June 1, 2022 to June 2, 2022
Day 4 & 5: Berea, Ky & Lexington, Ky
15 recorded, but more like 25 miles?
Day 4 was a day to explore, and we did just that (sort of) with lots of relaxing.
There was non-stop laughter; non-stop happiness!
The friends I ran into the night before are westbound cyclist, starting in Virginia and ending in Oregon. It sounds like they’re mainly following the TransAm route but spurring off trail to meet up with folks and the like.
Tim, coming from the Netherlands, is hilarious and fun. The other two picked Tim up a few days ago. He planned to cycle the TransAm alone but seems to have been adopted by Madeline and Kirsten. They joke about Tim being a professional poker player but he actually works in taxes. Professional poker… taxes… what’s the difference?
Madeline, from Jackson, Wyoming, comes from a Quaker background and is on the path to becoming a College Chaplain. Madeline is hilarious. She took improv classes in middle school which have obviously paid off.
Kirsten is a two-steppin’, organic farming, friend from Austin, Texas. Also hilarious. Kirsten learned to juggle with ONE hand after living alone in a trailer for a month.
Madeline and Kirsten are very persuasive; inviting me to join them on their ride, saying things like, “you should come!”
I was sold.
They planned to head up north to Lexington, and then to Louisville, to catch flights. I decided that I would turn my bike ride north because of this. This means I would have new friends to ride with and I would be able to see my Northern Kentucky friends much sooner than anticipated.
Levi’s Road to Damascus is that he would rather be in good company than take on Eastern Kentucky Dogs alone (if you know, then you know).
Day 4 started out slowly.
We all met up at Native Bagel Company (incredible staff and food- we also came here later in the day for drinks). It was here that Madeline was able to chat it up with a local, Mack. He was heading to Lexington the next day (day 5) and offered us a ride since we expected severe weather.
All the locals we talked with were very friendly. I really enjoyed my time in Berea and I do plan to return outside of this bike trip. This part of Kentucky is so beautiful.
[Due to not updating this blog in a few days, and not biking much, I am cutting this entry a bit short]
Day 5 was a slow one.
We joined Mack at Half Priced Book Store in Lexington. I meandered around the Local Interest section, trying to find some more inspiration for stops, and found some interesting authors. I’m excited to look into these writers a bit more when I return home.
After going out to eat (got Kirsten & Madeline to try a Hot Brown- a local dish) we went our separate ways.
I love a beer so I decided to head down the street to West Sixth Brewery while I figured out where I’d be staying tonight. I sat around for a few hours, attempting to find a warmshowers host but to no avail. I suppose I should try reaching out with more than a 24 hour notice…
I wound up at Kentucky Horse Park Campground. This was the second night in a row where a nearby camping neighbor chain-smoked; I was slightly aggravated with this. Actually, I was already in a pretty bad mood. Splitting off from my new friends left me feeling very lonely.
I talked on the phone for awhile with my best bud and finally went to sleep around 11pm. People riding by on their golf carts kept me up longer than I wanted to be awake. Why do they sound like lawnmowers?!
Hopefully theses pictures fill in some of the gaps I’ve left out in writing:
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Today's ride: 15 miles (24 km)
Total: 233 miles (375 km)
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