August 26, 2016 – Partly cloudy, 85 degrees
Miles Today: 70
Miles to Date: 15,175
States to Date: 41
Southern Cycling
…chased by dogs… pithy slogans on church signs… rebel flags on trailer houses that never move… propane farms… chased by dogs… Get the US out of the UN… Jaxson Smokehouse smackin’ hot bar-be-cue… fresh rain rising off blacktop steams the sweat right up my neck… making good time… chased by dogs…
August 25, 2016 – Partly cloudy, 90 degrees
Miles Today: 28
Miles to Date: 15,105
States to Date: 41
Birmingham: I was lost, but now I’m found; was blind but now I see.
Today I got so lost I could not tell north from south, right from left. Clouds obscured the sun. The city has numbered streets in all directions. What’s the point of a sign telling me I’m at the intersection of 8th Street W and 4th Court W when I’m supposed to be Northeast? Eventually I got my bearings, found my way and met wonderful people who did not discredit my being late.
I began well enough, visiting my friends at TRO, the Birmingham branch of the firm I worked for in Boston. Then I pedaled more than ten miles to complete the five-mile distance to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. After lunch I got back on track; toured the Sloss Furnaces, an incredible preservation of the city’s industrial past; went to the 16th Street Baptist Church, where my body trembled contemplating the explosion; and took the Civil Rights walk from Kelly Ingram Park to City Hall.
There, the lost and found metaphor sunk in. This city, the most segregated and entrenched bastion of Jim Crow in our country, was lost for so long. Yet, today Birmingham owns, even celebrates, its pivotal position in the struggle for racial equality and justice. That is not to say that opportunity is equally distributed. But how Birmingham acknowledges where it was and how it changed is a credit to all sides.
I pedaled to Mary’s House on the far west side (which by then I could navigate quite well) and enjoyed a community supper with Shelley and Jim Douglass, long time Catholic Worker activists, and other folks from the Ensley neighborhood. Shelley arranged for me to sleep at the local rectory, where I stayed up too late talking with Rev. Justin Nelson, a fascinating priest from India whose vocation led him to pastoring a pair of African-American Catholic Churches in Alabama.
August 24, 2016 – Partly cloudy, 90 degrees
Miles Today: 78
Miles to Date: 15,077
States to Date: 41
After two days of being spoiled by the Silver Comet / Chief Ladiga Trails it was hard to share the pavement with cars again. Google Maps offered a nice looking route that took me to Eulaton Gate Road, which I’ve learned is code for entering a military base. Sure enough I came up to the gate of the Anniston Depot where the friendly guard turned me around. Instead of navigating any complex on the run, I simply took US 78 all the way to Birmingham. This proved a good decision. US 78 runs parallel to I-20 so it has almost no traffic. The pavement is good and the shoulder adequate.
I enjoyed Pell City, a sleeping little town where I mused about the activities that occupy downtown storefronts after Wal-Mart shifts commerce to the superstore on the highway. One result of our world full of stuff: lots of thrift shops.
The town also had some excellent examples of small-stone houses that I see all over northern Alabama.
August 23, 2016 – Partly cloudy, 80 degrees
Miles Today: 29
Miles to Date: 14,970
States to Date: 41
Cycling through Piedmont, a town that has seen better days, reminds me of something a guy in Atlanta said. “The Civil War was the first time the 1% coerced the 99% into doing something stupid, based on the fear that they would be worse off if things changed. At least the 99% of poor whites were above the slaves.” I’m not sure if the Civil War was the first time that happened; the powerful have divided minions to control for centuries. Piedmont seems like a place where the 1% has moved beyond city limits, rending the racial differences among the folks left behind irrelevant.
Back on the Chief Ladiga Trail I spun twenty more sweet miles until trail’s end in Anniston. Along the way I passed vines so thick they spread like cancer, cloaking each discrete piece of vegetation into a leafy contour.
Anniston has a classic downtown that still shows signs of life, including what may be the last extant Western Auto store, a franchise we had in my hometown over fifty years ago.
August 22, 2016 – Partly cloudy, 80 degrees
Miles Today: 78
Miles to Date: 14,941
States to Date: 41
My host, Ali, and I went to mile zero of the Silver Comet Trail, the biggest bicycle trailhead I’ve seen. Even on a Monday morning, the place was crowded with people and bikes, skateboarders and pet walkers. The hype about this trail is well deserved. Ali rode with me through the busiest portion, but since the trail is wide and smooth, it’s easy to navigate. After he turned back home, the natural beauty of riding through tall forest continued, as did the excellent condition of the trail.
Around mile fifteen the pavement turns to concrete, which has more friction but turns out to be a good surface for a trail that’s in constant shade in a region of frequent rain. Despite today’s ideal conditions many wet areas remained from yesterday’s thunderstorms.
The first thirty miles follow an old railroad grade; slopes are minor and I stayed in high gear. Then the trail parallels, sort of, an active rail line with steep rises and fast descents. This far from the city there was no traffic in either direction or at any cross street, so I kept a pace that was both safe and exciting.
At the Alabama state line, the trail returns to a former railroad right-of-way and Silver Comet becomes the Chief Ladiga Trail. The surface returns to blacktop, the path narrows to six feet wide, and the grade descends steady for almost twenty miles into Piedmont. Forests give over to small farms and distant foothills. It’s a scenic, yet easy ride.
August 21, 2016 – Partly cloudy, 80 degrees
Miles Today: 28
Miles to Date: 14,863
States to Date: 41
I woke late to overcast skies and coasted down five flights of parking ramp from my host’s apartment to the streets of Atlanta. Atlanta is to Georgia as New York City is to upstate New York or Seattle is to western Washington. The principle city is at complete odds with its country cousins. Southern Breakfast at Bantam + Biddy is a smaller portioned, locally sourced counterpoint to the Waffle House All-Star, at twice the price. Parking lots are packed at nine on Sunday morning, not at the local church, but at LA Fitness. The Prius to pick-up ratio is flipped. I spent the morning loitering at the upscale Ansley Shopping Center in Midtown; I even indulged in a rare treat of a donut. I felt slackerlier than I do hanging at a McDonald’s because everyone around me was so purposeful in their food and fitness.
After noon I headed off to explore Midtown, rode through Piedmont Park and went to the High Museum, mostly to see Richard Meir’s 1983 building. I suppose it was a victim of its own success, for in the 1990’s the High added a significant infill addition by Renzo Piano that pulls the museum and adjacent symphony hall together in an outdoor space currently filled with circus-like sculptures. The planning is very good, but the Meier Building is now a trinket along Peachtree Street rather than the heart of the place. I strode up the monumental ramp only to discover it doesn’t get you anywhere anymore.
I headed out of town, which meant hills and more hills. I waited out a downpour on the narrow front porch of a model home in a new subdivision without triggering any security alarms. The Paces, a neighborhood of well-heeled estates, has many beautiful homes, and a few garish conceits as well. I was pleased to find a little library at one intersection, since I recently finished my paperback. I traded it out for Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which seems more appropriate to my way of living then anyone who lives there.
August 20, 2016 – Sunny, 85 degrees
Miles Today: 18
Miles to Date: 14,835
States to Date: 41
My warmshowers hosts, Laura and Mike, rode me to the Carter Center to kick off my day of Atlanta sightseeing. The Jimmy Carter Library is the seventh I’ve visited along my route. Nestled in a gully, the building is unassuming as the man. The museum focuses less on Carter’s Presidency compared to the other libraries. This makes sense for a man whose single term was a mixed bag of successes overshadowed by the Iranian hostages, but who’s post-Presidential is more influential than any other.
I cycled through some vintage Atlanta suburbs, stopped by the Martin Luther King Jr. Historical Site, toured downtown and Centennial Park and managed to duck indoors when a mammoth afternoon storm drenched the city.
A pair of friends hosted me in their Midtown apartment; a sprawling complex of several hundred high-end units wrapped around a five-story parking garage. I had never seen that arrangement before; very handy to drive to the level of your unit. Bruce and DFior both work in the travel industry and fly places virtually every week. The big draw of Atlanta? Direct flights to everywhere. Fortunately for me they were home on Saturday night and cooked up pungent crab boil and braised Ox-tail.
August 19, 2016 – Sunny, 85 degrees
Miles Today: 67
Miles to Date: 14,817
States to Date: 41
Truth in blogging: I am getting too old to drink beer at local bars with Millenial’s and then pedal hard the next day. Sure, I had elevation climbs and a steady headwind, but too much beer and too little sleep made the cycling harder.
The first leg took me through Athens verdant neighborhoods and through a series of small siding towns along one of the main railroad lines climbing to Atlanta. However, from Lawrenceville to Decatur, I simply persevered thirty miles of exurbs and suburbs and ever bigger, gaudier houses.
I did take a break to snack up at Aldi, a Costco meets Trader Joe’s chain I’ve seen along my routes but had never visited. Funky foods in cardboard cartons with a friendly staff.
Despite the slog, my endorphins eventually kicked in. I arrived at my hosts, showered, and enjoyed a wonderful evening sharing stories with Laura and Mike, a truly thoughtful pair who gave me a fascinating introduction to Atlanta.
August 18, 2016 – Sunny, 95 degrees
Miles Today: 97
Miles to Date: 14,750
States to Date: 41
Some long riding days are so satisfying. Get up early and on the road before the heat sets in, stay focused on progress but take breaks to meet interesting folks and stay fresh. I logged a lot of miles, climbed over 2,000 feet into the Georgia foothills, and had several local adventures.
I savored my first Waffle House experience in Thomson. The entire staff called out, “welcome!’ when I walked in, though my waitress was surprised I asked for a menu. Waffle House is all about repeat customers and pretty much everyone orders the All-Star breakfast: two eggs any style, two sausage patties, two slices of toast, grits, plus a large waffle. Next time, I won’t bother with a menu. For seven bucks, the All-Star breakfast rocks.
I needed all those carbs along the Whitesboro Road, a scenic country road to an early Quaker settlement. Just past the few remaining structures the pavement turned into a dirt logging road. Fortunately, Georgia red clay makes a pretty sound road surface.
Washington is a town with many beautiful historic houses, but I didn’t linger at any of them as thunderclouds threatened in early afternoon. For the rest of the day I dodged storms that raged all around me.
But I did stop to visit with local farmer Libby who grows and sells Muscadines and Scuppernongs, two delicious local grapes, from a farm stand with a welcome breeze. These plump fruits are certainly healthier than Waffle House fare.
I was already in Athens by the time a thunderstorm finally caught me. I ducked into in a car wash stall until the skies cleared and I pedaled to my host’s on time.
Jon Pierson is very gregarious guy and regular couchsurfing host who recently moved to Athens. He organized a couchsurfing meet-up at the HiLo bar in Normaltown. Eight other people showed up, commandeered a corner table, drank great local drafts, and talked about all things couchsurfing, Athens, University of Georgia, and tomorrow.
August 17, 2016 – Sunny, 95 degrees
Miles Today: 30
Miles to Date: 14,653
States to Date: 41
Welcome to Georgia! I took an easy day and got my bike a 2,000 mile check-up at Andy Jordan’s Bike Shop in Augusta. Tom got a new pair of shiny red pedals after the factory standard plastic ones cracked and the shop was out of any subtle colors. Just another way for me to stand out on the road!
I rode along the Augusta canal system and then took a long afternoon break in McDonald’s. About 2:00 I realized the dining room was full of young people. Turned out to be interview afternoon. I
overheard the manager give a dozen or more personal interviews – the exact same questions to all applicants. A few candidates spoke right up, but most slumped through the ordeal. With so many applicants, shy folks won’t make the cut.
On my way to Hearth Table catfish buffet I came upon a confused elderly man in an electric wheelchair. He showed me his nametag: Sylvester Dawson, Richmond Summit House. I goggled his apartment, discovered it was more than a mile away, and asked him what he was doing out on such a hot day. “Getting lost.” So, I walked him sixteen blocks through Augusta’s eviscerated inner city. Many streets had no sidewalks, but his low-boy wheelchair navigated the blacktop better than concrete anyway. We made quite a pair. I let my bright shirt and sadd
lebags stand between Sylvester and what little traffic there was.
A husky back woman, his wife Linda, waited at the lobby of a questionably respectable apartment house on Augusta’s aging Broad Street. Despite his Alzheimer, I could tell the poor man was in for a good scold.
I finally got to my buffet, famished, just before a torrential downpour flooded the city and barely lowered the thermostat a notch. No worry. The catfish was excellent.
The Awkward Pose 