The Ride

Begin:        Louisville, KY   End:           Upton , KY    Miles:        0 miles   Stayed with Sherry again.  Took Grant for a ride (we walked) down to the bakery.  It took +2 hrs roundtrip. What a journey.  It's now 5 pm and we've been dropped off at Averys Campground - south of Upton. The nearest point to the route is 5 miles.  We ended up saving 70 miles by sitting around today.  Averys is a grassy lot with one young tree per site. Only memorable item is the big black dog; He's giant and drools and pants constantly. I hope we can get out of here without drowning. We have a HUGE ride tomorrow (nearly 100 miles). We plan to do it mostly in the early morning and then some more when it cools.  Weighed our equipment; with water it is nearly 65 lbs + bike. 

Begin:        Louisville, KY   End:            Louisville, KY    Miles:        0 miles    Stayed with Sherry & Grant in Louisville. Went to her mom and dads for dinner (the 4th of July). I had met them two summers ago at Chris' house.  Went to see a friend of Mr. Jaspers before dinner.  Nice people.  Dinner was very good - Chicken, baked beans, corn and a salad. And for dessert, a peach covered sponge cake.  Cliff shot a rabbit in his garden while Grant was brushing his teeth.  While he was burying it, he asked if we needed/wanted a lucky rabbits foot.  Went to the Carroll County firework at General Butler State Park.  Kinda slow (vs the other displays we've seen), but nice. * I've decided I'm not ready for kids. At least like Grant. He's a terror. haha

Begin:           Berea, KY End:             Springfield, KY Miles:          ? miles    Left this morning at 6:15 to try to beat the heat and get to Bardstown (+100miles).  It didn't happen. Although it was cool for 3-4 hours, we quickly tired out with the roller coaster roads and the increasing heat.  I admit I was whining a lot. My legs didn't hurt that bad but, I just didn't have it in me.  We ended in Springfield at 12:45 and made the Food King our home for a couple of hours until Sherry called us back (she's picking us up so we can have a day off in Louisville).  I drank three 20 oz Cokes and ate half of a package of cookies.  We rode by a bank showing time & temp - 97?!  At 2:45. Ouch.  We have to watch out.  All the days before this have had some tree or mountain cover, but today was all out in the open. Actually saw some black people toda...

Begin:           Boonville, KY End:             Berea, KY  Miles:          60 miles    I'm writing this a day late. Just never got around to pulling out the pen and paper. The ride was pretty easy (60 miles) with some rollercoasters in the beginning. Took a shortcut that the locals had pointed out to us. Not sure how much it really saved us, but every mile counts. The shortcut was a single, poorly paved (gravel in parts, big holes in others) road that went by a dozen or do houses along the valley floor. Had a couple of run-ins with some very fast dogs. Luckily Chris tires them out before they notice me. Chris had a pretty rough day. He was just mentally tired and paid for it. Most of the ride was shady so I rode without a jersey. We went by a pen of 5 or so pigs who ran to the fence to greet us. It was our best welcome from all the cows, dogs and horses we have passed by. Rolled into...

Begin:           Pippa Passes, KY End:             Boonville, KY  Miles:          ? miles   Started earlier than usual. We try to get up at 6 am and get in a few miles before it starts to heat up and/or the wind starts blowing. But getting dressed and packed usually gets us on the road around 7-715. Today Chris jumped out of bed and was ready to go in 20 min so I threw all my stuff in, not worrying about balancing the load, and we were riding by 630. Had breakfast (2 ham and cheese sandwiches) at 7 in a Texaco on the outskirts of Hindman. The two women at the counter were real friendly and one talked about her daughter who had been to Berkeley and Southern California. "There was a man who didn't have any clothes on, just walking down the street!" Her husband was a coal truck driver who worked part-time at the store. She/they told us about how coal goes through boom and bust periods. He ex...

Begin:          650 am  The Breaks Interstate Park, VA End:             115 pm Pippa Passes, KY Miles:          ? miles   Took pictures at the VA/KY State line, then didn't break until Bypro, KY. In those 45 miles, we went over some huge hills and back some country roads that showed some of the poorest parts of KY imaginable.  Shacks of wood, sheet metal, rusted out trailers and mobile homes. It really got to me how horrible it would be to live like that. Had my first coke during a ride - A 1 liter coke! I didn't get sick. Thank god. Met a guy in Bypro (He never turned off his car) that told us he was a hillbilly. Gave us the story of eastern Kentucky along with his life story.  Talked about the feuds after the Civil War. How returning prisoners/soldiers all had to pass through these parts. I guess the Hatfields/McCoys lived within 30 miles of where we were talking. He talked about t...