Kentucky-YeeHaw!


Taz
Tonight we are at a B&B drying out in Hindman, KY. Passed by Hazzard today. We spent some long, hot days in the saddle and now we’re spending some long, wet days in the saddle. It rained on us for 30+ hours which included our day off. We spent all day either eating, napping, or trying to stay dry. After trying to cram me and my gear into a one-person tent for a week and several nights of that week wet, I am ready to upgrade to a two-person tent. This tent is cozy, when it’s not wet out. I hit the sides, though, when I roll over.

No fun being wet for this long but at least I’m doing what I love, riding a bike—many days in a row! The first week was about surviving each day and getting a routine down. We’ve had a ton of laughs; Dusty is like watching a kid grow up. So much of what we’re seeing and doing is so fresh to him, some of his comments just crack us up. Jimmy and his dad, Jim, get the giggles so easily about anything, it makes us all giggle. This is what it’s all about—“the journey”. As Corie said, “it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey”. This trip will change us all!

Dusty
The last few days have been good in ways but horrible in others! From vacuuming mushrooms with Charlie, who’s sitting in the rain under the tarp at Break’s Interstate Park, passing the Kentucky line, meeting the recumbent man (Ian Wood), and now sleeping under Dave’s roof at the B&B. Today was rainy and cold at times but Jimmy, Taz and I made the best of it! Through laughter and taking many breaks, today’s ride in the storm turned out to be a lot better than I had expected. My first dog encounter was today; an English Boxer ran out of the fence and ran beside me for a good 3 strides until he skidded closer to my bike. Then he turned around and retreated back to his roost on the front porch. Kentucky is HERE. The 3 upside down smashed cars that greeted us a few miles down the road from the VA/KY line assured us that we were on our way through the junkyard of the U.S. As said by Jimmy, “Kentucky is the graveyard for America’s cars” and I do believe he is right. Well we made it to Kentucky finally, our first state down. Now we have a new plan. MAKE IT THROUGH ALIVE!

Jimmy
It is too wet to use the computer, too far away from civilization to get internet access, if we do the right dance we can sometimes get the right cell service, and it hasn’t stopped raining for days. Good news: our butts don’t hurt anymore, we crossed our first state line, and we bike every day. Good times keep on coming; we spend our nights laughing about the day’s events and our days doing that thing we do . . . we bike. We pack camp, hop on our bikes, and pedal the miles to our next destination. Along the way we talk to local folks, admire the diversity and scenery from one day to the next, reminisce about old memories at the NUT in Harrisonburg on Shenandoah Club rides, and laugh at one another during flub-ups. With one day of Kentucky complete, we wish for sunshine, that we remain visible to coal truck drivers and that we remain invisible to Kentucky stray dogs.

Continued upkeep, lubrication and constant service to both our bodies and bikes, we tackle each day with confidence and excitement. Each ride carries us a bit closer to the unknown, yet further from the people and things we know and love. We think about you all, often share stories, pictures and memories to help each other understand our journey. Keep us in your thoughts . . . we be biking!