April 21, 2021
Day Three: Fitzgerald, Georgia to Americus, Georgia
I might have spoken too soon about the motel room in Fitzgerald. It's now in my bike touring motel hall of shame after the toilet handle broke into several sharp pieces when I flushed, cutting my finger. That's a first!
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I was up early and ready to get on the road at dawn, but before that I briefly amused myself by taking a rare selfie. Please excuse this self indulgence:
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On the way out I snapped a picture of a sign in the lobby I'd noticed yesterday.
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And you sho' have been goin' off route a lot.
What about our contract, huh? Huh??
PS - Those kind of notices are almost advertisements
for skuzzy rooms.
3 years ago
I wasn't really bothered by the headwind yesterday for some reason. It probably helped that it wasn't super hot.
That motel was probably the least terrible of the options. Kinda surprising that a town that size didn't have anything acceptable to the traditional (non bike tourist) traveler... But at least none of the several bugs I saw in the room appeared to be bedbugs.
Jeff
3 years ago
The motel was off my route, and my attempt at taking a shortcut back to where I needed to be was foiled when a woman stopped me as I entered what was apparently a private road through some sort of industrial company's property. I turned on the usually reliable Jeff Lee Bike Touring Charm, but it didn't work with this woman, who sent me on my way to ride a mile on a busier road.
The route through Fitzgerald at this early hour was nice.
I kept noticing chickens running around, which seemed pretty weird in a town of more than 9,000 people. Apparently Fitzgerald is known for its "wild chicken" population. Wikipedia informs me now that the town's mascot (also known as the "Red Junglefowl") is controversial, but doesn't say why.
I was feeling smug about how easy it was riding out of Fitzgerald when I once again encountered a "Private Road" sign.
I did some quick re-routing with Google Maps and found a really nice hard packed dirt road that got me out of town.
The next few hours were filled with pleasant scenery. Nothing exceptional, but more green grassy fields than the last couple of days.
For the first time on this trip, I rode into a tiny community with a little store that was still open for business. I only saw one person in Rebecca, population 246: The friendly woman working at the store. I bought some snacks, including the first Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie of the tour, and briefly considered trying some boiled peanuts that were in a crockpot. However, the woman at the store could not fully describe what was in the crockpot along with the peanuts, so I decided to pass on them. It seemed unwise to try a new food when I had many more miles to ride today. I didn't want to end up in a ditch retching. Or worse.
After Rebecca, I rode on a state highway, GA-90, for many miles. It was shockingly empty for a state highway. Good riding.
Annoyingly, the computerized lady's voice on the RideWithGps app on my phone kept pronouncing it "Gah 90", as in "Continue on Gah 90 for five miles." I do recognize that this is perhaps the ultimate "first world problem."
I eventually exited Gah 90 and entered Cordele, population 11,147 and purportedly the Watermelon Capital of the World.
I crossed I-75 as I rode into Cordele. The photo below that I took from the overpass captures the inverse of the sort of thing I want to see on a bike tour:
My route through Cordele was through residential neighborhoods of various demographic groups, and then through an industrial zone where I regret not stopping and taking more photos. I felt a little rushed for some reason - probably because I'm always slightly nervous riding in cities, even one as relatively small as Cordele, and am anxious to get back to the countryside.
Eventually I escaped the outskirts of Cordele and was back in the country for the remaining 30-plus miles to my destination. I'd had a headwind almost all day, and it was pretty strong by now - gusting at 20 to 25 miles an hour.
I stopped a couple of times, once at church where I was driven away by clouds of little gnats (hay flies, we used to call them?), and then at volunteer fire department.
I rode from the fire department onto a short section of dirt road, but it was unrideable super-soft sand. I walked the half mile.
After four miles on a busier state highway, I exited that onto some very, very nice quite country roads.
As I reached the outskirts of Americus, population 15,503, traffic picked up a little. I stopped at a huge church, much fancier than all the little country churches I'd seen recently, and studied my maps.
There was a cluster of hotels a couple of miles away, and reaching them required some hairy suburban riding, but I gritted my teeth and got it over with quickly. I decided to upgrade after yesterday's shitty motel, and got a room at the Hampton Inn.
Today's ride: 80 miles (129 km)
Total: 234 miles (377 km)
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I think I have 4A & 4B for you - 'cause I want to offer a little dirt up every day. However, you can always skip the dirt, ya know? Usually the dirt is short and only saves 1/2 mile or a mile. But if it is too sandy, then nah. Double however, west of Eufaula there is a 10-12 mile section of red clay. Hit it before it rains.
3 years ago