Day 16: Berea to Harrodsburg; Topography and Weather Both Change, Old Guy Got Lost Twice

May 21, 2015

Berea, KY (Motel 6) to Harrodsburg, KY (Economy Inn)

(Note to readers regarding the elevation profiles; the profile is calculated from Point "A" on the map to Point "B" on the map. Since I am traveling east to west on the first half of this transcontinental journey, my route of travel is usually shown on the map as being from right to left. However, the elevation profile is shown from left to right, so it must be "reversed" in your head to understand it.)

Climbing Today; 2,630 ft -- Total So Far; 44,713 ft

I started the day by riding an additional 5.5 miles before I got my bearings. Rather embarrassing, but that’s what happened. I stayed last night in a Motel 6 where James and Daniel were staying. As I was arriving in town the day before, Daniel texted me that the motel was two miles off route, so once I left this morning I assumed I had to return to where I left the route and start from there. But not so; actually, the motel was right on our route out of town. Either I misunderstood Daniel or he was mistaken, but either way I should have paid more attention to the road numbers. I would say “Lesson Learned” but I apparently didn’t learn anything as I did it again at the end of the day. Adding insult to injury, I had to wait on the train as I got back on the route this morning.

Compounding This Morning's Challenges; Lost, and Then Stopped For The Train

The day was one of a constant light rain/drizzle, and the forecast high was just 60 degrees, but it only made it to 54 degrees. And there was a westerly wind to slow progress even more, as well as to drive water into my face. So it wasn’t the best day weather-wise; it certainly could have been worse though. The overcast sky did hold the temp down, but maybe down a little too much. I made use of the rain jacket today, and it added enough extra warmth to keep me comfortable; "comfortable" being a relative term, but I was all right most of the time, anyway.

I needed to set up somewhere for a conference call, and I rolled up on the Freedom Baptist Church. I had seen the sign a few miles back noting the church, and thought maybe I could just get under the entryway porch so as to be in a dry spot for the call. When I rolled up to the church I was delighted to see a pavilion with picnic tables, so I had an even more secure setting to set up for the call. This was a little country church in the middle of nowhere; other than the house across the street there was no one within a quarter mile or so. I was a bit chilled, so I dug the Jet Boil stove from my panniers and in 2 minutes I had a cup of boiling water that I used with hot chocolate mix. So life was good and I was ready for the call.

All Set For a Conference Call, Hot Chocolate to Warm the Spirit

As I prepared to leave, a deer wandered onto the yard across the street! I grabbed my DSLR and snapped a couple of pics, then I worried for the deer because I had seen a rather large dog in that yard. But when the dog appeared, he just kind of yawned at the deer and lay down. The deer walked over toward the dog, then backed away a bit and made a bed in grass and also lay down. These animals were friends! Perhaps the deer was a pet of the folks across the street, but that’s a bit unusual in a rural setting where your neighbors might shoot the deer during hunting season.

A Deer Wandered Into the Yard Across the Street, Hope the Dog Doesn't See it!

Distraction over, I packed and headed onward. Here are today's obligatory barn symbol pics;

And they make a lot of rock fences in this neck of the woods;

Rock Fences are Common - Must Have Taken a Lot of Work

I had another conference call to make in an hour, but when the time arrived I was down in a holler and couldn’t get a cell signal, so I hurriedly climbed to higher ground. “Hurriedly” is a relative term, as I climb about 4 miles per hour up steep grades with my 100-pound bike and gear combination, and even then I require regular rest stops if the hill is very tall and/or the grade is steep. But I did eventually emerge on top and connected 5 minutes late.

Moving on, I came upon something that I didn’t think really existed.

There Really is a Place Called Boone's Farm

It seems as though Kentucky wants me to feel at home.

Heading up another hill, I glanced in my Monkey Mirror rear view and noticed a cyclist about to catch me. She and I exchanged pleasantries, and she surged ahead (a 20 pound road bike is a hot rod as compared to a loaded touring bike). Others behind her eventually caught me until six or so had passed. I assumed they were a local bike club out for a ride, but not so. I caught up to them as they had stopped for a break, and they asked me to join them. One of them asked a local homeowner if we could eat under a pavilion at his home beside the road, and so we did. Turns out these folks were from Toronto, Canada, and had flown to Kentucky to do some long loop rides. We had a good time chatting, then we all had to move on.

Friendly Canadian Cyclists - Fellow Standing in Rear is Homeowner Who Let us Eat Under His Pavilion

The Kentucky landscape was slowly changing. Gone were the crazy steep Appalachian roads, replaced by roads that were becoming more like roller coasters. There were some steep grades today, but only a few; the rest of the ride was a constant up/down gentle roller coaster. Still tough on a heavy touring bike, but a bit easier than the crazy-steep grades I had cycled to get this far.

As I approached the little town of Burgin, the wind and rain intensified. The rain was getting colder, and it was driving into my face.

I stopped at the Burgin post office and sent my 3rd package home, this one only weighing a pound. I had been debating whether I would stop at Harrodsburg for the night, or continue on to Lincoln Homestead State Park and camp. The cold rain settled the debate; I called ahead and booked a cheap hotel in Harrodsburg and set about the labor of traversing the remaining miles. There's nothing like a cold rain pelting you in the face to convince you that being inside for the night is a good idea.

Remember the lesson I didn’t learn? When I reached Harrodsburg, I was “sure” the motel would be located along the Transam route. The ACA maps always mention when a hotel or other service is located off route, and the distance off route. That way you can decide if it is worth it to you to spend the extra energy. But this time they didn’t mention that my hotel was off route; by the time I discovered that, I had already traveled about 2.5 miles down the route; so I had to reverse course to reach the motel. All in all I traveled an additional 10 miles today in not the best weather conditions. Sigh - the "uncanny sense of direction" I once possessed in my youth has apparently been lost with age - I suppose my directional sense is nothing short of "canny" now. I was beat when I reached the hotel. Good night, y'all - my plan tomorrow is to not get lost...

Today's ride: 55 miles (89 km)
Total: 832 miles (1,339 km)

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