Virginia. We're here. Saturday and Sunday 7/23 & 24/11

The last State

7/23/11
As we looking over the camp site choices in the Breaks Interstate Park in Virginia, the sky opened up dampening our enthusiasm for camping.  There is a lodge here so we checked in.  Nice room.

Note the US Flag on the porch.

This trailer is next door. Note the Rebel Flags outside and inside.  Tea Partyers??

The ride today ended 20 miles from here after 72 miles in the saddle.  These are the steepest hills we have encountered yet.  The down hill on one of them was on a 1.5 lane road with cars going both ways.  Pete had to do some fancy maneuvering to avoid one idiot.  After that incident they decided to give it up for the day, so we loaded the bikes on the car and drove the 20 miles to the park.  Tomorrow the riders will go back to the pickup point and ride back to Breaks Park where we will spend a second night.  This place has a lot of activities, so we are making it a quasi rest day.

The day started in Hazard in a rather heavy fog. The riders left later than usual to let it dissipate some what.. 
The road in and out of Hazard was heavily traveled, but it turned out alright. Much of the route today followed streams.  The valleys they passed through were beautiful.. There were many beautiful homes stream side.  There were many old junky places too.  We passed at least 2 coal mines that we could identify.

This is coal country and our bikes are covered in coal dust.

Sunday 7/24/11

The alarm went off at 6:00 AM.  Ten minutes later we heard a big boom and saw a flash out our window and the lights went out. Fifteen minutes later power trucks showed up. When I returned from delivering the guys, the power was back on.
The Bikes were loaded on the car at 7:00 AM.. The drive back 20 miles to Lookout KY took about an hour.
They rode back to Breaks by 10:15 AM.  So now we are looking to find a Church which starts at 11:00 AM. There are many, many Baptist Churches to chose from.

Lunch was in the restaurant in the park.  On the table we saw an ad for the play THE FOREIGNER at the Elkhorn City community theater.  The place held about 150 people.  The manager did a welcome and asked "where ya'll from.".  Dave mentioned Michigan.  She said where have ya'll  been in these last weeks - she had  been tipped off that we were bikers.  Dave told them to the OOHS from the mostly gray hair crowd. The play was very well done. The acting was as good as anything we've seen at the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre.

Homemade spaghetti, sweet corn, and lettuce salad for dinner.  To bed by 9:30 with plans to be up at 5:00AM.  The goal tomorrow (Monday) is Damascus VA.

Note the OPEN sign in the window. Can't tell OPEN for what?

Phil

Now we are in Hazard

Dave's alarm is going off at 4:30 AM every day, and since we are on the western edge of the Eastern time zone it's really dark.  By the time we get packed up and eat breakfast, the riders can hit the road with head and tail lights just as the sun is coming up. The day was long, but we came a long way.  93 miles.  The initial goal was Booneville at 51 miles, but that milestone was accomplished at 11:00 AM - too early to quit.  So on to Hazard, another 42 miles. ETA 4:00 PM. There is a thunderstorm moving in, and no camp ground available, so (aw shucks) we are in an air conditioned motel again tonight. The hills today were a challenge.  Pete counted 9 "mountains" which required the granny gear.  The very steep up hills results in very steep fast down hills too. We are wondering if this is a warm-up for the Appalachians.

Dogs.  Dave said that there were approximately 15 dogs which would like to have a piece of them, and all but one were constrained in some way.  The one that was loose made a lot of noise but did not get too close to Pete and it almost got hit by a car in the process.  I see by his blog that fellow tourist Rusty got bit and the EMTs came to patch him up.  He continued on.  Dave and Peter went to Walmart in Berea last night to get some wasp spray, but the container was too large to carry on the bike.  Dave does have some anti dog spray but has not had to use it, even though he had it in is hand a few times.

Dave, the photographer, did not take any pictures today. He could have taken some of the many tunnels of trees.  Some homes along the way had very large (many acres) lawns which were manicured. Those next to junkey dumps.

Off to supper.

Phil

We're in Berea, Ky

A fixer upper in Kentucky

One of many houseboats on Herrington Lake

Many slate walls along the route.

Note the street name above the STOP sign

Sultry continues to be the apt description for the climate here.  The route today took us on very narrow even one lane roads.  It was 72 miles from Lincoln Homestead State Park to Berea.  The partial overcast made it bearable.  They finished the trip at 1:30 just as a drizzle started.  Dave checked the weather on his Iphone and discovered storms in the area, so we ducked into a Days Inn.

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/28570190

Phil

7/20/11 Lincoln's Birthplace

Lincoln Homestead State Park KY

Lincoln Homestead State Park KY

It was a hard day at the office.

7/20/11

This is the land of Lincoln.  The route passed by Abraham Lincoln’s Birth Place which is now a National Historical Site.  I was too early to stop in to see it. The campsite tonight is in the Lincoln Homestead State Park northeast of Bardstown KY.  The shower is in the golf club house a half mile away.  The campsite is a picnic area with a large covered shelter with a lot of tables and a lot of sloping grass for our tents. 

The ride today covered 70 miles from Sonora KY.  Dave says that as long as he is willing to accept being wet, this was a perfect day.  The route was rolling with few granny gear hills.

We see that the whole country is stuck in a heat wave.  We are eager to wave it good bye. It did not cool off all night, and we woke in a sweat.   Pete says we are blessed with free saunas every day.  Oh well. 
Phil

Mammoth Cave

7/19/11.

Mammoth Cave

I guess you could call this a "smell the flowers" day.  Pete & Dave rode from Rough River State Park to Sonora - 45 miles.  They said it was a good morning with a few hard hills but mostly a cruise.
We decided to get a motel, shower, then drive 35 miles south to Mammoth Cave. We joined hundreds of others for a two hour tour.  Fun.

Phil

Corn as high as an elephants eye

7/18/11
Pete and I  rode the 74 miles from Sebree to Rough River State Park.  It was hot again but we hydrated well and it wasn't bad.  The hills were generally rolling, but there were a few long granny gear ones. The park we camped in Dave rated to be a C+.  The shower were moldy but they did have hot water.
Marty was our serendipity event here.  He invited the three of us for dinner.  He was formerly a minister in the Southern Baptist church and is currently the manager of his families musical group. We had a great meal and conversation.
The heat did not diminish much over night but we have learned to live with it.

Rough River Kentucky

Kentucky Tobacco

Dinner at Marty's campsite

Rough River State Park Kentucky

I am again impressed with the beauty of this country.  Each state has it unique scenery and farm industry. When Jan and I ride in the morning especially along a Michigan lake, we usually sign a few bars of  "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" from Oklahoma.  There is a line in that song  ..the corn is as high as a elephants eye..  I always thought that was hyperbole because corn in Michigan is knee high by forth of July.  Kentucky corn made me a believer.  There were  field after field of 10 to 12 feet corn.  We saw some tobacco fields but surprisingly few.

Phil

Sunday 7/17/11. A rest day at 1st Baptist Church, Sebree, KY

Sebree KY

This is our fourth rest day of the trip.  There is a no better place to take it than here in Sebree.  I fixed the six of us breakfast of pancakes and scrambled eggs in the great kitchen.

Breakfast in Sebree KY

The young guys took off at 7:00 AM. The men's Sunday school began at 9:30, the worship started at 10:30.  We were warmly welcomed by everyone.  The rest of the day was a real rest.  We had a great sitting area in the youth department of the church where we read and napped. Pizza for supper.  To bed about 9:30 after the youth group meeting broke up.


Phil