August 1, 2016
Day 62 Clarksville to Augusta, Kentucky
We said goodbye to all our new friends on the farm this morning and headed south.
The scenery was reminiscent of many of our recent days - fields of corn and soybeans. There were a lot more soybeans than corn, which we hadn't noticed before. More on that later...
We stopped for lunch at McDonald's in Mt. Orab. Our Two Far jerseys, as usual, attracted a lot of attention. Viktoriya was working the room, telling our story and handing out cards.
Riding along after lunch, we came across a guy out tending his beehives. We had to stop and talk to him. His name is Keith and he's been beekeeping for three years. He spent a lot of time answering our questions and showing us his hives and honey equipment. It was very interesting.
Later, we stopped to ask a farmer working on a fence some corn and soybeans questions we've had for days. He was happy to stop his work and talk to us. We found out that he, his father before him, and now his son and grandson farmed there. We learned that the reason for the abundance of soybeans this year was economic - more profitable than corn. We also asked him about the corn stalks with two ears we'd been seeing. Kerry and I had been told in Iowa last year that field corn produced only one ear per stalk. He said that was preferred, but some stalks would have two ears, just like cows would sometimes have two calves. Stalks with one ear are more resistant to wind and storm damage and produce bigger ears, so that is how they are bred, but two ears also happen.
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So, it was an agricultural and apicultural learning day for us and we met some really nice people.
The last adventure of the day was crossing the Ohio River into Kentucky on the Augusta Ferry. It is one of the oldest ferries still operating on the Ohio River.
We entered Kentucky, our 10th state, and made the short ride to the Parkview Inn. It is an historic B&B with a great restaurant. We're looking forward to a restful night before tackling some serious Kentucky hills tomorrow.
Today's ride: 55 miles (89 km)
Total: 2,959 miles (4,762 km)
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