I slept in until a relatively late 7:30 AM. Robert had gotten up at his usual weekday wake-up time of 6:00 AM because he was meeting an equestrian club to do some trail maintenance in the Oconee National Forest in south Jasper County. I got to see him before he headed out for the day. After I had breakfast, I rode my cyclocross bike to the Monticello square for the Saturday morning farmer's market.
I had two orders of business at the farmer's market. First, I was glad to see my friend Laverne so that I could place an order for fried pies for Robert's and my BBQ Bass Ride, which will be in two weeks. Then, I stopped by the Visitor's Center at the Monticello-Jasper County Chamber of Commerce to get some locally made soap. I love fragrant, handmade soaps and need a fresh bar for my bathroom sink.
There was a nice surprise at the Visitor's Center:
Robert created this map of hiking trails where he's been clearing the last few months. He's also working on a website, Recon Jasper (www.reconjasper.com), to highlight outdoor recreational opportunities in our county. By the way, it's a little confusing that part of the Oconee National Forest lies in Jasper County, but the Ocmulgee Rive is our western border. Jasper County lies in the area between the Ocmulgee and Oconee Rivers.
For kicks, I also signed in while I was at the Visitor's Center:
I dropped my soap off at my office to pick up later. Then, it was time to ride. My route would take me through one of my favorite places, the Piedmont Wildlife Refuge (PWR).
I headed down Highway 11 South and turned off the pavement in Adgateville. The next few miles were fairly tough because of gravel that was placed recently. It takes a while for a new layer of gravel to get sufficiently compacted for good off-road riding. I used this as an opportunity to work on my technical skills.
It got a little easier as I approached one of my favorite roads in the PWR. The prettiest areas of the forest are the ones that are specifically managed for the red-cockaded woodpecker. They prefer open pine habitat like this:
May and June are my favorite months, and so I was totally drinking in the beauty of the day. I looked forward to the natural rock crossing.
Six weeks ago, local creeks and rivers were flooded. Now, we're in near-drought conditions. The flow was way down at this crossing, but I still walked my bicycle across so I wouldn't bust my arse.
It also gave me a chance to notice some smaller wonders. I saw lots of these tiny frogs. Each one is no more than about a half inch long.
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| Not the greatest photo, but the two darkest spots are frogs |
There were several lovely species of butterflies, too, sunning their wings:
I continued on the familiar PWR dirt roads and made my way to a short paved section on Round Oak-Juliette Road. I had been riding for about an hour and a half and was ready for some calories. So, I took advantage of this easy section to eat the Clif Bar from my jersey pocket.
Next, I turned right onto River Road, just before the bridge over the Ocmulgee River. I knew to look for some tricky rutting on this road, but overall it was easier than some of the early dirt roads because the gravel wasn't bad here.
River Road changes to Juliette Road as you cross from Jones County into Jasper County. A few miles back into Jasper County, I saw another cyclist approaching from the opposite direction. It was my friend Monte! What a treat to run into him along the way.
He was on his way back to Juliette after having ridden to Dauset Trails - an even longer ride than mine. I told him about the little frogs I had seen. We talked about biology, and then he brought up all the amazing advances in physics and astrophysics in the past 10 years thanks to people like Elon Musk. I agreed and told him that I just finished reading Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson. Physics, and particularly astrophysics, is not my strong suit, but I try to keep learning and understanding.
I felt energized as I continued on my way. I love deep conversations, and there was more depth in that 10-minute chat with Monte than I get in much longer conversations with most other people.
The last 10 miles of my ride was mostly pavement. By now, my water bottles were almost empty. I could have made it home without a problem, but to make life easier, I stopped to refill at Freedonia AME Church. I had stopped here during the Fried Clay 200K a few months ago and, therefore, knew just where to find the outdoor spigot. As before, I was grateful for the water.
After stopping at the church, there was one last dirt section that was about a mile long. It had been graveled recently. Ack! I had to put my admittedly limited technical bike-riding skills to use one more time. I got through it and was glad for pavement for the rest of the way.
I had already been enjoying various contemplations before I met up with Monte, but thoughts of the cosmos lingered during those last miles. My favorite part of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry is the last chapter. It's worth reading even if you don't read the entire book. In this last chapter, NdT talks about the importance of having a cosmic perspective. He prefaces this by admitting that as he studies the universe, he sometimes forgets the multitudes of needy people; that people kill each other in the name of God, wants, needs, or political dogma; or that too many people disregard the delicate balance of the Earth. He forgets these things because however big the world is to us, the universe is even bigger. Although some find this depressing, he finds it liberating:
"Now imagine a world in which everyone, but especially people with power and influence, holds and expanded view of our place in the cosmos. With that perspective, our problems would shrink - or never arise at all - and we could celebrate our earthly differences while shunning the behavior of our predecessors who slaughtered one another because of them."We humans get in trouble when we believe we are more important than everything else in the universe. It's hard not to have this perspective because it's what culture tells us. NdT says he, too, believed what he was told until one day in biology class when he learned that more bacteria live and work in one centimeter of his (or your or my) colon than the number of people who have ever existed in the world.
"That kind of information makes you think twice about who—or what—is actually in charge.
From that day on, I began to think of people not as the masters of space and time but as participants in a great cosmic chain of being, with a direct genetic link across species both living and extinct, extending back nearly four billion years to the earliest single-celled organisms on Earth.”So what is this cosmic perspective like? Some excerpts:
“The cosmic perspective comes from the frontiers of science, yet it is not solely the provenance of the scientist. It belongs to everyone.
The cosmic perspective is humble.
The cosmic perspective is spiritual—even redemptive—but not religious.
The cosmic perspective enables us to see beyond our circumstances, allowing us to transcend the primal search for food, shelter, and a mate.
The cosmic perspective reminds us that in space, where there is no air, a flag will not wave—an indication that perhaps flag-waving and space exploration do not mix.
The cosmic perspective not only embraces our genetic kinship with all life on Earth but also values our chemical kinship with any yet-to-be discovered life in the universe, as well as our atomic kinship with the universe itself.”It gives me great hope and joy to consider these connections between humans, all living things, matter, and the Creator - the I AM - the ultimate reality - the everything. As the opening lines of Presto by Rush put it, "I am made from the dust of the stars, and the oceans flow in my veins."
If I could wave my magic wand
I'd make everything all right
(also from Presto)
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