Sasquatch Ride

What a fun time at the Sasquatch Ride!  And I didn't even feel very good.  I've been battling gastroenteritis (some kind of stomach bug) for nearly two weeks.  If I had had my usual vim and vigor, I would have derived untold amounts of enjoyment from last weekend.

Ray and Tina Egan organized the Sasquatch Ride.  I had heard of it the last year or two, but it wasn't really on my radar screen.  Then, my friend Graham told me about it, saying that this year it was moving to Indian Springs.  That's only about 15 miles from my house.  I read more about the event and found that it would be two days of riding on mostly dirt roads, including many that I regularly ride.  It was like stringing together some of my favorite local routes.  I was in!

The facilities at Indian Springs were ideal for the weekend; an amphitheater with outdoor heat lamps worked great for the Friday and Saturday night dinners as well as socializing.  Riders could stay in nearby cottages, camp at Indian Springs state park, or tent camp for free outside the park.  I opted to drive from home for the rides since I live so close.

Day 1 - Sasquatch Ride

Although there was a spaghetti dinner on Friday night, I didn't arrive until Saturday morning for the first ride.  It was a chilly start, in the upper 30s, but the day warmed quickly, reaching a high in the 60s by afternoon.

There were two distance options, 100 miles or 60 miles.  About a dozen of us opted for the 100-mile route.  We rolled out at 8:00 AM, an hour before the 60-milers.  I rode with several guys for a few miles, but I quickly discerned that they would be too fast for me for the long haul.  I dropped back and thought I might be doing a lot of solo riding.

Then, here came Calista!  I had seen her briefly before the start.  She's a fellow randonneuse who lives in Maryland.  How great that she came to join us on the Sasquatch Ride!  I had met her once before on a 400K brevet a few years ago but didn't ride with her or talk with her much then because she did a longer 1000K option.  So, it was quite enjoyable to ride with her this past weekend and get to know her.  She's a super strong rider and a very nice and interesting person.

I drafted a good bit behind Calista.  I probably would have had to anyway because she's a stronger rider than I am, but I definitely had to this weekend because my energy level wasn't as high as usual because of my stomach woes.  Nevertheless, I was determined to ride the 100 miles and have a good time on Saturday.

We headed east into Jasper County, home turf.  The route took us past woods and farms.  The northernmost portion went through the Clybel Wildlife Management Area, a hidden gem.  Next, we headed back south, through downtown Monticello and toward the Oconee National Forest and the Ocmulgee River.

After a rest stop right near the river, we continued toward Juliette on additional excellent dirt roads.  I had been trying to eat at regular intervals, but my stomach started acting up again on that stretch.  We made it to the lunch stop by the Ocmulgee River in Juliette.  Tina cooked and coordinated all the meals for the weekend, and she did an outstanding job.  Saturday's lunch was a taco bar.  I was able to eat only one, but I wish I could have managed more.  Even that bit was delicious.

They also had some fireball flavor Jack Daniels (like a red hot) available there for the riders.  I just love the chill attitude of the off-roadie community!  I didn't think it would be wise to partake of the Jack Daniels given my iffy stomach, but Calista didn't hesitate.

We made our way west and north through Monroe County.  I was familiar with some roads, but others were new to me.  One of the roads that was unfamiliar to me, Torbet Road, crossed from Monroe County into Butts County.  Soon I learned why I had never ridden on Torbet Road before; the bridge was out!

It didn't look like any construction was underway to rebuild it, either.  This was a little surprise that Ray built into the route for us.  I didn't mind a bit, but I was glad we came to this creek crossing toward the end of the ride during the warmer part of the day.

By the way, I don't know what it is about my rando buddies having to ford creeks when they ride with me!

Rando buddy Dick fording a creek on the Peaches & Lakes 200K Brevet, July 2017

Rando buddy Robert N fording a creek on the Little White House 200K Permanent, July 2014

Husband Robert isn't immune from having to hoof it across creeks with me, either:

Middle Georgia Author Ride (that I designed) in August 2014

Anyway, back to the Sasquatch Ride...

We had another rest stop soon after the creek crossing.

The couple volunteering there had generously made all kinds of delicious looking homemade treats.  One type was an "acorn," made with a mini peanut butter sandwich cookie and a Hershey's kiss.  Unfortunately, I didn't feel up to sampling any of the goodies.  Calista partook for me, however.  In addition to an acorn, she had some beef jerky and some moonshine.  She's my heroine.

Maybe some moonshine would have fortified me for the last 10 miles of the ride: a bunch of single track at Dauset Trails.  I last rode at Dauset Trails at least 10 years ago.  Riding there last Saturday confirmed my status as a roadie.  Granted, I was on a cyclocross bike, which was harder than if I had had a mountain bike, but it was still a beast!

My main saving grace was that Calista wasn't any faster than I was on the single track.  It was roots galore.  We both kept getting off and on our bikes.  Nevertheless, we persisted.  I had thought we would finish the ride earlier in the afternoon, but because the single track slowed us down so much, we finished right at dark.

There was a good looking BBQ dinner following the ride.  I had already planned to go home to eat dinner with Robert.  If it weren't for my stomach, I would have been sorely tempted to stay for BBQ instead.

Day 2 - Halfsquatch Ride

The Sunday routes were the reverse of the Saturday routes.  Was I going to ride 100 miles again?  No.  Was I going to ride the Dauset Trails single track again?  *&$# no!  Perhaps not surprisingly, no one opted for the 100-mile ride on Sunday.

Doing the 60-mile option on Sunday meant that I got an extra hour of sleep before the 9:00 AM start.  Also, I drove back to Indian Springs early enough for breakfast that morning.  That was mainly because I hadn't had time to go grocery shopping, but it turned out to be an excellent decision regardless.  Breakfast was delicious!  I was able to eat a decent amount, and it seemed to sit OK with me.  At least at first...

Calista and I learned that the single track at the beginning of that day's ride was intended to slow everyone down before the lunch stop in Juliette.  Because she and I weren't doing Dauset that day, we delayed our start time until 9:30 AM.  In the meantime, Calista did some extra miles because she wanted about 70 total for the day.

It was another beautiful day, and by the time we rolled out, it was significantly warmer than when I had first arrived that morning.  I had been looking forward to a good ride, but the stomach ick factor kicked in pretty soon.  Calista was riding at a pace that normally would have been just right for me, but I quickly wondered if I would be able to keep up the entire ride.

Only six miles into the ride, we approached the turn that would take us back to the creek crossing.  I had planned ahead, however!  I had checked the route and found an easy detour.  I called out to Calista to turn right instead of left.  A couple of guys heard me say that we were avoiding the creek crossing, and so they followed us.

The lunch stop at Juliette was only 20 miles into the route, but we had delayed our start long enough for it to be a reasonable lunchtime.  Calista and I were the first to arrive.  Tina had made chicken and sausage gumbo.  I simply had to try some:

I couldn't eat much, but I still could tell how outstanding it was.  If I had been my usual self, I would have devoured it!

Calista and I continued on.  We headed north on River Road.  A couple of miles later, there was Robert!  He was parked on the side of the road collecting some survey data.  We stopped briefly to say hi.

As Calista and I rode on again, I started feeling pretty badly.  I had to slow down significantly.  I would have to slog through the remaining miles...or...I could ride back to Robert and have him take me to my car.  As much as I hated to do so, I told Calista I was heading back.

I've ridden in the dark.  I've ridden through terrible weather conditions.  I've continued riding with a sprained shoulder.  I've continued riding after I likely had a mild concussion after a minor crash.  So, maybe that gives you an idea about how poorly I was doing for me to bail.  As I retraced the couple of miles back to Robert, I sang some modified Depeche Mode to myself:

Your own personal SAG wagon
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who cares

My timing was good because Robert was just finishing his surveying work.  Maybe that was another indication that I had made the right decision.  He graciously took me back to my car at Indian Springs.  When I got home, I slept for nearly three hours.  My stomach has been getting better.  Hopefully, I'm close to beating this gastroenteritis!

I'm already looking forward to next year's Sasquatch Ride: great riding, super people, and good eats!

Me with Sasquatch and THE Sasquatch - thanks for everything, Ray!

Athens 200K Permanent: The Palindrome Ride

I would have done this month's Audax Atlanta brevet, the Little White House 200K, but it was last weekend, the same weekend as the Deer Festival and Deer Dash.  I always like to support my local community.  So, instead I did the Athens 200K permanent yesterday.  It had been a while since I had ridden a 200K by myself, but I didn't mind.  Besides, it was the twelfth ride to complete my fifth R-12!  The R-12 is awarded by Randonneurs USA (RUSA) to a member who completes a RUSA event of 200K or more in twelve consecutive months.

Sunrise was at 7:01 AM.  I'm sure I would have been fine with a 7:00 AM start, but I set it for 7:30 instead just to make sure I had plenty of light.  I certainly didn't mind another half hour of sleep either!  I drove to the usual starting location for the Athens 200K, which is a motel in Watkinsville.

My stomach had been rather unsettled that morning.  Maybe it was the remnants of a bug I had a few days before.  On Wednesday I wasn't feeling great and lay down as soon as I got home from work.  I wound up taking a three-hour nap and didn't even cook dinner.  I had a slight fever, too.  The next morning I felt much better, though.  On Friday I felt more tired than usual at the end of the day, but I attributed that to my 14-hour day of teaching.  Regardless of whether I was still recovering on Saturday, I wasn't exactly sick, but my stomach was bothering me just enough to be an annoyance during my ride.  A randonee, even a "short" 200K, is challenging enough without extra worries.  However, I was determined not to let my stomach stop me.

It was my coldest ride of the season so far, but I was dressed well for it.  Although I'm a heat lover, I still enjoyed the beauty of the bright fall morning.  The Athens 200K route follows quiet, lovely roads through the exurbs and farms between Athens and Madison.

My Trek, which I use for randonnuering, has a detachable bike bag, i.e., the Yogi Bear picnic basket.  Usually, I use my Yogi Bear picnic basket only on 300Ks or longer.  Yesterday, however, I had a particular use for it on this 200K.  As soon as possible after teaching a class, I have to mail my students' certification exams to be scored.  Because Monday is a holiday (Veterans Day, observed), I didn't want to wait until Tuesday morning to mail the exams from my Friday class.  Therefore, I carried the exams in my Yogi Bear picnic basket.  I stopped at the post office in Madison.  The timing was perfect, and my students are taken care of.  There's more than one way to skin a cat (although I don't know why you'd want more than one way).

I wasn't feeling particularly hungry during the ride, but I made myself eat something about every 25 miles.  At the control in Eatonton, I got a can of Coca-Cola Classic (the magic elixir of randonneuring) and some dill pickle-flavored peanuts.  Those both hit the spot.

I'm glad I refueled at that point because the next 25 miles were the hardest of the day.  The headwind was significant.  I hoped it wouldn't set me back too far on my goal of finishing before 5:00 PM (close to sunset).  Although the going seemed slow, my speed didn't seem too bad as I checked it on my Garmin.  I was performing OK despite my still-wonky stomach.

On one of my Garmin checks, I was just over 82 miles.  Ooo, if I kept a close eye on it, I could watch when it turned to 82.28 miles - a palindrome!  It was a minor thrill when those digits appeared.  I could do it again at 83.38 miles.  Oops, I was thinking about something else at 83.38 miles, but I had plenty more palindromes after that.  (Hey, I'm easily entertained, and entertainment of most any kind is welcome on a solo permanent.)

Palindromes became the theme of the rest of my ride.  My rides frequently acquire themes.  I can't predict them; they just happen.  That reminds me of one of Jack Handey's Deep Thoughts:

"If you get invited to your first orgy, don't just show up nude.  That's a common mistake.  You have to let nudity 'happen.'"

After 100 miles, my Garmin display changes from two decimal places to one.  Therefore, once I got to 100 miles, I'd have only a few more palindrome opportunities: 100.1, 111.1, and 122.1.  I was determined to see these three.

At mile 97 I stopped at an intersection.  It was only a few miles to the next control, but I wanted to go ahead and eat something.  I sat in a nice grassy area and ate a Clif Bar.

When I got to the next control, a convenience store control in Rutledge, I got some Powerade.  Certain Gatorade and Powerade flavors can be kind of icky, particularly well into a long ride.  I selected some kind of "frost" flavor.  I hoped it would be something like grapefruit, which appealed to me at the moment.  I definitely didn't want the cherry flavored glacier/frost flavor, but this one didn't say cherry.  As I opened the bottle, I thought, "Please don't be gross.  Please don't be gross."  It was gross.  But I drank it anyway because I needed the liquid and calories.

Between the Clif Bar a few miles earlier and the gross Powerade, I felt much better.  In fact, I felt better during the last 25 miles of the ride than I had the previous 25 miles.  I knew there was a steep climb shortly after Rutledge as I exited Hard Labor Creek State Park.  That climb didn't faze me, nor did the two or three others between there and the finish.  I was grateful to be feeling so much better.

During the remaining miles, I transitioned to word palindromes.  There's redivider, the longest single word in English that's a palindrome.

I also thought of Madam, I'm Adam.  If my name were Adam, every time I met a woman, I'd introduce myself this way.

Dammit, I'm mad.  Not really, because when I thought of that one, I laughed.

A few miles from the end, I was riding on a sunny straightaway.  I glanced to my right and saw my shadow.  Just at that moment, two other shadows of bicycles approached my own!  A friendly couple greeted me and asked if I was having a good ride.  I said yes, but I was about ready for it to be over because I had been on the road since 7:30 AM.  They asked how far I had ridden, and I said 122.5 miles so far.  The woman asked if I was training for something.  I didn't want to take the time, and I didn't think they were really interested anyway, to tell them about my fifth R-12 or next year's PBP, and so I simply said, "I'm just crazy."  She smiled and replied, "That's our kind of crazy!"  Ride on!

I rolled in at 4:50 PM.  It was before sunset.  Also, I was satisfied with my finishing time, especially considering that my stomach had felt less-than-optimal all day.

I went inside to the motel restroom to change clothes.  My legs didn't feel too spry as I walked across the parking lot.  Then, when I went inside, my quads felt like they were about to seize up!  That's only happened to me once before, at a 5K run several years ago.  Fortunately, yesterday my legs soon felt better, particularly when I went back outside.  I suspect it was some kind of muscle reaction to the significant change in temperature between inside and outside.

Before I headed home, I had one more stop - the Quick Trip next door.  My friend Julie had clued me into their hot, soft pretzels, which she said are good post-ride food.  She was right!  It was perfect for the drive home and also sat well on my stomach.  I didn't even mind that I had forgotten to put mustard on it in my eagerness to get home.

To close, I'll leave you with the best palindrome ever: taco cat.

Sautéed Green 25

For about the past 10 years, my friend Monte has hosted the Fried Green 50 (FG50) on the first Sunday in November.  I've ridden most years, and I really look forward to this annual mostly dirt-road ride in the Piedmont Wildlife Refuge (PWR) and surrounding area.  It's one of my favorite places to ride, and the weather is usually exceptional on this particular weekend.  So, I was sad to learn that Monte wouldn't be holding the FG50 this year.

Because the FG50 wasn't happening, I agreed to teach Sunday school.  I team teach with my friend Barbara.  She had filled in for me the past few weeks, and so I was definitely due to spell her.  Then, a few days ago, Monte put the word out that he was getting together a last-minute FG50 after all.  Drat.  Sometimes it's hard being a responsible person.

I came up with a good plan after all.  I packed my cyclocross bike, kit, and gear in my car.  I taught Sunday school as promised.  Then, I bailed on bricks-and-mortar church and headed to the PWR for bike church.

I parked at Allison Lake toward the eastern side of the PWR.  Monte and whoever else showed up had left at about 10:00 AM from the regular starting point at the boat ramp in Juliette at the western side of the FG50 route.  I got on the road about 11:15 AM and picked up the route partway through.  I hoped my timing was such that I might see some of the other riders.

The portion of the FG50 route that I rode took me on the south side of the PWR.  This is a beautiful section that I don't get to ride nearly as often as the northern side.  From Allison Lake I rode west on Round Oak-Juliette Road (paved) and turned left onto Little Rock Wildlife Road (unpaved).  Local off-roadies call this the "wildlife loop."  It winds through breathtakingly picturesque woods.  The angle of the sunlight on a bright fall day somehow makes this section especially stunning.

I completed the wildlife loop and came back out on Round Oak-Juliette Road.  Right after that turn, I came up to a couple on gravel bikes.  Yep, they were doing the FG50.  I was glad to finally find some other riders!

Easy come, easy go.  I was riding a little faster than they were, and so I continued on solo.  A short distance later, I turned onto Caney Creek Road for the next dirt section to the south.  After about a mile and a half, I turned left onto Pippin Road.  Somehow I had forgotten just how hilly Pippin Road is.  It's got several significant climbs, particularly for dirt road riding, including one that's about 11.5% for a short distance!  I managed just fine, though.  The fact that I wasn't going at my usual FG50 race pace helped.  In fact, today I quite enjoyed a lot of scenery that I'm usually riding too hard to be able to notice.

I checked the time and decided I would ride half the FG50 distance, i.e., a Sautéed Green 25.  If I took the most direct route from there back to my car, I would be about 4 miles short.  So, I decided to go to the next dirt section and add a short out-and-back distance to get my 25 miles.

I rode north on Highway 11.  As I approached the fire tower at the intersection of Highway 11 and Round Oak-Juliette Road, there was another group of cyclists!  It was my friends Chris, Jake, Monte, Van, and three other guys I didn't know.  Cool!  Now I could ride with them for a while.

After they finished their break, we continued a little farther north and turned left back onto dirt at Westvaco Road.  This section was a prime example of what great shape the roads were in.  The dirt was well-packed with minimal gravel.  I've never seen the PWR roads look so good.

Alas, I got to ride with my recently found cycling buddies only a few miles.  The regular FG50 route headed northward for a while, but I didn't want to add that many miles.  I could have done a predictable out-and-back section on Westvaco Road, but I changed my mind at the last minute.  Instead, when we got to the first intersection on Westvaco Road, I turned south onto Mussleman Road.  Expect adventure.

I had never ridden this road and didn't know exactly how it connected, but I figured it had to somehow.  (The fact that Monte didn't discourage me from taking that turn also gave me confidence that it connected.)  I knew the direction I needed to go, and so I simply had some fun exploring.  After about a mile, the road came to a T intersection.  I thought the road to the right might connect to some other PWR roads that I would be familiar with, but I had a feeling the road to the left would take me out toward a cluster of houses on Round Oak-Juliette Road.  I took the road to the left.

My hunch was right.  I came out right where I thought I would.  From there, it was just a couple of miles back to my car at Allison Lake.  Actually, when I got back to my car, I was about 1/4 mile short of 25, and so I rode back and forth on Allison Lake Road to top it off.

Monte has plans to bring back the FG50 next year.  I sure hope it happens, but even if it doesn't, I know where I'll be on the first Sunday in November.