Thou shalt attend

"Members expected, visitors welcome"

Kentucky farwell

Though last week we were less than impressed with Kentucky, it seems the people of the bluegrass state set out to change our minds. In Springfield we were treated to the finest southern fare by Renee Lamont, a real belle with a French name and a southern drawl. In McDaniels the Thompsons rolled out the red (neck) carpet for us, an experience which really deserves a posting unto its own. I'll get to that soon. Our last night was spent at a Baptist church not far from the Ohio River. Though we arrived at dusk to an empty parking lot, the door swung open and a booming voice greet us, "Ya'll want some dinner?" There we picked up two new riding companions, Max and Kevin, nearly doubling our numbers and more than doubling our joy.

Despite these and other great experiences, Adam was really ready to cross the river that marks the KY frontier. (Just look at that face!) He did so in epic fashion, swimming across the Ohio to Illnois soil. Kevin's charm won us an invitation to a wedding reception (!), where we joined Elizabethtown in celebrating the joining of Jesse and Kyla in holy matrimony. The mother and father of the bride welcomed us warmly and we couldn't turn down the fish fry, pecan pie. Our legs were not too tired for a little bit of dancing before sleep on the shores of the Ohio.

We've got big plans to blow through Missouri and hit Kansas by the 4th of July.

Lincoln logs

Illinois claims it is the land of Lincoln, but don't tell Kentucky, We saw signs for Lincoln's birthplace, Lincolns boyhood home, his daycare, first kiss, etc. Here is his childhood cabin, isn't it quaint? The cabin is actually enshrined in the monument at the top of the steps.

Fast fact from Bourbon country

The distillery we toured (Heaven Hill) holds 17% of the world's Bourbon in it's warehouses!

Our team gets techy

Adam picked up this tiny little acer computer in Berea. It's not much bigger than a paperback and has great wireless reception. Our posts and emails now come to you from restaurants, coffee shops, and city parks.

Horse country?

This guy was the size of a small pony! It was supposed to be a photo, but Adam captured in real time the coating of my helmet in doggy slobber.

One way to Bee

One of several amusing church signs in Bee, Kentucky. Another just down the road : "We aren't Dairy Queen, but our Sundays are great!"

Kentucky is like level two of our cross country challenge. Level two has all the difficulties of level one- hilly terrain, windy backroads, afternoon thunderstorms- but now we face an added obstacle: the Kentucky canine. We were forewarned about Kentucky's hounds by seasoned cyclists headed the opposite direction. One of them said he had been chased by over forty dogs. Surely an exaggeration, I thought. Our first of many dog chases occurred just a few miles across the stat line. Adam and I were a few hundred yards behind Scott, who had disappeared around the bend with alarming speed. A man standing at his mailbox, presumably the dog owner, pointed to his pups in the road and said, "If them dogs start off after you, you just pedal, hard." And so we did, again and again across the state. Scott carries a small container of mace in case of a particularly threatening encounter. I bought a small air horn at Wal-Mart, but the results have been rather disappointing. (The thing let out a quiet pffffft on it's inaugural use.) Adam just yells GO HOME in his harshest tone. He's had some success, but some of the dogs just don't have homes. Others live on a short chain in the front yard. Eastern Kentucky is very depressed. Coal stained jeans hang on fences and clotheslines, the industry has left the land and the people depleted and exhausted. We have found them more reserved than Virginians, but no less hospitable. A gentler side of Kentucky is Berea, the small town where we are taking a rest day. We're staying with some great folks at Berea College, which is an all around cool place with an interesting history.

A couple of photos: the first is from Breaks Interstate Park, which is said to be the Grand Canyon of the East. Also, the sweet pin they gave us at the campground there, for having completed the 570 miles of Virginia.

Where were we going without ever knowing the Whey?

Adam's dad spent the evening with us in Wytheville, VA. He left us with some parting gifts, including this enormous jar of whey protein that will make us the size of body builders in approximately six weeks. Here's Adam and Scott after the first dose.

The Daily Progress

507 miles! We are just about out of Virginia, which is a legnthy state if I ever saw one. We've been hitting around 65 miles a day and riding pretty hilly terrain. I feel like I owe everyone some updates:

Scott's knee is much improved. The doctor set him up with the triple threat of medication, a brace, and stretches, and put us back on the road the next day. He's been feeling good, and we've all been babying our knees as a precaution.

I did end up parting ways with my trailer. It was a really good decision, the weight difference is noticable. I hung on to my flag though.

Man down!

We are back in Charlottesville with full stomachs and clean bodies, but long faces. Scott, riding companion and chief navigator, is having serious knee trouble: Iliotibial Band Syndrome, to be specific. His knee gave out on him on the climb to Afton mountain, en route to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and we descended to Charlottesville to reevaluate. According to Wikipedia, Scott should avoid running, stair climbing, deadlifting, court sports, martial arts, and bowling. We've focused instead on eating, sleeping, and air hockey. Doc appointment at 4:30, we hope for the best!



Also, I went with the panniers. They feel great.

Four days in and I am rethinking my weight bearing strategy. I am thinking of switching from a trailer to panniers (saddlebags). Touring cyclists are divided on the issue, switching now would be like leaving UNC for Duke after a rough freshman year. The trailer is more or less an extra ten pounds. This is not to say that the first few days were misery. We've been averaging just under seventy miles per day, and feeling pretty good. My trailer and I have been through 200 miles of glorious countryside. Highlights include purple polka dot wildflowers in the Tidewater, pioneer graves at Lyle cemetery, and a magnificent red moon rising over Lake Anna. Wish I had more photos, but my SD card crapped out and I just got it working again. Below is the place we stayed at in Yorktown before we took off, and my family bustling around the kitchen at lunchtime. We rested a day in Charlottesville with them, tomorrow, to the hills! I know you're all on the edge of your seats about my tentative separation from my trailer, but you'll just have to stay tuned. Maybe we can work it out.

TransAmerica bike route

As marked on a U.S. States geography placemat.

Ready