There’s just no other way to say this so excuse my language because Kentucky opened up a big ole can of whoop ass today. It was hot, humid, and hilly. The temperature peaked at 90 degrees with the real feel close to 100 degrees and the humidity peaked north of 70%. As for climbing, total climbing was over 5,700 feet.  And I am pretty comfortable saying the hardest climb of the whole trip so far was up the mountain on the way to Lookout, KY (it came after about 65 miles of riding, it was long and stupid steep, and of course the heat and humidity didn’t help). Well done Kentucky!

Today’s plan was to get to Lookout and then assess the situation. If good then go on to Elkhorn City, if done then…oops no plan as the church wasn’t allowing camping anymore, but the guy at the gas station offered his yard. Once in Elkhorn City, if good go on to Breaks, if not then camp behind the pizza joint and bathe in the river.  So it would have been around about 70 miles or 84 or 90. Yup, I went for the 90 and finished the day just 1 mile into Virginia!  Hey I know it’s only 1 mile but I’m officially in Virginia. Another state behind me. 

After my ride yesterday from Buckhorn to Hazard, I thought I had seen the worst of the devastation. But after my ride today, I’m just not sure. The damage just continued on through Bulan, Dwarf, Emmalena (really bad), Hindman, Mallie, and Pippa Passes.  I saw houses washed off their foundations and pushed 30 yards away, I saw houses upside down in the river, cars upside down, a fire truck halfway under a bridge and just hanging there, chairs and debris high up in trees, downed trees, and piles of garbage everywhere.  And what made a huge impact on me was, I saw people everywhere working early on a Sunday morning cleaning up their property and in almost every town groups of volunteers helping out (I could tell because they all had the same color t-shirts). 

Looking back on Kentucky, it’s really a tale of many different environments. I didn’t go through the big cities or the stately horse farm country, but they’re out there and represent much of what people know of about Kentucky (other than the Kentucky Derby, college basketball and maybe college football).   Much of what I traveled through, especially the last couple hundred miles, represents the more economically challenged areas. BUT from what I observed, the people in these areas are absolutely the salt of the earth. They are kind to one another and to strangers like me. They don’t sit around and complain about what they don’t have, but rather enjoy what they do have.  Other than the flood devastated areas, what I saw was natural (green) beauty. The areas devastated by the recent flooding are in bad shape. Folks are resilient and working hard to recover, and they need more help. I did see a couple FEMA folks out there today and a number of clean up and construction crews. But they still need more help. And candidly, it’s not a quick fix. Just returning those impacted areas to the way they were is not enough. Eastern Kentucky will always be behind the rest of the state and non-competitive unless we collectively as a country help. They don’t need better roads (sure some need to be repaired from flood damage), they need the basics - education resources, healthcare resources, dental resources, etc.  In the end, my lasting memories will be the kindness of the people I met and the devastation from the flood…and yes the climb up to Lookout, KY. 

A funny story (at least to me)…after the climb to Lookout I stopped at a gas station to get some Gatorade. The folks at the store opened up a bag of ice for me so I could chill my water bottles. Then the woman in charge shared what the rest of the route to Elkhorn City was going to be like. And then she just casually added…”and there are lots of bears so be careful” 😳. 

Are you wondering about the dogs?  Well there were a number out on the route today. Fortunately most were leashes or fenced in, some were just totally disinterested, and 3 came after me as a mini pack. As compared to yesterday, these dogs were slow and never got close enough to be a problem. 

I  need to get some rest tonight as more climbing again tomorrow and the day after.  Actually I think more climbing until I get to at least Charlottesville. Oh well at least NC will be flat. 

Until tomorrow,

Ian

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