I started planning my route, thinking of interesting places in Jasper County I could visit by bicycle. I also went to the Monticello-Jasper County website, which has a pdf of our local tourism brochure. The brochure lists some historical markers and landmarks; I added a few from here to my Local Landmarks Ride.
Right after I started planning my Local Landmarks Ride, I got an invitation to join the Virtual Brevet Series 2020, created by George Swain of Hudson Valley Randonneurs. Hudson Valley Randonneurs isn't an official RUSA chapter, and George isn't an RBA, but I really appreciate George's ingenuity in coming up with a way for us randonneurs to keep riding in a fun, structured manner.
The rules are simple and common-sense, such as maintain all federal, state, and local social distancing requirements; ride alone or in very, very small groups; don't ride if you don't feel well; etc. The regular brevet time limits apply: 50K (3:20), 100K (6:40), 200K (13:30).
And of course there are awards! I don't ride just for the awards, but they keep me motivated. Here they are:
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- V-50 Award Complete eight (8) rides of at least 50K between March 28 and May 31.
- V-100 Award Complete six (6) rides of at least 100K between March 28 and May 31.
- V-200 Award Complete four (4) rides of at least 200K between March 28 and May 31.
Rides of greater length may be submitted to meet each requirement, but each ride may only be used once.
- V-SR Award Complete one 50K, one 100K, one 150K, and one 200K ride between March 28 and May 31.
For the V-SR Award, rides must fall into the following four categories: 50-99K, 100-149K, 150-199K, and 200K or above.
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This past Saturday, March 28 was the first day of the Virtual Brevet Series 2020 - the perfect time to do my Local Landmarks Ride! As a bonus, Robert wanted to ride for a couple of hours, and so he joined me for the first part of my ride.
Originally, I had planned to start out by riding down Highway 11 S. Although this is a fairly low-traffic state highway that I ride frequently, it has because less pleasant in recent months because rumbles are being added to all Georgia state highways on both white lines and the center yellow line. Just my luck, in Jasper County they started with Highway 11 S. At least for now, the rumbles have been completed only in the southbound direction from Monticello to Hillsboro. I won't complain if the Georgia DOT takes plenty of time to come back and finish the job, like they usually do.
As Robert and I headed out, it occurred to me that going to Hillsboro via Goolsby Road would be much better. We'd avoid the rumbles, and there would be even less traffic. Why didn't I think of this from the beginning? Even better, I picked up two local landmarks that I hadn't originally included on my list. First was this marker from the Seven Islands Road stagecoach route from the 1800s:
After riding by it dozens of times over the years, only recently did I notice this marker. Robert discovered it when he was doing research for his Seven Islands Road presentation a couple of years ago. The stagecoach era is rather romanticized, but it's only a tiny sliver of the history of the Seven Islands Road. It's a prehistoric trail that Native Americans walked for thousands of years. Europeans introduced horses a few centuries ago, and last were stagecoaches. If you're interested in history and maybe looking for something to watch during our isolated times, here's a link to Robert's presentation:
My revised Local Landmarks Ride also passed the Hillsboro Hilton. I've ridden by this hunting club in Hillsboro a gazillion times, and it still cracks me up.
We picked up my originally planned route when we got to Hillsboro proper. The Ben Hill School was named for Benjamin Harvey Hill, a U.S. and Confederate senator who was born in Hillsboro. The building is now a community center.
We then pedaled a little farther south so that I could get a picture of the Piedmont Wildlife Refuge (PWR) sign on Highway 11. I looked forward to riding in the PWR the following day (see my 3/30/20 blog entry, Roni Riding).
From there it was back north on Highway 11 - yea, no rumbles on that side! When we got to the Monticello square, I took a picture of our historic courthouse. It's currently undergoing repairs.
Four state highways converge in Monticello. (That's a lot of truck traffic for our small square!) Several of the state highways near Monticello have been designated the Monticello Crossroads Scenic Byway.
The scenic byways are beautiful but usually not the best roads for cycling. I mostly ride on county roads.
Highway 83 just north of the square was named Trisha Yearwood Parkway. She has been so generous to her hometown.
We headed toward Shady Dale via Rock Eagle Road, a much safer route than going directly on Highway 83 N. A few miles down Rock Eagle Road, Robert turned around to go home. I continued on my Local Landmarks Ride.
Shady Dale is Jasper County's other incorporated city besides Monticello. An old well is located at this historic stagecoach stop near the main crossroads.
To get to my next photo ops, I had to travel a little ways in Newton County. Pitts Chapel Road is a beautiful road that connects Jasper and Newton Counties. However, I forgot about the recent bridge repair work.
I've encountered bridges that were out during rides a number of times before. For once I was able to walk across instead of having to wade across the creek!
The entrance to Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center is in Newton County, but the facilities lie in Jasper County.
The Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center has so many wonderful amenities - hiking, fishing, dove fields, horseback riding, etc. One of my favorite things is the free classes offered to the public. I've taken a bunch of them over the years, e.g., reptiles, migratory birds, edible plants, astronomy, wilderness survival, and - one of my favorites! - frogging by ear.
I rode a few more miles southward on Highway 11 to Dow's Pulpit. Robert and I have always called this Preaching Rock.
It's right alongside the highway. I don't know that I had ever stopped to read the inscription. After my ride, I read a bit online about Lorenzo Dow. He sounds like he was quite an interesting character. I don't know that I would have agreed with him on everything theologically, but I do like his quote on the plaque:
Upon the great journey of life, eternity is the country to which all are traveling. - Dow's "Road to Peace"
I took a slightly roundabout route as I headed south to Monticello, staying on safer county roads. When I got back to downtown Monticello, I stopped to get a photo of this wonderfully wacky mural on the side of the Big Chic building.
Murals were a common form of advertising in the late 19th and early 20th century. I'm so glad this one was restored a few years ago. The Monticello Downtown Development Authority secured a grant through the Georgia Grassroots Art Program, researched the original colors, and found an artist to complete the restoration.
I stopped by The Vanilla Bean on the square for a celebratory snack at the end of my Local Landmarks Ride. They have the best pastries. I would have been happy with just about anything they offer, but I noticed one piece of cake already individually boxed. The cashier informed me that it was hummingbird cake - perfect! I got it to go and enjoyed it while sitting on a bench on the square.
If you're wondering what to do during virus isolation, get out and ride your bicycle. Explore your home (safely) and enjoy all it has to offer. Ride on!
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