Every summer I look forward to picking blueberries at Hard Labor Creek Blueberry Farm. It's even more fun when I can incorporate a bicycle ride. The farm is about 35 miles from my house, and there are all kinds of terrific roads between and around both locations. The only trick is that a vehicle has to be involved because I can't carry my blueberry haul home on my bicycle! I was debating my approach this year when my friend Ken unknowingly provided the perfect plan. It all started with an excellent book that I recently read, Georgia's Civilian Conservation Corps by Connie M. Huddleston.
Started by FDR during the Great Depression and lasting until WWII, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) provided work and valuable skills to hundreds of thousands of young men. Their projects ranged from soil conservation to forestry to building state parks. As US involvement in WWII loomed, CCC enrollees even built several military installations. Many of the young men entered the CCC malnourished but gained weight and health during their enlistment. A number also received education, obtaining literacy, high school diplomas, or even college degrees. The skills they learned in the CCC were highly sought during the war as well as in the workforce.
I was so interested in what I learned that I posted about the book on Facebook. Ken, who lives in nearby Madison and is involved in historic preservation in Morgan County, responded with a link to a driving tour guide from a few years ago:
Not only did I enjoy reading about the CCC in the tour guide, I saw that the tour went right by Hard Labor Creek Blueberry Farm. Aha! My bicycle/blueberry plan came together: drive to the blueberry farm, do a historical bicycle ride from there, and pick blueberries afterwards.
I excerpted the driving tour information from Ken to include the parts that particularly interested me. I carried this condensed version with me as a reference. It was also fun to reread the information after the ride. In fact, I discovered that I had focused primarily on public works. I guess that’s not surprising since I’m a civil engineer.
I had hoped that my friend Julie would be able to join me on the outing, but she couldn’t make it fit with her schedule. However, Katie, another cycling friend, did join me. Also, my husband Robert met us partway into the route and picked blueberries with me afterwards.
Katie and I met at the blueberry farm and headed out about 8:00 AM. The first point of interest was less than two miles from the start:
This is the dam for a new reservoir to serve Walton and Oconee Counties. The reservoir is scheduled to be filled by 2017 and will be a 1,370-acre lake, about a tenth of the size of Lake Oconee. The lake will supply 52 million gallons per day (MGD) to the residents of the two counties.
Following blueberry picking, I took Robert by car to see the reservoir since he had missed the first part of Katie’s and my cycling route. He noted that the City of Monticello water plant pumps about 0.5 MGD, which shows how massive a project this reservoir is. Robert also pointed out the accordion shaped weir at the spillway, called a labyrinth weir. This type of weir provides about three times the crest length of a straight weir. A spillway’s discharge capacity is directly proportional to its crest length for a given upstream head. Additionally, insufficient spillway capacity is a major cause of dam failures. Therefore, because of its small footprint, a labyrinth weir can be an efficient and cost effective way to increase discharge capacity and, thus, safety. By the way, the labyrinth weir is kind of the one-dimensional analog to the answer to every biology question: increases surface area. For example, why does the small intestine have all those fingerlike villi? They increase surface area, providing more absorption of nutrients. (totally nerding here...)
Katie and I looped around on the northern arc of the route and approached Hard Labor Creek State Park. This was the CCC part of the ride. The CCC built Hard Labor Creek and a number of other state parks, such as Indian Springs, Cloudland Canyon, and Pine Mountain (now FDR). The eye-catching rockwork in the buildings, bridges, and other structures at these parks is a distinctive reminder of the CCC’s legacy. Interestingly, while many state parks have CCC-built cabins and other buildings that are still used by the public, Hard Labor Creek has the only remaining buildings from the CCC camps themselves in the state of Georgia.
The driving tour guide provides a couple of first-person narratives from two former CCC workers. Willy Oliver, who was 96 in a 2014 interview, said, “the CC was good for men back then. It gave them something to do and kept them out of trouble… It wasn’t nothing but the army. They were training us for the army, and we were going to be the first ones called up. We wore uniforms, slept in barracks, drilled, and everything. We just didn’t carry guns.”
Deacon George Williams, another CCC worker, said, ““… you had camps all over America, you know. Young men built roads, built bridges, planted forest trees and did it all. And it was a good thing that they had done a lot of that work because, [had they not]… when the war broke out… we’d a been in bad shape. Cause you see, Japan didn’t give us no notice, they give us a sneak attack. [Before] we knew anything, they done bombed Pearl Harbor, and… the army wasn’t so large at that time but most of these CC Boys had enough training that they could come out and go right into it.”
A couple of years ago Robert and I did a wonderful nighttime kayak tour at Hard Labor Creek State Park. The ranger that led the tour explained about the two lakes at the park, Lake Brantley and Lake Rutledge, both constructed by the CCC when they dammed Hard Labor Creek. Lake Brantley is upstream and serves as a sediment pond for Lake Rutledge. At the time the lakes were constructed, farming practices across the country were generally very poor, best exemplified by the Dust Bowl in the Midwest. As I rode past the lakes this past Saturday, I wondered if the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS – originally the Soil Conservation Service, or SCS) was formed during this era. That’s the great thing about a historical bicycle ride; it inspires me to do more research.
The SCS was established on April 27, 1935 as Congress recognized that “the wastage of soil and moisture resources on farm, grazing, and forest lands . . . is a menace to the national welfare.” (from www.nrcs.usda.gov). The SCS had technical experts who advanced scientific understanding of erosion processes and developed effective conservation practices. The CCC provided labor for SCS projects, cultivating seeds and plants and conducting reforestation. How interesting to learn the connection between the SCS and the CCC!
Although the SCS started out primarily to improve farming practices, its scope of conservation increased in subsequent decades to include watershed protection, nonpoint source pollution control, and wetlands protection. Today’s NRCS has an important role in my own work as a civil engineer because many of my projects involve land development. Sediment from construction sites is a major pollutant of waterways. Therefore, any construction project that disturbs more than 1 acre is subject to federal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) regulations. The NRCS provides NPDES regulatory oversight for many smaller jurisdictions in Georgia without their own review staff.
The driving tour guide provided additional, earlier history of the area that is now Hard Labor Creek State Park. This area of Georgia was part of Indian Territory until 1802, when Native Americans ceded it to whites. Unfortunately, combat between the Native Americans and white settlers continued for a number of years. In one particularly bloody skirmish on November 6, 1813, Creeks killed at least nine settlers. Lake Brantley is named for the Brantley family who were killed in that massacre.
Prior to white settlement, noted naturalist William Bartram explored the region in 1773 as part of a four-year documentation of the Southern colonies. This description of a forest he encountered gives a vivid picture of the area before it was converted to agriculture: “… the scene opens, and discloses to view the most magnificent forest I had ever seen. …many of the black oaks measured eight, nine, ten, and eleven feet diameter.”
One other note about Hard Labor Creek State Park: It was the filming site for three well known “camp” movies: Little Darlings (1980), Poison Ivy (1985), and Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986).
Katie and I pedaled through Rutledge and headed east on Dixie Highway. Local cyclists love riding on this smooth, straight road. (It would make a great time trial course!) After a few miles, Robert joined us. He had ridden from our house. He was just in time for some more public works history. Dixie Highway was originally part of Hightower Trail, one within a network of Native American trails between Augusta and Alabama. (Other noteworthy roads in this network include Seven Island Road, which goes through Jasper County, where I live, and The Federal Road, which goes through Bibb County, where I work.) Hightower Road was also a stagecoach route between Charleston and New Orleans. Railroad tracks were built in the 1830s, crisscrossing Hightower Trail. In the early 1900s, the portion of Hightower south of the tracks became part of Dixie Highway, the first highway to link the rural South to the urban North, from Florida to Michigan. The 10-mile section of Dixie Highway between Madison and Rutledge was paved in concrete between 1914 and 1921 and cost $30,000/mile. Today, a project like this would cost more than ten times that amount. By the way, the parts of the old Hightower Trail north of the railroad tracks remain gravel to this day.
The three of us continued into Madison, famous for its antebellum homes, which Sherman spared from burning on his March to the Sea. The driving tour guide pointed out a unique feature of the Madison historic district. Some of the houses were built to face Old Post Road, part of the previously mentioned stagecoach route between Charleston and New Orleans. When Main Street became the main road through town, many landowners reoriented the facades of their houses to face Main Street. Therefore, some of the historic houses appear to have two facades. Additionally, I noticed a house with two and half stories. I thought I remembered something about historic houses sometimes having a half story to avoid tax on the top story. Based on a little Internet research, this is a myth. The half story was simply a popular style.
We circled around the northeast side of downtown Madison. I was interested to learn of a couple of land planning tools that Madison is using to redevelop this area. One is a Downtown Urban Redevelopment Area (DURA), which seeks aesthetic and economic enhancement through a combination of commercial and residential development. In addition, a historic-inspired multifamily complex that is under construction is using Transferable Development Rights (TDR) to shift density from sensitive greenspaces to a more developable site. TDR is an advanced planning technique that allows both pro-growth and pro-greenspace advocates achieve their goals.
Next, we headed back west on Dixie Highway. We didn’t go straight back to Rutledge, though. First we explored areas south. The biggest delight of the ride was unexpectedly coming upon a beautiful field of sunflowers. I pulled my phone out of my jersey pocket to snap a photo as we rode by. Robert and Katie wanted to stop to look – even better!
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| L-R: me, Katie |
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| Bee happy |
The driving tour had a couple of out-and-backs in this area. To make it better suited for cycling, I tweaked the route by adding a loop. The loop included a couple of roads that I had not ridden before, and so I checked them out on Google Earth. I didn’t check quite carefully enough, however, because we came to a dirt section! It didn’t look too bad, and I didn’t expect it to last terribly long. Therefore, we continued on the route as laid out. Fortunately, the dirt section was only a little over a mile long. Expect adventure!
Soon we came to the home of Hilda and Blue Chilton. Hilda is a Master Gardener with lovely vegetable and flower gardens on the property. Even more striking are Blue’s sculptures. We stopped to look at several near the road:
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| Some cross training for our ride |
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| Here be dragons |
I especially love the dragon and posted it on Facebook. Ken commented on “Here be dragons” being an ancient map reference. According to general knowledge, cartographers put this phrase at the edge of maps to indicate unexplored territory. I looked online for an example to include here and learned some more history…
There are zero known historical maps with the phrase “Here be dragons” – at least in English. Centuries ago, the language of learning was Latin. Therefore, the phrase in Latin is “Hic sunt dracones.” But you know what? Only one known map has the phrase in Latin. “Here be dragons” is still a pretty cool myth, though.
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| Genuine imitation old map |
We rode the few remaining miles back to Hard Labor Creek Blueberry Farm. After changing clothes, we started picking blueberries. Katie picked a partial bucket and then headed home to Atlanta. Robert and I kept picking until we each had a full bucket. We’ll eat some fresh, but most will go into the freezer for use throughout the year in smoothies and other goodies (see recipes below).
As I was leaving the picking area, a guy asked me why the birds don’t eat all of the blueberries. I told him that the owners have big spray cans of Bird B Gone. He actually believed me, and so I told him my real supposition, that there are simply so many blueberries that the birds don’t eat them all.
Because we picked a full bucket of blueberries, we got a free watermelon.
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| Big fruit, little fruit |
Robert and I wrapped up our outing with lunch at The Caboose in Rutledge. An old boxcar was converted to a caboose during WWII. In 1971 the Nolan family purchased it to use as a playhouse. Then, in 1996 Ed Hogan and Molly Lesnikowski bought it, moved it to downtown Rutledge, and turned it into a sandwich shop. The sandwiches are mighty tasty, too. Robert had the Amtrak (turkey, bacon, and provolone), and I had homemade pimento cheese. We even sprang for dessert – a strawberry milkshake for Robert and an ice cream cone for me. I picked Yellow Brick Road ice cream, which looked and sounded pretty exciting. A little girl standing next to me at the counter asked what flavor I had. I told her Yellow Brick Road, then added that it had flying monkeys in it. Her eyes got wide. Her grandfather, also standing there, smiled at me conspiratorially. As I sat at a table eating my ice cream, they walked past me toward the door. I said, “I’m melting!”
Although I’m really not a huge history buff, my cycling this July is turning out to be quite historical. I’m enjoying the ride.
Company Blueberry Pancake for Two
3 T butter
1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C milk
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 C blueberries, thoroughly drained (can use frozen)
1 lemon
Confectioners' sugar
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. When oven gets to about 350 degrees, place butter in a heavy 8- to 9-inch square casserole or cast iron skillet (I recommend a cast iron skillet) and place in oven.
Meanwhile, combine flour, milk, salt, and eggs in a medium bowl. Fold in blueberries. Remove pan from oven and pour batter into sizzling butter. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and squeeze lemon juice over the pancake (use entire lemon). Sprinkle liberally with confectioners' sugar. Serve right from the pan.
Yield: 2 servings
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Blueberry-Yogurt Muffins
Nonstick cooking spray
2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 C granulated sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 C orange juice
2 T vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C vanilla or plain low-fat yogurt
1 C fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed
1 T granulated sugar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine egg, orange juice, oil, vanilla, and yogurt. Pour into well and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Gently fold in blueberries. Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin tin and sprinkle 1 T sugar evenly over batter. Bake about 18 minutes or until golden. Remove from pans immediately; cool on a wire rack.
Yield: 12 muffins
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Blueberry Pound Cake
1 C plus 2 T butter
2 1/4 C sugar, divided
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 C all-purpose flour, divided
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 C fresh blueberries
Grease a 10-inch tube pan with 2 T butter. Sprinkle pan with 1/4 C sugar. Cream remaining butter; gradually add remaining sugar, beating well. Add eggs, one a t a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix well. Combine 2 3/4 C flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture, beating until well blended. Dredge blueberries with remaining 1/4 C flour. Fold berries into batter. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely.
Source: Hard Labor Creek Blueberry Farm
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