I had a blast on today’s FDR
Little White House 200K permanent! Also, I was thrilled that David
Bolocan and Robert Newcomer joined me. However, I’m not sure “blast” is
how they would describe it. The heat did get pretty intense later in the
day. I kind of like the heat, though, probably because I’m a native
Georgian and possibly part lizard.
As I drove from Monticello
to Griffin for the start of the ride, I had a beautiful view of the full moon
setting. Coincidentally, I was also listening to “Man on the Moon” by REM
– magic. It was a good portent of the day to come.
David, Robert, and I headed
out from the Ingle’s in Griffin. It was foggy and a comfortable
temperature in the 70's. The first excitement of the day occurred a few
miles outside of Yatesville when I ran over something and got a flat tire
(rear, of course). My marginal tire changing skills seemed to amuse David
and Robert. Changing a tube is one of those Catch-22 situations; you have
to practice the skill, but you hope not to have the opportunity to do so.
My husband has actually drilled me at home on changing tubes, but it’s still
not something I’ve done lots of times. Although I’m sure I could have
completed today’s changing job by myself, I certainly appreciated David and Robert’s
help, which allowed us to get back on the road sooner. Besides, it gave
them something to tease me about the rest of the day.
I’ve ridden on Highway 190
over the Pine Mountain ridge several times before, usually stopping at one of
the lovely viewing locations along the way. As we rode this highway
today, I was a little regretful that we didn’t stop to look at the valley
below. However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the FDR State
Park office, which I had not been to before, also has a great view. This
control turned out to be the highlight of my day for a couple of other reasons
as well.
We had sort-of lunch at this
control. I understand that Ian had a nice lunch spread at the FDR Little
White House 200K brevet back in February. (Sorry I missed that
one!) Since we didn’t have that option today, we relied on the vending
machines and other snacks available at the park office. FYI – they have
Ben & Jerry’s ice cream! I might have planned accordingly if I had
known, but at the time I wasn’t hungry enough for a pint. Instead, I got
a box of crickets. How could I pass up that opportunity? They came
in several flavors, including bacon & cheese and sour cream &
onion. I got the salt & vinegar ones. They were pretty good,
tasting kind of like a cross between potato chips and popcorn. The
crickets plus a Coke made a tasty lunch along with the besquished turkey and
cheese sandwich that had been in my jersey pocket for the previous five
hours. I had bought a Snickers at the first control, which had liquefied
by lunchtime. It was still goo-ily edible, and I intended to eat it then,
but I was too full after the other stuff and, therefore, saved it for later.
 |
| Lunch o' champions |
 |
| Back of the cricket box |
The guys and I sat in
Adirondack chairs overlooking the valley. It was quite an enjoyable
respite. There were a bunch of hula hoops gathered at one corner of the
adjoining grassy area. They were just the thing to entice four cute
little kids who showed up. After watching them for a while, I couldn’t
stand it anymore – I just had to join them. I don’t know why my rhythm
was so much better today than it ever was when I was a kid; I was able to keep
my hula hoop going pretty well! I would have continued for a good bit
longer if the Coke in my stomach weren’t getting sloshed around so much. Before
I stopped, three women who were with the children (mothers, I assume) gave it a
whirl, too. Maybe my hooping attempts gave them the nudge they needed to
try. Bicycling, hula hooping, etc.: why do we adults ever quit doing the
stuff that was fun when we were kids?
By the way, here’s today’s
fun fact: Pine Mountain is the southernmost mountain in the Eastern U.S.
Daniel McKinley regularly
rides some of the roads on today’s route, and he kindly gave me a heads up
about a bridge that was out around mile 116. Ian offered the option of a
detour, but David, Robert, and I opted for the challenge. And that it
was. We had to wade through a creek and climb a steep, muddy
embankment. Woo hoo! Cyclocross!
 |
| Hey, I thought this was a road ride! |
I felt good at the end of
the ride. Walking through the Ingle’s parking lot made me feel even
better; I found a $10 bill! It was right next to a particular car, and so
I had customer service page the car’s owner. The car belonged to an
Ingle’s employee, who was relieved to know that nothing was wrong with
it. The money didn’t belong to her, however. So, I kept it.
Afterwards, I went to the restroom and saw that mascara
was streaked all down my face from sweat. The Ingle's employee must have
thought I looked pretty pitiful and needed the money worse than she did.
Thank
you, Ian, for setting up the ride, and thank you, David and Robert, for riding
with me! Today was an excellent example of my life motto: Expect
Adventure.
Betty Jean
P.S. I’m sure you all know
that chocolate milk is a wondrous recovery drink. I recently discovered
the recipe below, which is essentially glorified chocolate milk. It was
mighty tasty when I got home today. Oh, and it’s definitely two
servings – enough to share with your sweetie!
Double Chocolate Chip Frappe
1 cup milk
2 T sugar
1/3 cup chocolate chips
3 T chocolate syrup
2 C ice
1/8 tsp. vanilla
Blend and enjoy!
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