Header

Road biking, dirt road riding on Frankenbike, tandem riding, group riding, time trialing, randonneuring - I love to ride, and I love to write. As I've traveled along on two wheels, I've learned one thing: Expect Adventure. Join me on the journey!

Betty Jean Jordan

Sunday, October 19, 2014

West Georgia Fall Line 200K Permanent

Yesterday I rode the West Georgia Fall Line 200K permanent.  I was fully prepared to ride it alone, but I was so happy that a couple of rando buddies, Ian Flitcroft and Robert Newcomer, joined me.  I hope they enjoyed the day as much as I did.

Waffle House
The ride started at Waffle House in Thomaston.  Thus, I forwent my usual pre-ride oatmeal at home and fueled up there instead.  Because Waffle House is not known for its vegetable matter, I ate some fresh grapes on the drive over.  Then, with a pecan waffle, a couple of scrambled eggs (with Tabasco), and hot tea with lemon, I was rarin’ to go.

Waffle House is the stuff of Southern lore.  Many a college student has gone there in the wee hours after a night of merrymaking.  I also have fond memories of Waffle House being the only available food source after being snowed in for several days during the blizzard of 1993 in Atlanta.  More recently, with it being open 24 hours a day, I’m rediscovering it as a valuable resource during my long bicycle rides.  Ah, Waffle House: haven for rapscallions, raconteurs, and randonneurs.

After I finished my breakfast, I went out to the parking lot and met up with Ian and Robert.  We set out on a beautiful morning.  Oftentimes, my ride will take on a particular theme.  Yesterday was an environmental ride.  Our conversation and several things we saw along the way inspired me to do a little post-ride research.

Wolves at Yellowstone
Robert described something interesting that he learned recently.  When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995, it led to rivers changing course.  I was fascinated.  It makes perfect sense ecologically.  The increased wolf population has led to a decrease in elk and other herbivores.  This has allowed more abundant growth of plants.  In turn, the denser plant root growth has held the soil better.  Therefore, rivers have rerouted themselves around these less erodible areas.

Everything is interconnected, but too often we humans are blind to this truth.  I was reminded of some lines from one of my favorite Rush songs, “Natural Science”:

Wheels within wheels in a spiral array
A pattern so grand and complex
Time after time we lose sight of the way
Our causes can’t see their effects

Wiregrass Region
The route was aptly named because we clearly saw both the piedmont and the coastal plain as we crossed the fall line several times.  As we rode in the coastal plain, I was delighted to see the needles of the longleaf pines waving in the breeze.  They are quite distinguishable from the needles of the loblolly pines that predominate in the lower piedmont region where I live.

We were in wiregrass country.  This is a rich ecosystem that used to stretch across much of the Southeast.   The primary vegetation includes open longleaf pine forests with abundant wiregrass growing on the ground below.  Today, only a few pockets remain from the millions of acres that used to comprise the wiregrass region.  During our ride it was easy to see what has caused the transformation.  Most of this land has been converted to agriculture or sand mining. 

Environmental Justice
Our route was a big, counterclockwise loop.  Most of the sand mining was in the southwest corner of the loop.  Leaving this mining area, we traveled east on the Fall Line Freeway, enjoying an excellent tailwind.  After a while, Ian pointed out a particularly large sand mine protruding above the tree line.  However, within the next mile or so as we rode into a low spot, we detected a rather pungent odor.  I suspected that that large sand mine was actually a landfill.  Sure enough, we had a clear view of the landfill a short time later.

This was in Taylor County, and I was reminded of a big news item from about 25 years ago.  A hazardous waste landfill was proposed for Taylor County, and it was so controversial that it made national news.  I was in college at the time, and I remember one of my professors referring to the case in a discussion of environmental justice.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines environmental justice as "the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, sex, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies."  Taylor County has a higher percentage of both African-Americans and people below the poverty level than the rest of Georgia.  Opponents of the hazardous waste landfill asserted that local citizens were not included in the discussions of locating it there.  Supporters touted the badly needed economic development that it would bring.  I didn’t remember the outcome of all of this, and so I tried to find more information online.  I suppose that the hazardous waste landfill never was built because I didn’t see one listed in Taylor County on the website of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.  Additionally, the two landfills that I did find for Taylor County included a municipal solid waste landfill (for regular household garbage) and an inert waste landfill (for waste that doesn’t react or decompose, e.g. sand, gravel, and concrete).

One interesting side note: during our ride yesterday we noticed numerous campaign signs for Debbie Buckner for state representative.  As I was doing research for this ride report, I read that she was one of the most active opponents of the hazardous waste landfill.

Highlight of the Day
Lest you think it was a total nerd-fest, we did have some lighter moments during the day.  For me, the highlight came after our lunch stop in Reynolds.  As we pedaled on, I remarked to Ian and Robert that I have one connection to Reynolds.  My local Monticello-Jasper County Chamber of Commerce has an annual dinner that always includes a keynote speaker, e.g. a politician or someone entertaining.  (Those are usually mutually exclusive.)  One year we had – of all things – a mortician from Reynolds who was absolutely hilarious.  He talked about small-town Southern life and his work, but he did it in such a way that it wasn’t morbid or disrespectful.

Ian, Robert, and I went on to discuss the funeral business.  Ian observed, “Embalming is taxidermy for humans.”  Brilliant!

Photo Opps
Because I had riding companions, I didn’t stop to take as many photos as I might have otherwise.  I did get a couple, though.  The first was at a railroad crossing.  It was on a rural road with very little traffic and probably only a few trains each day.  Murphy’s Law dictated that we arrived just in time to get caught by a train:


Later in the ride we stopped at this picturesque covered bridge, which also served as an information control:


Welcome Wagon
About 10 miles from the end, we were climbing a pretty steep hill.  I looked back and saw that a car had slowed down to talk to Ian and Robert.  I immediately suspected that it was Daniel, the organizer for this permanent.  I was right!  How thoughtful of him to come check on us!  He even drove on to the Waffle House to greet us at the end.  It was also convenient to be able to hand our cards to him then instead of mailing them later.

Thank you, Daniel, for organizing a great permanent, and thank you, Ian and Robert, for riding with me!

No comments:

Post a Comment