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Yikes! It’s raining cats and dogs outside, thunder is booming and lightning is flashing; I’m happy to be snug inside. I have been rained on during my journey; I have needed my rain jacket and have experienced moderate showers and a cold rain with rain “pellets” being blown into my face, light mountain showers that served to cool me off and I didn’t even wear the rain jacket, and a steady drizzle for a couple of hours; but I have not had to endure any really significant downpours or severe storms. So far anyway. The Midwest has been suffering from very severe storms and flooding, but by the time the systems have reached me they have weakened. Maybe I’ll get lucky and the storm season will have abated as I roll on to Missouri. Maybe. By this point in the journey, it’s not really a worry; I have endured some hardships, and nasty weather would just be a temporary inconvenience. It won’t stop me. Nothing will stop me. Except for, of course, numerous things that could possibly stop me. But that’s what makes it an adventure. If the outcome were truly known and certain, it wouldn’t be an adventure. Things can, and will, go wrong. Your ability to deal with them and still continue on the path is what determines whether you succeed or fail. That, and luck. Plain old blind dumb luck allows some unprepared folks to succeed and causes some of the most prepared folks to fail. Screw luck, I’m going forward with or without it. Nothing can stop me, except…

I stayed at a Super 8 hotel that's within walking distance of a Best Buy store. I bought my cell phone at BestBuy and I have a major problem with it; as of 7 days ago I can't charge it. I have had it in ultra-low-power mode for the last week and only use it when absolutely necessary. That's a bit of a hindrance when you might want to check weather or use the GPS or other apps. As of yesterday morn, the battery went completely dead. It's amazing how naked we feel without our cell phones; they are the ultimate lifeline as you can always save yourself with a phone call. And so I was very happy when it was discovered that it was just that the charging unit was bad. For $21, I now have a new charging unit and the use of my cell phone again. Before you start worrying about me rambling around on a bicycle without a cell phone, I should tell you that I actually have 2 cell phones with me. One is a business phone and allows me to check business email, and the other is my personal phone with the same phone number I have had for 15+ years. So I had access to a cell phone for emergencies, but most folks would have tried to call me on the other cell phone, so - it's not that confusing. You mean you don't carry two cell phones with you?

Other than the cell phone, I needed to do some laundry and to pick up a few supplies, so I got that all taken care of and will commence rolling again tomorrow morning early. Destination is somewhere in Missouri, but you should know by now that plans are always subject to change and I won't count Missouri until I get there.

So how did I log 4 miles on a "Zero" day? I had to use the bike to go to a Laundromat a couple of miles away.

Reflections of Virginia

I was quite surprised by how much I liked Virginia. I tend to think of much of the eastern part of the U.S. as some place that's overcrowded, polluted, noisy, and populated with impolite and arrogant folks. I didn't just develop that opinion on a whim; I have traveled extensively throughout my career, and I developed that opinion from my experiences. But my experiences mostly involve large cities, because that's where we travel for meetings and conferences. I haven't experienced the rural parts of many of the eastern states, and I certainly hadn't experienced rural Virginia. By and large the people are polite and treat others with respect. The beauty of the rural areas is almost indescribable. There are so many gorgeous babbling brooks that even the poor folks can live next to one. Virginia has somehow found ways to fund their public roads, and I rate their road system as excellent. If that carries over into other aspects of their infrastructure and publicly funded areas such as education, then Virginia is indeed a special place. It's certainly a great place for cycling. I found myself saying "I could live here." Virginia gets at least an "A" on my grading scale.

Reflections of Kentucky

Entering Kentucky from the Virginia border is quite a shock. At least it is when one enters where I did. The natural beauty is still the same as Virginia, but it has been tainted by the desolation and poverty of the folks in Eastern Kentucky. "Keep Out," "No Trespassing," "Beware of Dog," and other such hostile signs are abundant. The lack of education is apparent as one talks with the people. I didn't take photos of the streams because they are all polluted with trash. A car with flat tires sat in front of the pizza place in Hindman, because someone had a disagreement with another fellow and slashed the tires. The local police advise against camping on any city property because they don't think their own city is safe. Things do improve dramatically as one travels farther west in Kentucky, and the folks seem to become more industrious and certainly much more polite. The environment cleans up as well, and the countryside is no longer littered with trash. But it isn't enough. Kentucky gets a "C" rating from me. My ratings here are based only on my opinions of the rural areas and people I met as I traveled. The large population centers are not included, and if they were that would probably shift things a lot. I wouldn't want to live in rural Kentucky.

Please don't hammer me with comments about how I don't really understand Kentucky or Virginia. I know I don't, I agree with you. But I developed the above opinions from my experiences cycling through the state, and they are what they are. They are just my opinions, and are no more or less valuable than the opinions of others on this matter.

OK, I need to get prepared for tomorrow. Best wishes to everyone reading, thank you for following along with my little adventure.