Tuesday, July 31, Breaks Interstate Park, VA

Today was very challenging day besting the previous two.  In the first 45
miles, which was our mileage total, we had for major climbs, two of which
were more challenging than yesterday's.  One of the climbs was so long and
steep that it bested me and caused me to walk about 700 yards before I
could regather myself to remount the bike and make it to the summit.  The
sweat was rolling off of me like a spring waterfall.  While this climb
challenged Kyle greatly, it did not best him.

We did not make it to my planned destination today.  We fell 25 miles
short.  It was a combination of the hills, heat, humidity and the fact that
the original destination was merely a spot in the road - no services of any
kind and no designated camping.

At the top of the 4th big climb in the early afternoon heat, we decided to
call it a day at this large park jointly operated by the states of KY and
VA.  As it turned out we made a wise decision.  We barely were able to get
our tent up before it started raining.  Forward intelligence from a park
ranger indicated the route that we would have been on had at least 45
minutes of rain.  Rain even interrupted our camp dinner which we sought
refuge in the ten to eat.  In fact as I write this post Kyle and I are
sitting in the tent waiting out a heavy downpour and counting the leaks.
Oh the joy of bike touring.

As we leave KY,  I will fondly remember the friendliness of its people and
its countless unfriendly, charging dogs.  I can't say that I will miss the
hills.

The next two will present an even greater challenge.  Several monster
climbs await while the temperatures are forecasted to be in the 90's.
Given the current rain,  I suspect that the humidity will also spike.  None
of this is a good  omen for my bottom side which already has been chafed in
many  areas.  Whose idea was it to do this ride in the hottest time of the
year?  I suspect all of this is why, we've yet to see any other cyclists.

Dick

Monday, July 30. Bevinsville, KY

Another challenging day.  My estimation is that it was more challenging the
yesterday.  Based upon the elevation maps, the next several days will be
more challenging.

Like yesterday, to reach our overnight destination we needed to tackle a
big climb that was 4 miles from town.  This hill about did me in.  Perhaps
it was the fact that we had already logged 70 miles, had 3 big climbs, and
we were pedaling in the  late afternoon heat.  I was beat.  Unfortunately
the first hill tomorrow is allegedly worse than the last one today.  These
hills may do me in yet.

Because Bevinsville has no designated camping areas we had to stop  a the
first place we saw with potential camping space.  We got lucky and found a
green space near a business which offered a hose for showering at a home
nearby.  It was so novel for the home owner that the owner memorialized the
event with a picture.  We also befriended another neighbor that provided
ice cold water for our bottles, some gatorade and lots of pleasant
conversation.  She (Sheryl Dennis Johnson) wants Kyle to befriend her on
Facebook.  He was very gracious for her hospitality, given that the hose
water was laced heavily with sulfur.  In short it would have made terrible
drinking.

Two things I've noticed in my two days of riding:  I) the drivers are
extremely courteous and patient.  Unlike my commutes home from work this
summer, when I would routinely be served with a one fingered salute, this
has yet to happen here.  Given the difficulty for vehicles to pass safely
in this portion of the US, I find this amazing.  The second thing, which
was confirmed by our neighbor tonight, is nearly everyone packs a gun in
their car.  I'm not sure how these are connected, but I'm sure I don't want
to find out.

Lastly, after the end of our ride today, Kyle went running.  Oh, to be
young again.  Unfortunately, he had the same problems with dogs as we've
had on bikes.  On two occasions, Kyle had to turn around because of
threatening dogs in his path.  In short these KY towns are not outdoor
active friendly.


A note from the blog poster (Vicki):  Pictures will resume when Kyle gets a phone to replace the one that fell in the cooler.  Andrea has generously offered to give him her old phone and I will have it activated when I get to Raleigh.  Until then there will be only emails from Dick to post.

Sunday, July 29

Today was a tough challenge.  While we made it to our planned overnight, we had to do it by riding 82 miles and not 67.  To add some misery to our tired legs, the last 10 miles had two climbs which closely rivaled Big A Hill earlier in the day.  It was a good thing that the state park that we are camping for the night is less than a mile from the town of 184 as I was exhausted and in significant calorie deficit.
While the ride was challenging, it was certainly beautiful.  This area is heavily wooded, so much so that at times we had the fortune of riding in the shade which helped shelter us from the warm sun.  Unfortunately, there was no hiding from the humidity.  Perhaps the two biggest surprises today were the number of churches we saw.  It is almost like Wisconsin's bar on every street corner.  Many of the churches were literally in the middle of nowhere.  Unfortunately with all of this religion, the area practically shuts down on Sunday.  This did not help our hydration and food needs.
We did encounter a few things we expected - chasing dogs and a feeling that you are in hillbilly country.   On at least two occasions were we chased by dogs where the owner simply watch and did nothing.  Apart from run down homes and the dotting of the countryside with broken down trailers, the other give-a-way that the people are different her was when we stopped for lunch and could barely understand the English being spoken at the tables nearby.  On a good note, we've not heard any banjos.
All of these experiences almost didn't happen today.  While there were numerous issues that we needed to work out because of Kyle's planning, the biggest one was bringing along a pair of mismatched bicycling shoes which had competing pedal clip systems.  In short, one shoe meshed with his pedals, the other did not.  This issue could have suspended the ride today. Fortunately, I had replaced my pedals a few weeks earlier with pedals that allow for pedaling with standard shoes as well as with a clipped pedaled system.  By exchanging one of my pedals with his, we created the opportunity for Kyle to pedal with his mismatched shoe on the platform side of the pedal.  While this is not idea, it allow him to pedal today without issue.  Hopefully we can find a more perfect solution at a pass through town with a bike shop later this week. That's it for now.   We're both tired nd we've been told that we ain't seen nothing yet.  We will see that early in the ride tomorrow.

Dick

Berea to Buckhorn, Kentucky- July 29, 2012

The ride started this morning in Berea, Ky and it was a beautiful morning with temps in the 80's.  All went well until they got ready to mount up and take off and Kyle discovered he had packed 2 different bike shoes and one didn't fit the pedals.  It was a momentary panic as we realized the bike shops were closed because it was Sunday but Dick was resourceful and did a temporary fix.  He switched the pedals on his bike because they had a flat side to use and Kyle was able to ride with one foot clipped in and the other resting on the pedal.  That will work until they can find a bike shop figure out a better solution.  Today they were planning to ride to Buckhorn, KY, a moderate number of miles but a very challenging route.

We pulled into Berea, Kentucky today after a 10 hour day of driving.  There were only a few mishaps along the way.  Kyle forgot to bring any spare tubes.  Vicki opened the cooler and didn't notice Kyle's cell phone fall in and the phone was in the water all day.  Don't try to call Kyle, the phone is pretty dead.  We took a tour of Berea which is a beautiful college town next to the mountains.  There was a good view of the first challenge of the ride tomorrow- Big A Hill.  Should be a good warm up for the ride.  We are comfortably settled into the Country Inn and Suites tonight and should get a good night's rest.  Vicki is off to Virginia Beach tomorrow morning to visit her friend, Deb, and have some beach time.  We lucked out on temperatures- they were in the 80s today and looks to be the same tomorrow.

attention all fans- the adventure continues with Kyle and Dick riding from Berea KY to Yorkdown, VA.  Stay tuned for updates...