Today, we got out around 815. The first 10 miles were nice with mostly downhills. We had several smaller passes to go over and about 67 miles to do today. They were all supposed to be smaller and easier than the days before, but it quickly turned into a slog. My patience for the Kentucky Appalachians and their people was gone. The roads going up the mountain have a typical pattern where the road becomes steep, the sides are falling off into the creek that runs parallel, and the trailer homes are parked a few feet away. You never know when a dog is coming out at you, and several times today dogs did. They mostly ran at Mallory, it seemed like they went for the person in the back at the time.

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Steve Miller/GrampiesYou may have heard the saying, you don't have to pedal fast when being chased by a dog, just pedal faster than the person behind you. Haha. Seriously though, be very cautious around the country dogs. They can be mean and a dog bite is no fun at all. Happy riding.
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3 years ago

Jordan BucknerTo Steve Miller/GrampiesSo true. We have had one experience where the leader of the group was chased. She was about 3o ft ahead of the pack. The most effective method so far seems to be getting off the bike. Usually the dogs go back to their yard.
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3 years ago

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I think the Kentucky side of the Appalachians is like a defiled semi famous painting. Imagine Andy Warhol's Campbell soup picture. That is the untouched Appalachian range, but then companies come along and scrape off all the red paint because it can be burned for energy, and the locals soak the print in mountain dew and dairy queen trash. I don't know where illegal ATVs fit into this metaphor, but I do know that Kentucky is ATV positive. 

On top of the second to last "big" climb, an old lady rolled up, stopped, rolled down her window, and waited. We stared back on anticipation, some of us looked away. when she finally spoke, it was barely audible. A mix between fraility and Kentuckian. She said "pretty little girls.... pretty little boys..." she stared for a while after this. We felt uncomfortable. She asked where we were from, and we replied, georgia. She said "that's a mighty long way to ride that bike". More staring ensued. She began to roll up her window and just before it closes she said "bye", in Kentuckian (baah). Then she rolled away and we were felt worse than before. 

We stopped on the last hill to eat a leftover bag of spaghetti. It really hit the spot and powered us to the finish.

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I wasn't in a good mood today, but at least no major biomechanical problems for me. It seems that Mallory and Mary are dealing with some knee pain. We were very happy to roll into Booneville. We did finally get some rain today during the final few miles. Stopped at a grocery store for sandwich items and to restock on the oatmeal stores. Tomorrow should be an easier day to Berea.

Mileage:68
Elevation gain:4500