Day 19: Defunct Double L Grocery to Utica; Tequila Sunrise in my Monkey Mirror

May 24, 2015

Defunct Double L Grocery to Utica, KY (fire station)

(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; 3,141 ft -- Total So Far; 52,801 ft

Update to last night; as the gospel hootenanny faded away, I had settled down in my sleeping bag outside under the awning of the former Double L Grocery. The stars were quite spectacular (since I'm in Kentucky it reminded me of a scene from the Last of the Mohicans), dogs were barking and coyotes were yelping. But it had cooled down a bit and there was a breeze, and I was getting a bit cold in my summer weight bag. As Lucy and Arnold were leaving they asked if I'd prefer to sleep inside on one of the couches, and I quickly accepted. I wheeled my bike and all my gear inside and finally got to bed about 11:00, happy to be inside.

The alarm went off at 5:00 and I scurried about my preparations to get ready to roll. At 6:00 a.m. I was rolling, and 20 minutes later I crossed from the Eastern Time Zone to the Central Time Zone, so I went backward an hour!

Milestone #1; I Rode Through a Time Zone

It’s the first time I have ever cycled across an entire time zone, and the “extra” hour would be welcome today. There was no traffic at all on the roads but me, and looking back in my Monkey Mirror I saw a magnificent sunrise.

Daniel & James were a day ahead of me and had texted me yesterday to warn me about some tough hills and significant holiday traffic around the Rough River Dam area, so I was anxious to move on early prior to the crazies waking up. Still, I just had to stop and get a couple of pics of the unique barn/quilt symbols.

I have seen several signs cautioning that horse and buggy drivers may be on the road, but I hadn’t seen one until yesterday. I forgot to post it yesterday, so here it is;

This fellow is being cute, cause Route 66 is nowhere close. But it reminds me of my home, cause Tulsa is on Route 66.

I Don't Think So, But it Reminds Me of Tulsa (on Route 66 for real)

I moved on steadily in the cool morning, enjoying the mostly rolling hills. There was one ridiculously steep climb when I first crossed Rough River way upstream of the dam area, but all of the other climbs were reasonably normal. I passed many quaint farm homes whose occupants had yet to stir. I remember one in particular; roosters were crowing, a lamb was bleating, there was spilled corn kernels all over the roadway, birds were singing and the sweet smell of honeysuckle was everywhere. It was another great morning to be alive! Pressing on, I reached the dam and resort area before any significant traffic. Here’s a couple of shots of the dam for my Corps of Engineer friends;

For My USACE Friends; Rough River Dam Embankment

For My USACE Friends; Rough River Dam Outlet Works

After crossing the dam I stopped at a little café and enjoyed the 1st “real” breakfast I had eaten in days. Fueled up, I still had 40 miles to go and this day was shaping up to be a hot one. I set myself about the task, and soon reached a 2nd major milestone;

Milestone #2; I Have Cycled 1000 Miles on This Journey to Date!

That more than doubles any of my previous cycling trips, and most of those were “supported” trips where others transported my luggage and food stops were pre-arranged. It’s an entirely different ballgame when you are alone and have to depend on yourself to keep adequate water and food and find shelter each night.

So how does one get through an 8-hour or longer day of cycling without letting the magnitude of the undertaking overwhelm you? I have a few euphemisms that I use to keep myself sane;

1.) I’m Eating an Elephant; one small bite at a time. I focus on making each small leg of the map, and only that. If I think about the overall distance remaining or the number of steep climbs remaining, it becomes overwhelming. Just one small bite at a time, that’s all.

2.) Go Low Early; when the hill approaches, gear down soon so you won’t be caught off guard. It’s coming, so get ready for it. This is especially true when you are powering a bike and gear totaling 100 pounds up a ridiculously steep hill.

3.) Granny Up! As the hill steepens, I go down to the low gears, and maybe the lowest gear (granny gear) and save my knees and conserve my limited energy. It’s hard enough getting up the hills in the low gears, don’t make it any harder, this isn’t a race.

4.) Spin Till You Win; that’s what I do all day, I spin the pedals until I win the day and reach my destination.

And so I toil on for as long as it takes each day. Sometimes it is truly a fun labor, and sometimes when the heat and humidity is intense and you are struggling to get up a hill with traffic behind you, it isn’t as fun. But I keep at it, one small bite at a time, going low early and granny up when needed, and spin till I win each day.

My 3rd major milestone occurred today, and unfortunately this wasn’t a good one;

Milestone #3; I had a flat tire.

Some people are able to traverse the entire country without having a flat, and I was hoping to be one of those folks, but not so. I was on an open stretch of road with no shade, but I spotted some shade a couple hundred yards ahead. I didn’t want to roll the bike on the flat rear tire, so I lifted the rear with my panniers attached and struggled to carry it to the shaded area ahead. To change the flat I had to remove all the panniers, handlebar bag, water bottles, cycling computer, and tool kit. Then I turned it upside down so I could remove the wheel without damaging the fenders. I couldn’t find the source of the flat, so I just cleaned the tire as best I could and replaced the tube, then reflated it, repacked everything, and was on my way. At least I didn’t have to do it on the side of the road under the hot sun. Hopefully this will be my last flat for another thousand miles or more. As I was working on the flat, a fellow in a pickup stopped and volunteered to go and bring me a pump from his house, or bring me a cold drink, or help however he could. Wow, that was nice - Kentucky has lots of hospitable folks! I was ok and declined his help, but thanked him heartily for stopping.

I arrived in Utica and checked with the lady at the store as per the ACA directions, and she sent me across the street to the fire station.

My setup for tonight is incredible.

Inside, AC, Hot Shower, Laundry, Mattress - WOW! Thanks Utica VFD

I have a hot shower, laundry facility, a mattress, a full kitchen, and I’m sleeping inside with AC! The town of Utica is enthusiastic about welcoming cyclists, and the VFD folks are great. I met the Fire Chief and we chatted briefly and he asked me to sign their guest register of cyclists which goes all the way back to the inaugural year of 1976!

Getting sleepy folks, have to get ready for whatever tomorrow brings,later…

Today's ride: 68 miles (109 km)
Total: 1,019 miles (1,640 km)

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