Sensations

I had several excellent high school English teachers, but Mrs. Phillips in 10th grade was my favorite.  I think that's because she was the first English teacher who had us read books and then really discussed them with us.  Before that, my English teachers would assign a book and then give a test designed primarily to determine whether we read it or not.  For example, one test question was "Did they wear hats on the trail?" as if this would give us some great literary insight into the human condition.
 
Mrs. Phillips rather inadvertently introduced me to one of my favorite authors, Ray Bradbury.  Her original assignment to the class was Lord of the Flies by William Golding, but my mother didn't want me to read it because she thought it was too violent.  That's the only book my mother ever objected to my reading.  Mrs. Phillips was fine with letting me read another book.  Mother suggested The Color Purple by Alice Walker.  Mrs. Phillips was rather flummoxed, wondering why my mother preferred that I be exposed to the violence in The Color Purple.  Instead, Mrs. Phillips recommended The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury.  I loved it.  I went on to read other Bradbury works.  My favorite was Dandelion Wine, which I recommended to Mrs. Phillips.  Summer is my favorite season, and I love the imagery that Bradbury uses to evoke the senses as he describes the summer of 1928 as experienced by 12-year-old Douglas Spaulding.
 
(Side note: I read The Color Purple a few summers ago and thoroughly enjoyed it; see my blog entry “Middle Georgia Author Ride” on 8/10/14.  Also, I plan to read Lord of the Flies between September 25 and October 1 this year to celebrate Banned Books Week – a little delayed teenage rebellion.  Heh heh.)
 
I always have dozens of books on my to-read list.  Therefore, I can't remember the last time I re-read a book until now.  I'm re-reading Dandelion Wine.  It's the perfect time of year for it!
 
With summer and words and Mrs. Phillips floating in my conscious/subconscious, I rode the Fried Green Tomatoes 200K brevet this past Saturday.  The ride started at 6:00 AM.  The first light of day shone pink and gold through the trees.  The roads were mostly quiet.  The air was cool yet warm as only early morning in the summer can be.  A word came to my mind: sensations.
 
I remembered another assignment from Mrs. Phillips's class.  She had us do a writing exercise in which we were to imagine ourselves in five different situations of our choosing.  We were to write down everything we saw, heard, smelled, felt, and tasted.  I really got into the exercise and actually enjoyed doing a class assignment!  One of my scenarios was sitting by a pond at my favorite vacation spot.  Another was being at a Braves game.  I was a huge Braves fan back in the 80s when they were terrible.  Mrs. Phillips happened to be a big Braves fan, too.  She did the writing exercise along with the class and also chose a Braves game as one of her scenarios.  She and I had fun comparing notes.
 
This past Saturday morning as I drank in the beauty of my surroundings, feeling happy to be alert and alive, I decided to pay particular attention to what I experienced through my senses and write a different kind of ride report.  See if you can envision yourself on the ride.
 
What I See

• Bicycle headlights and taillights before the sun is fully up
• Julie's blinky light - is it on the back of her helmet, or is it a ponytail holder?
• Silhouettes of trees in the twilight
• Brightly colored kits: blue, green, yellow, red
• A small commercial strip in a semi-rural area: $7 for 7 tans and a vape store.  You know those maps that show the unhealthiest places in America?  This is probably one of the red dots on the map.
• Kudzu monsters formed by prodigal vines covering trees, buildings, power lines, and just about anything else that stands still
• The Sac o’ Suds next to the Ocmulgee River.  The Sac o’ Suds was the scene of the tuna theft in the movie My Cousin Vinny.  The real Sac o’ Suds sells souvenir cans of tuna.
• One... two... make that three dead armadillos at various places along the route (I avert my eyes as much as I can from any kind of roadkill; it makes me sad.)
• At least four bananas in Eric's jersey pockets.  He's a new randonneur.  I'm glad I learn his name; otherwise, I would have to call him Monkey Man.
• Eric's legs spinning furiously as he rides downhill on his fixie
• Lynne Jordan at the farmers market on the square in Monticello.  It’s kind of cool when you can get your cousin to sign your brevet card at a control.
• Other friends and neighbors and all the familiar surroundings of Monticello and Jasper County.  I love my home and am glad my riding companions are here to share it with me.
• Something big and black on the pavement that I don't want to hit - oh, it's an eastern lubber grasshopper!
• The Smokey Bear sign at the fire tower next to the Piedmont Wildlife Refuge (PWR)

• A deer darting into the woods as we ride through the PWR
• Several of my cycling buddies from Macon riding in the opposite direction on Highway 87
• A hound dog that looks like the one from Hee Haw
• The answer to the information control question at the bridge on Highway 42.  The testosterone-laden dudes have surged ahead, and I know they didn't think to get the information.  When they wait for several of us at the next turn, I coyly offer to sell the guys the answer for $5 per person.  I'll tell them what time we got to the control for another $5.
• A slightly overcast sky that keeps the temperature down a bit
• Hmmm... that raincloud in the distance looks pretty dark
• Road grime sticking to my sweaty, sunscreen-covered legs

 

What I Hear

• The wind whooshing by my ears
• A car honking at us; we must be on "their" road
• Robert's voice challenging me to go for the QOM on the Strava segment on Jackson Lake Road next to Lloyd Shoals Dam.  (He didn't think I'd really do it, but when he threw down the gauntlet, I couldn't resist!)
• Andrew doing an excellent impersonation of Fat Bastard from the Austin Powers movies
• The summer serenade of cicadas
• A train as we ride parallel to the tracks near Hillsboro
• The yap yap of the little piranha dog chasing us out of Juliette
• The voice of a man in line behind me at the convenience store in Jackson as I'm getting my brevet card signed: "Y'all playing Pokémon?"

What I Smell

• The unique fragrance of Coppertone, which I actually like, as I slather it on before the ride
• Roadkill (sadness)
• Ripe cantaloupe and watermelon at the control at Highway 87 and Highway 83 (Thank you, Wayne!)

 

• David's watermelon flavored energy chews that he pulls from his jersey pocket (Hint: they don't smell as good as Wayne's fresh watermelon.)
• Petrichor – that distinctive earthy smell after a light rain.  This cool word comes from the Greek “petros,” meaning “stone,” and “ichor,” the ethereal blood of the gods in Greek mythology.  Petrichor is caused by miniscule amounts of increased humidity that fill the pores of rocks and soils, releasing aromatic oils.
• Testosterone.  Well, not really, but I definitely sense it several times as the guys throw the hammer down!

What I Feel

• The delightfully warm summer air that makes me grateful that I don’t have to wear as much gear this time of year
• The wonderfully smooth surface of brand new pavement on Highway 11
• The dampening effect of my endurance bike that makes shake-and-bake roads a lot less rough
• A comfortable bottom thanks to my Adamo Prologue saddle
• The stretch of my legs as I stand to climb a hill
• A heavy heart as we stop for a passing funeral procession
• A few drops of rain.  Maybe it won't do much.
• But it does – a good shower for a mile or two, just enough to make the ride interesting
• Road spray from the rider in front of me
• A slight chill after the rain
• The warmth of the sun coming back out for the last few miles.  I feel like broccoli that will be perfectly steamed by the time we get to the end.
• Amazingly strong at the end of the ride!  I could do a 300K today if I wanted.  Good form comes and goes, and I’m grateful that today I have it.  I wish I could bottle it; I’d make a mint.

 

What I Taste

• Two flavors of Skratch Labs electrolyte drink mix – green tea with lemon and raspberry – that Robert and I try for the first time.  They are pretty good; slightly salty and not as sweet as Gatorade or PowerAde, which can get icky during a really long ride.
• The flaky, luscious crust and sumptuous peach filling of one of Laverne's fried pies at the farmers market on the square in Monticello
• Cold water from the spigot at the forest service building by the fire tower
• The refreshment of delicious, chilled watermelon and cantaloupe (Thanks again, Wayne!)
• The zing of spicy V-8.  What a treat!  Convenience stores usually just have the plain kind, but spicy is my favorite.
• A chocolate mint Clif Bar

 

I have a confession to make.  When the word "sensations" came to my mind at the beginning of Saturday's ride, I thought of something else before I thought of Mrs. Phillips's writing exercise.  I remembered this hilarious video of Triathlete Man and Road Cyclist.  When Road Cyclist talks about "sensations," I just about fall out!
 

Road Cyclist Meets Triathlete