurs, and randonneurs.
After I
finished my breakfast, I went out to the parking lot and met up with Ian and
Robert. We set out on a beautiful
morning. Oftentimes, my ride will take
on a particular theme. Yesterday was an
environmental ride. Our conversation and
several things we saw along the way inspired me to do a little post-ride research.
Wolves at
Yellowstone
Robert
described something interesting that he learned recently. When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone
National Park in 1995, it led to rivers changing course. I was fascinated. It makes perfect sense ecologically. The increased wolf population has led to a
decrease in elk and other herbivores.
This has allowed more abundant growth of plants. In turn, the denser plant root growth has held
the soil better. Therefore, rivers have
rerouted themselves around these less erodible areas.
Everything is interconnected, but too often we
humans are blind to this truth. I was reminded of
some lines from one of my favorite Rush songs, “Natural Science”:
Wheels within wheels in a spiral array
A pattern so grand and complex
Time after time we lose sight of the way
Our causes can’t see their effects
Wiregrass
Region
The route
was aptly named because we clearly saw both the piedmont and the coastal plain
as we crossed the fall line several times.
As we rode in the coastal plain, I was delighted to see the needles
of the longleaf pines waving in the breeze. They are quite
distinguishable from the needles of the loblolly pines that predominate in the
lower piedmont region where I live.
We were in
wiregrass country. This is a rich
ecosystem that used to stretch across much of the Southeast. The primary vegetation includes open longleaf
pine forests with abundant wiregrass growing on the ground below. Today, only a few pockets remain from the
millions of acres that used to comprise the wiregrass region. During our ride it was easy to see what has caused the transformation. Most of this land has been
converted to agriculture or sand mining.
Environmental
Justice
Our route
was a big, counterclockwise loop. Most
of the sand mining was in the southwest corner of the loop. Leaving this mining area, we traveled east on
the Fall Line Freeway, enjoying an excellent tailwind. After a while, Ian pointed out a particularly
large sand mine protruding above the tree line.
However, within the next mile or so as we rode into a low spot, we detected
a rather pungent odor. I suspected that
that large sand mine was actually a landfill.
Sure enough, we had a clear view of the landfill a short time later.
This was in
Taylor County, and I was reminded of a big news item from about 25 years
ago. A hazardous waste landfill was
proposed for Taylor County, and it was so controversial that it made national
news. I was in college at the time, and
I remember one of my professors referring to the case in a discussion of
environmental justice. The Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) defines environmental justice as "the
fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race,
color, sex, national origin, or income with respect to the development,
implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and
policies." Taylor County has
a higher percentage of both African-Americans and people below the poverty
level than the rest of Georgia.
Opponents of the hazardous waste landfill asserted that local citizens
were not included in the discussions of locating it there. Supporters touted the badly needed economic
development that it would bring. I didn’t
remember the outcome of all of this, and so I tried to find more information online. I suppose that the hazardous waste landfill
never was built because I didn’t see one listed in Taylor County on the website
of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. Additionally, the two landfills that I did
find for Taylor County included a municipal solid waste landfill (for regular
household garbage) and an inert waste landfill (for waste that doesn’t react or
decompose, e.g. sand, gravel, and concrete).
Highlight
of the Day
Lest you
think it was a total nerd-fest, we did have some lighter moments during the
day. For me, the highlight came after
our lunch stop in Reynolds. As we
pedaled on, I remarked to Ian and Robert that I have one connection to Reynolds. My local Monticello-Jasper County Chamber of
Commerce has an annual dinner that always includes a keynote speaker, e.g. a
politician or someone entertaining. (Those
are usually mutually exclusive.) One
year we had – of all things – a mortician from Reynolds who was absolutely
hilarious. He talked about small-town Southern
life and his work, but he did it in such a way that it wasn’t morbid or
disrespectful.
Ian, Robert,
and I went on to discuss the funeral business.
Ian observed, “Embalming is taxidermy for humans.” Brilliant!
Photo
Opps
Because I
had riding companions, I didn’t stop to take as many photos as I might have
otherwise. I did get a couple,
though. The first was at a railroad
crossing. It was on a rural road with
very little traffic and probably only a few trains each day. Murphy’s Law dictated that we arrived just in
time to get caught by a train:
Later in the
ride we stopped at this picturesque covered bridge, which also served as an
information control:
Welcome
Wagon
About 10
miles from the end, we were climbing a pretty steep hill. I looked back and saw that a car had slowed
down to talk to Ian and Robert. I
immediately suspected that it was Daniel, the organizer for this permanent. I was right! How thoughtful of him to
come check on us! He even drove on to
the Waffle House to greet us at the end.
It was also convenient to be able to hand our cards to him then instead
of mailing them later.
Thank you, Daniel, for organizing a great permanent, and thank you, Ian and Robert, for riding with me!
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