Double Rock Effigy Ride

As the spring Virtual Brevet Series wound down, I decided to continue doing a 200K a month.  Then, good ol' George added Virtual Brevet Post-Season Play, which runs from July 11 - December 31, 2020.  Extra motivation!  Here are the Post-Season Play categories:

The Rando Series (one ride per month)
Six 50Ks
Six 100Ks
Six 200Ks

The Super Series (two rides per month)
Twelve 50Ks
Twelve 100Ks
Twelve 200Ks

The Ultra Series (four rides per month)
Twenty-four 50Ks
Twenty-four 100Ks
Twenty-four 200Ks

Riders can mix and match distances from different categories or pursue individual distances and not others. I've set a goal of the 200Ks in the Rando Series, the 100Ks in the Super Series, and the 50Ks in the Ultra Series.

I'm also trying to come up with interesting themes for my 200Ks. Last Saturday I did a Double Rock Effigy Ride.  There are two rock effigies of birds, created by Native Americans, in Putnam County to the east of where I live.  One is Rock Eagle, and the other is Rock Hawk.  Only two such bird effigies have been discovered east of the Mississippi River, and amazingly, both are in Putnam County.  It’s not known exactly how old they are, but white settlers learned about them when they moved into the area in the early 1800s.

Rock Eagle is much better known than Rock Hawk because there is a 4-H camp and conference center at Rock Eagle.  (I went to Rock Eagle myself several times during high school for the state Latin convention - good times!)  Rock Hawk is associated with Lawrence Shoals Park, which is a Georgia Power park.

I started my ride with a visit to the Monticello farmers market.  I saw a vendor who had the item I wanted.  A woman in front of me got the exact same thing from this vendor, a pound of homegrown tomatoes.  When she finished her purchase, I said, “I’ll have what she’s having.”  Neither one got my joke.

I swung back by my house to drop off the tomatoes and continued on my route.  It was a beautiful, very warm morning.  I enjoyed the quiet rural roads.  I knew I needed to fuel regularly, and so I stopped at about mile 32.  Putnam County Primary School in Eatonton had a nice covered outdoor classroom area with benches, perfect for a snack.

The next part of my route was supposed to be out and back to Rock Hawk.  (Supposed to be...more on that in a moment.)  I went on some excellent roads east of Eatonton that I had only ridden a couple of times before.  They were so scenic, the pavement was in great shape, and there was very little traffic.  As I headed toward the community of Rockville, I was delighted to see several signs that used the Uncle Remus critters to encourage people not to litter.  Joel Chandler Harris, who penned the Uncle Remus stories, grew up in Putnam County.

Robert and I had ridden to Rock Hawk several years ago, but obviously I took a slightly different route last Saturday because I encountered an unexpected dirt road!  It was fairly gravelly, and so I was glad to make it through without a flat (good ol’ Gator Skin tires).  Before I got to the dirt road, I went through Rockville.  I remembered this from my previous ride to Rock Hawk.  I took a picture of the sign on my way through, intending to be ironic (a la REM) and take another picture on the way back.  However, the irony was that when I slightly rerouted on the way back from Rock Hawk to avoid the dirt road, I heeded REM’s advice after all and didn’t go back to Rockville.

Following my singular visit to Rockville and successful navigation of the dirt road, I made it to Lawrence Shoals Park.  I rode to the Rock Hawk effigy and climbed the viewing tower.

After another quick refueling, I headed back toward Eatonton.  I'm still avoiding convenience stores as much as possible because of the pandemic. It's easy to carry plenty of food, but I knew my two water bottles and two large containers of Powerade wouldn't be enough.  I stopped by Eatonton Presbyterian Church, a sister church to my own Monticello Presbyterian Church, and was glad to find an outdoor spigot.

Well equipped once again, I began the section to Rock Eagle.  It was getting hot, but the excellent roads were a good counterbalance.  Although I had seen a few people around Rock Hawk, the Rock Eagle grounds were completely deserted.  I had the effigy all to myself.

I sat at the foot of the stairs in the viewing tower and ate half a sandwich.  Although I really wasn't hungry and actually felt a little barfy, I knew I needed fuel.

I’m pretty heat resilient, but it was tough last Saturday (mid 90s and high humidity). I felt particularly rough from about mile 80 to 100. When I got to mile 100, I made it a true rando ride; I found some shady trees a little way off the road and lay down for a nap. I felt much better for the final 25 miles.

After I got home and took a shower, Robert and I headed to his parents' house next door for happy hour on their deck, social distancing style.  We haven't seen them much during the pandemic, and so it was such a nice way to spend some time with them.

When I told them about my randonneuring nap that afternoon, my mother-in-law reminded me of a funny story about William Fleming "Willie Flem" Jordan, a colorful character in the Jordan family tree.  Apparently, Willie Flem would have made a good randonneur.  Thank you to J.S. "Chick" Wilson for the following account from Museum Notes, his book about Jasper County history:

He dressed in old clothes as well as an old Army or Navy overcoat.  He usually carried a cane pole and was always ready to drop a hook into the water.  He could fish all day in one spot and one position.  If he tired as he left the fishing hole and walked back toward town, he would sometimes lie down beside the road for a nap.  He did that one day near the end of Eatonton Street.

A man from out of town saw him, stopped his car, and approached.  "Mister, Mister, are you OK???" the man asked loudly.  After a few attempts to get a response, Mr. Willie rose up and said, "I was until some fool stranger came along and woke me up."

There are lots of great Willie Flem stories, but I also have a personal connection to the one about him riding his horse into the courthouse.  I channeled Willie Flem several years back when I rode my bicycle into the church fellowship hall for a cycling presentation.

Willie Flem is my spirit animal.