Integer Degree Confluence Ride

What a fun Peach Peloton! Last Saturday we did a mixed surface edition, which we had never done before. Also, I visited and documented 33˚ N latitude, 84˚ W longitude (whole degrees with no minutes or seconds).  That's called an integer degree confluence.  There are 16 in Georgia, and no place on Earth is more than 49 miles from an integer degree confluence.  I learned about integer degree confluences a few months ago when I read the excellent book Maphead by Ken Jennings, the guy who won Jeopardy! for so long.  The book discusses all kinds of aspects of geography, which is way more than maps, which are cool enough by themselves.  It's one of my favorite books I've read in the past decade.

Because the route was mostly dirt/gravel, I knew I couldn't keep up with the guys anyway.  (It's much harder to draft on dirt than pavement.)  Also, the route went less than two miles from the confluence.  Therefore, it was the perfect day to ride at my own pace and make a side trip to the confluence.

Robert and I correctly guessed who else would show up for the ride, given the mixed surface route and the cold: Cal, Cody, Henry, Jake, Travis, and Van.  It was the coldest Peach Peloton in a while (28˚ at the start, and the temperature never got higher than the 40s), but, fortunately, I was dressed well for it.  I even wore my balaclava.  And of course, I was wearing my new off-road winter cycling shoes that I got for Christmas instead of an iguana (ha ha!  - see my blog entry on 12/23/20).

The guys dropped me even sooner than I expected, but that was OK.  It was a beautiful day despite the cold.  The only place I really noticed the cold was in my fingertips, and they eventually warmed up.  I thoroughly enjoyed the rural dirt roads with practically no traffic.

Robert had told me about a particular Strava segment shortly before the store stop.  It was dirt and really steep.  Only about four people had ridden it before, and he didn't think there were any women.  I didn't want to ride it hard regardless, but I did, in fact, get the QOM!  Woo hoo!

The store stop was sooner than usual, at about mile 25, but that was the only option along the route.  I got to the store stop before the guys left.  After a quick snack, I headed out before them.  I rode farther than I thought I would before they caught me again.  I hopped onto the back of the peloton for a little while, but they dropped me again pretty soon.

Parks Road was especially picturesque.  It started out paved, winding through lovely farmland.  After making a turn, I spotted a pond sparkling in the sunlight - magic!  Later, Robert told me that the rest of the group noticed the same pond.  He even created a new Strava segment there called Glimmerlake.

Soon after Parks Road, I took my detour to get to the confluence.  The confluence is located on a wooded tract owned by a timber company.  I read previous accounts of visits to this confluence and saw that it was accessible either from a church or from an old logging road.  The logging road looked like it would get me closer to the spot, and so I opted for it.  The church is located at the corner of Georgia Highway 83 and Renouf Road.  Access to the logging road was easy to find, approximately 0.1 mile north-northwest of the church on Highway 83.

I rode from the highway onto a dirt access road leading to an area of clear-cut timber.  A man called out to me.  He was a hunter whose club leases the property.  He was camping out in a small trailer.  He said that no one was hunting that day (yea!) and was fine with me traversing the property to get to the confluence.  Although he seemed a little bemused by my appearance, he sounded kind of interested in my adventure, too.  I told him that I was looking for a particular latitude and longitude, kind of like geocaching or treasure hunting.

At first, I didn’t see the logging road, which has grown up and is more of a trail now.  In fact, I didn’t find it until I was walking back from the confluence because a big pile of brush from the clear-cutting had blocked it from my initial view.  So, I laid my bike down where I could find it again and set out on foot with the Google Earth app on my phone.

I walked across the clear-cut area, watching the lat/long on my phone and refreshing it periodically to get a current reading.  There were a few briars, but they weren’t bad.  Trekking was fairly easy even in my cycling clothes and shoes.  Also, because it was winter, ticks weren’t an issue.  The hunter had asked me to keep an eye out for deer, but all I saw was a rabbit.

I moved from the clear-cut area to woods that had not been timbered.  I was very close on latitude, but I was having a hard time zeroing in on the longitude.  Then I remembered that my phone also has a compass.  I was a little too far north and a little too far west; therefore, I used my compass to walk southeast.  I realized that my sense of north had been slightly off because the sun is so far south while we’re close to the winter solstice.  The compass also gave me lat/long, which matched the lat/long on my Google Earth app, giving me more confidence in my location (or at least my phone’s GPS receiver).

As I got closer to the confluence, I saw a creek.  I remembered previous confluence reports mentioning a creek.  I climbed down an embankment to stand next to the creek and – woo hoo – all zeroes!  (minutes and seconds)

I took the photos required to submit an official visit report to the Degree Confluence Project (check out http://confluence.org/ for more details).

"All zeroes" at the bottom

General area of the confluence

View to the north

View to the east

View to the south

View to the west

These shoes were definitely more handy than an iguana on this outing.

After taking the required photos and spending a few minutes reveling in the beautiful day and successful visit, I headed back toward my bicycle.  I ate the slices of Claxton fruitcake that I had brought as bike food and marveled at how my phone has more computing power than the computers that existed at the time Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.

Walking as straight a line as I could reckon, I found the trail (logging road) that would have led me almost right to the confluence.  I picked up my bike, said goodbye to the hunter, and pedaled away.

The Peach Peloton route was 73 miles, but I shortened my ride to 63 miles so that Robert didn't have to wait so long for me back at the car.  He said that several of the guys commented that it was their favorite Peach Peloton ever.  I agree!

Equine Art Ride

I don't usually give myself Christmas presents, but I did this year.  Recently, my friend Karl posted about several equine sculptures in Madison, where he lives.  This sounded like the perfect excuse for a bicycle ride.  I checked the daily forecast, and Wednesday, Christmas Eve Eve, looked like the best bet weather-wise.  Work cooperated to let me take most of the day off.  Time to ride!

I planned my route, about 70 miles out and back.  After going to the office briefly that morning, I headed out to ride around 11:30 AM.  That would put me in Madison for a latish lunch and get me home before sunset.  (These short winter days are a drag!)

I rode out of Monticello on Post Road.  The Jasper County Community Food Bank is a few miles outside the city limits.  As I rode by, I saw several cars queued for a special holiday food distribution.  I waved to them - I was wearing my cool smiley face gloves - and sent them wishes that they would have enough to eat and have the resources for their other needs.

Farther down Post Road, several miles of pavement were being replaced.  I got in line behind two cars, waiting for the flagger to signal that it was our turn to use the single available lane.  We didn't have to wait long.  Maybe half a mile later, the two cars turned into a driveway.  I continued pedaling on brand new asphalt.  I zoomed down a hill and approached the other flagger as I started the next ascent.  Several cars were waiting on that side.  The drivers must have wondered why the flagger sent through a single cyclist!  I waved with my smiley face gloves, hoping to diffuse any ill will they might have had.

It was an absolutely beautiful day for December.  Temperatures were in the 60s, and the sky was bright blue.  I relaxed into the ride, setting aside for the time being my mental to-do list.  I passed some friendly live equines - the best art of all!

I arrived at the Morgan County Cultural Center at 1:30 PM, right on schedule.  Horse sculptures!

Brighter colors from this angle

Thanks to Karl, I knew that their heads move!

I sat at a nearby picnic table to graze with the horses.

Karl arrived right after I sat down.  We had a nice chat for a few minutes.  He lives just a few blocks from the cultural center; it was nice of him to come over to say hello.

A short ride to the west side of Madison took me to Lambert Park, home of the new mule sculpture.  It's beautiful!  Sculptor Tom Prochnow fashioned small pieces of metal to form the mule.

Hi

Mule lean

I needed to throw away a piece of trash.  As I walked to a trashcan, I was delighted to find this extremely cool stone map of Morgan County.

Time to head back home.  I took a slight detour around the portion of Post Road that was being paved - no need to push my luck.

When I got back to Monticello, I stopped by the office to say hello to Robert.  I was smiling like a jackass eating briars because it had been such a fun ride.  Or maybe I was smiling like a Cheshire cat.

with Ashes the World's Best Office Cat

Inadvertent Christmas Present

Robert threw me for a loop. He said that he may have gotten me an inadvertent Christmas present. He asked, "How would you feel about an iguana?" I was psyched. That's not what he got. He ordered some off-road winter cycling shoes, and they sent him a pair that's too small. He said I can have them if they fit. They do! I'm happy to have the shoes, but I still wouldn't mind having an iguana.

Coffeeneuring Wrap-Up

Coffeeneuring 2020 officially ended a week ago on November 23.  I'm just now getting caught up on my last two coffeeneuring ride reports.

Coffeeneuring #6 - Cedar Creek Wildlife Management Area

This ride was Sunday two weeks ago.  I brewed some raspberry zinger herbal tea for this one.

I rode to Cedar Creek WMA check station, which is in the Oconee National Forest.  The Red Clay Ramble and Fried Clay 200K have been staged from here.  

There's an old house here (don't know its history), which made the perfect coffee shop without walls.

Good spot for a spot of tea

All my fellow coffeeneurs seemed to be enjoying a treat with their beverage, and so I followed suit.  Popcorn makes everything more fun.  I pop my own popcorn on the stovetop in rosemary infused olive oil and sprinkle kosher salt on top.

I sat on the steps and watched the changing light.  The sun broke through the overcast sky and was brilliant and mesmerizing as it played off the grey clouds.  I saw a magnificent pileated woodpecker and heard several in the woods - one of my favorite bird calls.

I headed home, reveling in the beauty right in my backyard.

Middle Georgia is not near the top of most people's lists of beautiful places, but it touches my soul.

Coffeeneuring #7 - Dam! That's the End

I didn't want to wait until the very last day to get my last coffeeneuring ride in, and so I did it on the Friday before.  I wanted to ride farther, but I had to squeeze in what I could get.

I brewed some passion tea, probably my favorite herbal tea.

This was the only coffeeneuring ride where I didn't start from my house.  I drove to Round Oak to ride some of the beautiful dirt roads in that area.  This time my coffee shop without walls was the Hungerford Lake dam.

I pedaled the rest of the route back to my car.

I was kind of sad that this was the last ride of coffeeneuring 2020, but I'll be back next year.

Kudos to anyone who gets the Gen X reference.

Sasquatch Ride 2020

Last weekend was the annual Sasquatch Ride.  It was well suited to pandemic times, and I had a blast.

The Sasquatch Ride has been going on for a number of years.  I rode it the last two years, when it was staged out of nearby Indian Springs.  This year organizer Ray Egan moved the ride back to where he hosted it previously, farther south near his home in Kathleen.  Everyone rode to Veterans State Park in Cordele, camped out, and rode back to the start the next day.

I drove to Kathleen early last Saturday morning.  There were about 40 riders.  Although you certainly could to the Sasquatch Ride as a true bikepacking event, carrying all your stuff on your bike, I took the easy option and let Ray, his wife Tina, and the volunteer crew carry my tent and bag.  This made it kind of like dirt-road BRAG.

It was a very congenial group.  I got to see several groups of cycling friends: Bill, Paul, and Willie from Middle Georgia; Chad and Mike from Louisiana (whom I met on last year's Sasquatch Ride); and Craig and Jason from North Georgia.  Also, I met lots of other nice people.  For example, I parked next to three women from Florida.  Before we rolled out, one of them asked, "Will you take our picture if you have time?"  I laughed and responded, "I've only got all day!"

That was the truth.  In fact, I didn't realize what a tonic this chill, no-pressure ride through beautiful countryside would be.

I always want to run through pecan orchards.  No, wait - running is barbaric.
I always want to gallivant through pecan orchards.

Lots of cotton was growing along the route.  I had seen a good bit last month near Fitzgerald on the Wild Chicken 100, but the cotton on the Sasquatch Ride stretched for acres and acres, all the way to the horizon in some places.

About halfway to Cordele, we had a lunch stop at Five Points Grocery.  Ray had said that some people might walk into the store and walk right back out, but I could tell the moment I walked in that it would be great.  It's a Mennonite store.  A friendly, elderly Mennonite couple greeted us as we came in.  They sat near the front door, bantering with the cashier.  The restaurant was in the back.

The handwritten menu board had breakfast items and sandwiches.  After perusing the choices, I opted for the fish sandwich and the special side of the day: fried okra.  I enjoyed my delicious lunch while sitting on the grass outside with some cyclopeeps.

Rocket fuel!

Although I definitely felt energized after stopping to eat, I didn't need any more calories for the rest of the ride.  You know how McDonald's calls their fish sandwich Fillet-o-Fish?  This one should have been called Full-o-Fish.

I continued enjoying the beautiful afternoon.  This scene tickled me because usually I have to watch out for grass clippings in the road.

Eventually, I got to a spot that Ray had cautioned everyone about.  Railroad tracks crossed one of the dirt roads, but the road hadn't been regraded to go over the tracks.  We had to dismount and carry out bikes over the ballast and tracks.  If I wasn't already sure, I now knew this truly was an adventure.

As the day got warmer, I was glad I had wisely worn arm and knee warmers rather than long sleeves and knickers.  However, I had brought only one pair of gloves.  Although I wasn't overly warm in these mid-weight gloves, they looked kind of funny when I took off my arm warmers.  I felt like Jackie Kennedy.  If they were lace, I would have felt like RBG.

I pedaled onward, stopping whenever I felt like it to snap another photo.

While I was taking this last photo, Craig, Jason, and their friend Lajos caught up to me.  I enjoyed their company for the remaining 10 miles to Veterans State Park.  We rolled into our group campsite.

After I set up my tent

and got a nip of refreshment

Party time!  Excellent!

I rode to the fancier campground that had showers.

See you in the douches.

On the way back to the Sasquatch Ride campsite, I stopped to see some of the tributes to U.S. veterans.

Before dinner we had some appetizers.

There were about half a dozen dogs at camp :)  I hadn't seen an Irish setter in years - she was beautiful!

I got a kick out of watching the dogs eat peanut shells off the ground.

We had a delicious barbecue dinner, and I got a pre-Thanksgiving preview of pumpkin pie.  I sat with Craig, Jason, and Lajos.  Craig's other big hobby besides cycling is ham radio.  In fact, he brought some lightweight portable equipment with him, which he messed around with at camp late that afternoon.  At dinner he told me about ham radio, which I knew practically nothing about.  It's fascinating!  If I were a middle school student where he teaches band, I'd definitely join the ham radio club that he sponsors.

I turned in around 9:00 and read in my tent for a while, using the flashlight on my phone.  I had the foresight to bring a battery charger so that I could charge my phone overnight.  I slept relatively well, but I woke up in the middle of the night.  I heard all kinds of night sounds: a barred owl, coyotes, the guy three tents over snoring...

Not surprisingly, I woke up the next morning  before my alarm went off.  I got dressed and packed my tent and gear.  Then, I walked over to investigate the pond next to our campsite, which I had meant to do the day before.

Breakfast included leftover barbecue and pumpkin pie from the night before.  I felt extravagant because usually the only time I eat pumpkin pie for breakfast is the day after Thanksgiving.

Like the previous morning, it was chilly, but I knew it would warm up pretty quickly.  It was another bright, beautiful day.

The route was simply the reverse of the previous day.  I came to the most difficult sand section.  The day before I had had to walk a short distance, but this time I managed to keep pedaling without stopping.  Soon thereafter, I saw a few guys entering the route from a different road.  They had decided that once (the day before) was enough for the sandy section, and so they detoured around it on Sunday.

I caught up to these same guys (who were on single speeds!) when they stopped for a break at the hike-a-bike railroad tracks.  I rode on ahead but saw them again soon back at Five Points Grocery.  The store wasn't open on Sunday, but Ray and Tina set up a SAG stop next to it.  Although I wasn't hungry, I topped off my water bottles and took a pimento cheese sandwich for the road.  My jersey pockets were already full from the arm and knee warmers that I had shed.  How would I carry my sandwich?  Aha!  I was carrying my car key and some money in the plastic pouch on a lanyard around my neck, tucked inside my jersey.  I had gotten this pouch at PBP, and it is the handiest thing for carrying valuables on a long ride.  It was just big enough to accommodate my pimento cheese sandwich, which I wrapped in a paper towel.  I felt like Sandra Bulloch in Miss Congeniality when she had doughnuts stashed in her evening gown.

A little while later, I turned onto Mennonite School Road.  I hadn't seen the road name the day before, but I did remember a particular school that I had thought might be Mennonite.  I knew that many Mennonites live in the area, and the school looked private (e.g., no sign showing the county name).  Sure enough, I saw the same eponymous school.  As I rode by, I was impressed by the practical ingenuity of the Mennonites who built this playground.

This temporary downdrain was not installed according to the
Manual for Erosion and Sediment Control in Georgia.

As on the day before, I enjoyed stopping for photos whenever something struck my fancy.

Friendly black angi (plural of black angus)

A few of the dirt roads were somewhat technical.  Sometimes it was a matter of picking the best rut row.

I kept my eyes peeled for one last photo opp that Craig and Jason had alerted me to.

Everybody hurts.

When I had begun that morning, I noticed that my Wahoo battery was at 37%.  I had started with it fully charged but didn't bring a Wahoo charger cable, incorrectly assuming that I had enough juice for both days.  So, Sunday morning I knew my battery would die before the end.  It made it through the first 100K (about 62 miles).  Then, I used the Strava app on my phone to record the remaining 11 miles.

It was as fun a weekend as I've had in recent memory.

Do more of what you love.