Fantastic day! After threatening it for nearly a month, I finally got a whole century done- fine weather, flat land, and a need to atone for a day spent inside a WalMart all helped make it possible.
Despite the excellent outcome, the day certainly had its ups and downs. It started out weird- on the banks of a river engorged by the recent rains, I had dreams (nightmares?) of the river sweeping me away as I slept. Although I was a considerably safe distance from any erosion, I think that being able to hear the bank wearing away may have prompted these particular dreams.
The day could really only improve from there- just waking up to find myself not being swept to sea was an improvement on its own. Post-rains, the weather was fine and warm (at times I felt like I was inside a computer desktop image), and I was able to get underway before 8 without needing to bundle up too much. I stopped for lunch, where I met s very kind cyclist (truck driver as well, but primarily cyclist) who’ll be riding the Trans-Canada Highway next summer. We got to talk about biking logistics, the best bike paths in Canada (alongside the canals!), and even rowing- he was very familiar with the rowing scene in Welland, Ontario. I also met an Amish guy who, and I must quote this exactly, said to me: “I would be remiss if I did not ask you if you would like to smoke some home-grown, Wisconsin marijuana with me.” I don’t smoke (and I suspect that Kentucky has a capital punishment for weed, if trespassing is liable to end in death) so I said no thank you, but I’ll always remember that as one of the most exciting lunch breaks of my life.
The remainder of the day was smooth rolling- a bit windy at times, but not bad. I thought about rowing a lot during those miles, and almost before I knew it, the sun was setting beautifully, the lights were on, and I was fast approaching 100 miles. After making a last turn into Kentucky Highway 1738 (which is a number I hear has some relevance for “today’s youth”), I rolled down a hill and finished the first century of the journey- a great way to end a great day.
In addition, I found that most of the trees around here still have leaves on them- it’s like they don’t even know we’re in the middle of November! Warm weather bodes well for the next few weeks- as long as I can avoid the rain, camping should be easier and quicker, and I’ll be able to get more miles in as well.
A frosty (beautiful) morning in Booneville today. Got going pretty smoothly, and after getting lost just once (Kentucky, at this stage of the game, has stopped taking care of their route markers and distinguishing landmarks) I was making pretty good progress until I stopped for lunch just after passing JCHS Road. I assume that’s an acronym, but… It doesn’t really roll off the tongue. After lunch, I found myself in Big Hill, Kentucky, luckily rolling down the 2-mile 6% grade into a blissfully flat landscape as far as I could see.
Maybe because yesterday was Sunday, maybe because people like to stay inside here, or maybe because mountain spirits regularly transform people into dogs here- I’ve seen more dogs than humans for most of the last two days. Western Virginia/Eastern Kentucky has every kind of dog imaginable- big dogs, small dogs, huge dogs, tiny dogs, loud dogs, quiet dogs, dogs in cages, dogs on chains, dogs that follow you half a mile down the road, dogs that ignore you, dogs that come over and sit with you while you’re having lunch. I will now do my best Roger Williams impression to describe my encounters with some dogs, including liberally replacing “s” with “f”:
I can also see why there is so much coal mining here- coal literally falls out of the hillside onto the road. I took a break next to an intriguing looking cave, and upon venturing inside, found that it was an abandoned coal mine. “Sweet,” I thought, “this is both a fascinating geologic formation and a great way to die!” I grabbed a handful of semi-anthracite and headed out, before I could get lost, caved in, asphyxiate, get black lung, cause and explosion, or any of the other typical hazards of coal mining. I’d actually hoped to find fossils in the cave, and I suspect that there were a few if I’d taken the time to explore, but I’m happy to say that I avoided the temptation and returned to scanning for fossils as I biked- not very fruitful, but possibly safer nonetheless.
Continuing on, I stopped at H.C. Sparks’ grocery, where I found they’ve been keeping a logbook of every cyclist to pass by (and stop in) for the last 40 years. I didn’t take a picture of the store- it was great, half of it was grocery, half of it was a hardware store, and the last half was an “indoor yard sale”- but you will notice the Log Cabin Cathedral right across the street, a fascinating sight to behold as you eat peanut butter sandwiches.
Post sandwich break, high points included reaching 1,234 miles and breaking into song (1, 2, 3, 4, climbing hills, my legs are sore…) à la Feist, and seeing another very lovely sunset as I came into Booneville.
