May 23, 2015
Day 18: New Haven to Defunct Double L Grocery; Hoedown at the Hostel
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
(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; 2,195 ft -- Total So Far; 49,660 ft
I woke at 5:30 ahead of the alarm. After four days of riding these Kentucky hills, it was indeed a Butt Butter morning (cyclists will understand, the rest of you will ask “did he really say that?”). I was the only occupant of the Inn, and I had been told how to retrieve my bike and depart via the rear entrance. Walking outside I noticed that the Kentucky Railway Museum had an exhibit nearby.
Leaving town I pulled into the quick stop to get my usual half small cup of coffee. Some mornings on this trip I have had no coffee, sometimes I have just part of a small cup. Coffee is supposed to help metabolize stored body fat, so some endurance athletes drink small amounts prior to exercise. When I’m not on a biking tour I’m a coffee addict, but many things change when you are exercising for 7-8 hours a day. There were some guys riding Victory motorcycles at the store, so I chatted them up a bit and then departed. It was 7:00am and I was rolling along.
The morn was a bit chilly, so I had my Showers Pass rain jacket on with the hood underneath my helmet to keep my noggin warm, but I was soon sweating and stopped and stored it away. I could tell that today was going to be hotter than yesterday. Gliding along in the early morning stillness is like flying at low altitude. Birds were chirping, the scenery was just gorgeous, and no one was on the road but me – this is why I bike! Hills ahead foretold of climbs to come, but I was mentally ready for them; bring it on!
I recalled a similar morning almost exactly 40 years ago when I was returning from Russellville, AR after biking there from Little Rock and then biking on an overnight camping trip with some college friends. I was approaching the western ascent to Petit Jean mountain, and was humming along quite well all tuned in to my surroundings – it’s a surreal experience that cyclists have because they are “one” with their surroundings. The ascent up Petit Jean was hard, very hard in fact, but I didn’t walk because I don’t walk hills. And that thought brought me back to the present.
My injury is 90% healed now, and it’s no longer an excuse so I haven’t walked any of these Kentucky hills in days now, not even the steep hills. I don’t walk hills. Well, except for one day that’s not worth mentioning anymore. I don’t know where I’m staying tonight, but I’m humming along and feeling fine. Tonight is a distant future; this morning is right now and I'm engrossed in it! It’s Memorial Day weekend, and that could cause a problem for camping or lodging, so I will see where I am at midday and start calling ahead to locate a spot. I’ll stay somewhere and be happy wherever it is. I have three sets of cycling outfits, and two of them are dirty and in the stuff bag that I use for laundry. I’m wearing the third outfit, so if I can’t do laundry I will have to wear dirty togs tomorrow. I hope to stay in Rough River Dam State Resort Park tonight, and most state parks have laundry facilities for campers. I know the formal camping spots will likely be full for the holiday, but most campgrounds have “primitive” camping available for tents and that’s never full.
So on I roll. I don’t know where I’ll stay tonight and I don’t care – I’m loving life at the moment, and I almost feel sorry for everyone who isn’t me. As I rolled through Howardstown I passed the first Catholic Church I remember encountering so far.
Rolling on, I was startled by a cyclist who caught me from behind on a road bike. He had spotted me earlier and chased me down to talk. Turns out he has ridden the Transam twice and wants to do it again. He warned me about a particularly hard climb coming up, and then turned around back on his way as we reached the climb. It was a hard climb, but I managed it without stopping for rest and without walking. I don’t walk hills.
Let’s get the assortment of barn symbols out of the way now;
I discovered what the symbols are; they are quilts! A nice lady reading this journal left me a message using the "Guestbook" feature and explained that the barn symbols are actually quilts. Well, paintings of quilts anyway. And no two are alike. Owners pay to have an artist paint on metal which is then secured to the barn. And there is something called the “Quilt Trail,” a tour of the areas where these symbols are displayed on barns. Humm – perhaps the QuiltMaker Inn may somehow be associated with this custom? I’ll research it someday, but currently my days are completely filled with cycling and occasionally updating this journal.
I cycled underneath a canopy of trees that opened up into a wide expanse of farmland as though I had emerged from a tunnel.
The streams are much nicer now and no longer are littered with trash as they were in eastern Kentucky.
I ate a breakfast sandwich in Buffalo and continued on. I have seen no other touring cyclists today; I think about those I have met and hope they are all doing well. I’m passing through rolling hills now with gentle grades, and they are a blast as compared to the monster climbs of the Appalachians. It takes some time to become one with a loaded touring bike, but I feel like that is happening as I charge down each hill and attack the next uphill.
I passed a house that had a painted bicycle outside. It was painted white, probably just to make it contrast and be seen from the road, as many folks have done things to welcome Transam cyclists. They probably don't know that a white painted bike is known as a "ghost bike" in the cycling community and is placed beside the road and used as a commemorative symbol for a fallen cyclist.
I passed through Sonora and on to Eastview where I stopped for lunch at the only “restaurant” listed on the ACA map. It wasn’t much of a restaurant, more of a convenience store that also served chicken and such. But I couldn’t afford to risk passing up what may be the last chance for food today, so I had some chicken strips and fried potatoes, and took advantage of the sit-down time to call ahead and check on accommodations for the night. I had hoped to cycle another 25-35 miles today and stay somewhere around the state park. But no such luck. The state park told me that their campground was not open!? They also operated a motel but it was full. So I called the Corps of Engineer campgrounds nearby, but I already knew they would be sold out for the holiday weekend – I thought that surely they would have some “primitive” camping, but they didn’t offer that. Then I called a B&B that was listed on the ACA maps, but that resulted in a bad number. So, I called a hostel that was listed on the ACA maps; it was only about 10 miles away and I wanted to travel farther today, but it was going to be that or – shudder the thought! – I’d have to backtrack 13 miles to Sonora. The hostel answered the phone and said they were still available for cyclists, so I headed that way. As it turned out, the “hostel” was really just an out-of-business store that allowed cyclists to camp on the lawn behind the store, or just sleep underneath the awning. I preferred the under-awning approach, less stuff to have to pack in the morning and I don’t have to deal with a tent wet from the dew. So here’s my setup;
The store owners had a lot of stuff stored both inside and outside, so I had access to a table and even a nurses bed to sleep on. Lucy and Arnold are very nice folks and very hospitable. They ask only for a donation if you can afford it as the fee for staying. I was setup in the open and adjacent to the roadway though, so there may be some traffic noise to deal with tonight – but as things have gone on this journey, this isn't too bad. There was a shower and laundry facility inside, and I took advantage of both. But the dryer didn't work, so I used solar energy to dry my clothes.
They had converted the interior of the former grocery store to be used for a bluegrass/gospel music shindig every Saturday night. This is Saturday night, so I’m in luck I suppose – although I’d prefer an early night, it seems as though the music will last till 11:00pm or so. So I’ll go in and enjoy it. Locals were arriving as I'm typing this and they were all curious about me and the bike trip. I was interrupted numerous times as I tried to update this journal, but that’s OK because these folks were polite and just wanted to talk with the stranger. They invited me to eat with them tonight before the shindig, and my ravenous appetite quickly accepted, so I typed hurriedly and went inside to mingle with the crowd. Lucy earlier showed me her guestbook of cyclists who have stayed here; it included folks from Australia to Arkansas to Korea to Europe. A lot of cyclists have experienced this journey before me, and every one had a unique experience. Here's the hoedown setup;
As it turned out the "bluegrass" was really just gospel singing by a local church; but it was a nice lullaby anyway. Good night all, tomorrow I expect to reach a couple of milestones - but you never know, that's what makes it an adventure.
Today's ride: 54 miles (87 km)
Total: 951 miles (1,530 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 0 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |