July 27, 2021
Day 13 - nice but, very hot, riding
Mount Vernon KY has been on my regular cycling route to Bloomington IN for many years. That was not because I liked this place but simply because I couldn't find a better way to get to Bloomington. That changed this year because I was on an e-bike. Riding to here is a little easier on an e-bike, but still quite hard on my old body. What has changed is that I now, because I am on an e-bike, am willling / able to climb up the insanely steep road that leads to the Rodeway Inn.
My standard motel here has been a Days Inn. I never thought of it as a more than a adequate place to stay but I didn't know of a better place, so I Kept going there. On the way there I always passed this nearby motel up, well above the road, and because I was always tired from getting to Mount Vernon, I never seriously thought about actually pushing my loaded bike up that insanely steep hill. This year, because I had e-assist, I rode up that hill.
What I found was a good value motel owned and run by people who I now think of as friends. Riding to Mount Vernon yesterday wasn't better than usual, in fact it was worse than usual because it was so hot. The forecast for my ride tomorrow has heat index values of 97 F. Hopefuly I can get on the road relatively early tomorrow!
Yesterday, because of a flat tire that I discovered when I was ready to leave about 9 AM and failed to be able to fix because my spare tube wouldn't hold air and the rubber cement in my old patch kit was no longer usable - both thing that I should have caught before I left on tour - I had to walk, starting at 11:15, pushing my bike - 2.6 miles into Danville to get new tubes and have them install one of them. It was mid afternoon before I started riding and close to 6 PM when I actually got to Mount Vernon. I did need to stop a few times just to cool off!
Despite the hard ride here and late arrival, the owner - mentioned in my Day 5 report - and I talked for literally hours after I arrived and I hope we will be able to talk more today. Today. I met his wife and had an equally enjoyable visit with her. For me, one of the great joys of touring has being able to make and maintain long term friendships with people I meet along the way. I'm not sure how many more years I'll be able to tour, but, for as long as I can, I figure I'll be looking forward to riding back to Mount Vernon to visit with them.
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Today's ride: 35 miles (56 km)
Total: 536 miles (863 km)
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